


To the Rescue [Part: 1]

by strykelass



Series: To The Rescue [1]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lifeguards, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, References to Drugs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2018-05-11 15:45:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 121
Words: 510,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5632096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strykelass/pseuds/strykelass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a bad breakup, Seth Rollins leaves the midwest to lifeguard for an aquatics facility in Orlando and restart his life. After everything he's been through, does he have what it takes to dive into love again? CONTINUED IN PART 2</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chance of a Lifetime

“Did you have any questions?”

“I don’t think so,” Seth was still trying to towel his hair off as best as possible. He was a little nervous he’d taken too long on part of the physical test. The brick-dive had taken two tries, but both Mr. Helmsley and Mrs. McMahon were smiling, clipboards lax at their sides as Seth thought hard, trying to remember if he’d covered his bases.

“Well if you think of anything, feel free to ask,” Hunter pointed around the corner to the men’s locker room door, “We’ll just have you dry off and change quick and I can give you the tour of the place.”

“O-oh-“ Seth looked between the two again, “So- I’m hired?”

“Oh yeah,” Hunter beamed, “I’ll say.”

It was hard for him not to hum happily to himself as he changed into a comfy pair of cargo shorts and a T-shirt, stowing his wet swim suit and interview slacks into the same bag, not really caring much at all. He’d got the job, he wasn’t really that afraid he WOULDN’T get it, but having just arrived in Orlando without much fallback, he was glad that the word Jimmy had put in for him hadn’t just been a fluke.

“Pretty much all of your experience was small scale, if I’m right?” Hunter asked as they walked around the pool deck. Seth took in little things as they walked, but it was difficult as Hunter walked fast.

“I’ve never worked at a facility this big, no.” Seth looked around eagerly, _two guards, even with low ratios… no obvious blindspots…_

“Well, most people haven’t.” They stopped at the exit. “This is where you’ll shadow first, it’s just a lap pool, that’s it. Pretty straightforward. You’ll learn where all the equipment is on your first shift.”

Seth nodded and they left the pool area, coming out into the hallway where families were gathering outside of the locker rooms.

“Back that way,” Hunter pointed, “Family locker rooms. There are individual changing rooms and bathrooms in there, single adults can go in but they gotta change clothes in the rooms, not out in the open. Every now and then you’ll have someone make a huge mess in there and if they do you’ll need to walkie for custodial.”

“R-right.”

“And this pool-” Hunter procured a key from his pocket and they went through an emergency door. “This is the programming pool. Some guards call it P-pool, mostly because it’s almost always full of kids.”

True enough there were a bunch of kids in all sections of the pool, it was an L-shape, with a long pit area and ramp access. Guards were standing, pacing the deck.

“Looks good,” Seth was impressed. “Oh-” He suddenly remembered, “What about in-services?”

“We have monthly mandated lifeguard meetings, plus seminars we sometimes do, if we have someone to teach them, or if there is a need.” They left P-pool and walked even further down the long hallway, passing the throngs of families to a deserted stretch with some elevators, through a glass door.

“You’ll almost never be down here,” Hunter noted. “But I like to check in on these guys. This is the spa.”

A blonde woman waved from the front desk and studied Seth as they approached, she looked unoccupied.

“This is Summer,” Hunter introduced them. “She and Tyler basically tag-team the spa, every now and then you might be asked to run some towels down or swing by, but they manage it pretty well by themselves. You’ll have full access to the spa as part of your membership as well.”

“It’s a ritzy place.” Summer smiled. “Not really, mostly just hydromassage machines and a sauna.”

“You might get called down in case we have an emergency here too,” Hunter tapped the counter, waving at Summer before heading back out again. Seth felt like a child, being pulled along by a parent in a mall. “People overheat and if you’ve got the highest certification you’ll be the one dealing with it.”

“Is that all the pools?”

“One more, and the park.” Hunter tapped the up button on the elevator console. “It’s a lot, I know, but we won’t throw you into it too fast, and it’s like I said, you kinda find your niche and what works for you after the first few months. There is plenty of wiggle room right now with people coming back from school.”

“What did that other guy do-“ Seth asked curiously. “You had said on the phone-“

“Oh, yeah,” Hunter’s face twitched. “He was kinda like you, had lots of certifications, but he got worn down hard during our last big turnover, well…” Hunter’s barreling train of thought stopped for a moment. “He was a smart guy, but the work got to him after awhile. Too many shifts.”

The elevator door opened and out stepped a wiry looking guy with messy blonde hair. He wasn’t dressed like a guard, but instead had a Blue spandex shirt that read WHITE WATER FUN-CENTER SWIM ACADEMY across the front.

“Oh, hey Dean.” Hunter motioned between the two. “This was the new guy I was talking about, the one from Iowa that had the Waterfront and Woofer certs.”

“I’m Seth,” Seth extended his hand, Dean hesitated for a moment, but took it, looking into Seth’s face thoughtfully.

“You worked with kids?” Dean stared at Hunter, “Summer camp guy?”

“Yeah, a little while ago.” Seth blinked, he wondered if this guy was always this weirdly intense. He’d been fiddling with the whistle around his neck since the door opened and hadn’t stopped.

“That’s great,” Dean said distractedly, “What about swim lessons? You done Foss? Or have a safety cert?”

“Uh- no…” Seth looked between the two men, the elevator door had almost snapped shut but Hunter had swiped his hand over the closure.

“Well shoot, Hunter we should get him on-boarding, the blended course for sure ASAP, man, since Punk quit-“

“Later Dean,” Hunter muttered. “He hasn’t even filled out his tax forms yet.”

“Hmm.”

Seth and Hunter scrambled into the elevator, leaving Dean standing in front of the Spa, trying to remember where he was going. The door snapped shut and Hunter laughed.

“Dean Ambrose, great guy.” Hunter snorted again as Seth wasn’t sure exactly how to respond. “I swear, he’s an odd duck for sure, but he basically runs P-pool. Great with kids, coordinates the majority of the swim lessons and such. Now, don’t worry about any of that stuff now, but if you are interested in becoming an instructor-“

“I uh, I mean, maybe.” Seth shrugged, the elevator chimed. “I was sort of trying to become one back up in Iowa but they didn’t have much time to train me.”

They walked out onto a floor that Seth would have guessed was deserted, he could hear voices in the distance and echoes off the walls, but they were all from downstairs. turning the corner, they headed up a short set of stairs and through another locked door. This pool was smaller, the air warmer, and at present, completely empty.

“The adaptive pool.” Hunter explained, he crouched to a knee and pulled a thermometer out that had been wrapped around the railing, attached to a buoy. “It’s kept at about ninety two degrees and it’s only open for a few hours each day. We’ll do special programming and classes, but it’s really for special needs patrons and folks who are working through physical therapy sessions.”

“Cool,” Seth said blankly, surveying the smaller area. Part of him hoped he could work some shifts up in this pool, it would certainly be easy. There would probably be nothing much to do. There was all sorts of specialized equipment lining the deck however.

“Daniel is up here a lot, we do private and semi private lessons. One or two classes a week maybe. I think we’ll be starting up a parent-child class soon that’ll use this pool so it’ll be more busy.”

Last was the water park, which Seth had been the most curious about. It was probably the area he had the least experience in and so he was eager to learn.

“So,” Hunter prefaced, leaning on some of the faux wood fencing that enclosed the outdoor area. He grabbed the sunglasses hanging from his whistle and slipped them on. “The water park gets a bad rep a lot of the time but it’s really not that bad, you just have the human factor at play a lot more and so you end up getting in a little more, doing a little more customer service, you know. Everyone works the park at some point, some people just love it, they live for it. Others, not so much, it’s like I said, you just gotta find your niche.”

The park was small and easy enough to travel through. A couple water slides, a lazy river, a wave pool and a shallow play area for smaller children. Guards were every where, directing the traffic of swimmers moving through the spaces.

“We like to schedule the park guards for two weeks at a time or so, like I said, everyone puts in their time for the park.” Hunter led him into a thatched roof hut which was connected to the locker rentals, obviously some sort of break room. “So if you’re on park duty, you’ll come here and check out where you’re stationed, Lana and Ru help divvy up the work, you’ll see them guarding. If you’re interested in doing park duty lots, they’re your people.”

There were numbers and titles by each name, along with safety break times.

“There is a whole protocol you’ll learn later.” Hunter nodded toward a whole wall of Emergency Action Plans and OSHA notices. “But it’s a fun place, we do after hours parties for the staff each year here and it’s always a good time.”

Seth just nodded, being inundated with so much information, all he could do was just smile dumbly. Nothing was too intimidating or scary, he was confident. He had been a lifeguard for a few years now and other than the fact that everyone here had an immaculate beach body, he didn’t think this would be that much different from the Davenport Community Center. It had glitz and it was big, that was it.

“Don’t want to overwhelm you too much today, so we’ll get you some uniforms and then you can split.” Hunter closed up the hut behind them and they walked back to the main building, enduring the stifling heat for another minute or so.

“So, you can just email me all the paperwork stuff?” Seth asked, trying to think if there was anything else he needed to know.

“Yup, it’s pretty seamless. You just put your data into the system and then you’ll be on payroll pretty quick. We have a handbook too that you’ll want to look at and sign off on.”

“Hey Hunter,” A large, tanned and thickly muscled man came out from behind the front desk when he heard their conversation. “Hey man, did you ask around about the Tabata class yet?”

Hunter sighed, pausing his brusque pace to look from the tiled ceiling, racking his brains.

“No, no I haven’t, I’m thinking it might be on you. Roman, this is Seth Rollins, he’s the guy I was talking about that’s come down from Davenport.”

“Yeah, uh, hey.” Roman barely registered Seth, stormy eyes fixed on Hunter. “You really can’t think of nobody that can take that shift? If I keep teaching it, they’re just going to assume it’s me from now on, man.”

Hunter raised his hands up, it would have almost been apologetic if the way he was pulling his face wasn’t so obviously comical. Roman didn’t look amused, his face scrunching into a scowl, he walked behind the service area and out of sight.

“Roman’s stepping up into a new position, Roman Reigns is his full name- he’s our health and wellness coordinator, which is to say he manages all of our aerobics classes and some of the physical therapy stuff.”

“Cool, so, like some of the stuff in the adaptive pool?” Seth asked, trying to apply his knowledge, there was no way he was going to remember all these names.

“He works with Dan, yeah.” Hunter’s face looked suddenly confused, like he wasn’t sure if he could explain exactly what he was thinking. Seth had found it a little strange how directly cold Hunter had been with Reigns, after being so pleasant and smiling throughout the rest of the tour he’d given. _Where there’s a pool, there’s drama_ Seth thought defeatedly, remembering the own bullshit tediousness of some of his former work relations. However, It didn’t matter, he was always the face of neutrality when it came to these things.  
“Right, well,” Hunter walked them back to the office they’d done the majority of their interview in, Stephanie sat at her desk, headset in her ear, typing away unperturbed. “Medium, Large?”

“Large is good.” Seth grabbed one of the offered shirts and grinned. He had about a hundred guard shirts, but this one had two big palm trees sticking out of the guard logo, reading WHITE WATER FUN-CENTER STAFF across the back. Hunter handed him a whistle lanyard as well.

“We’ll get you a name tag on your first day,” he stood at full height again, shutting the cabinet door. “And we’ll deal with parking then too, I’m past due getting out of here myself.”

It didn’t stop him from chatting Seth up on the way to his car, it was a nice feeling, Seth thought, your boss being as excited as you were. With many assurances of “You’ll love it here,” to “We’ll call you as soon as you get your paperwork in,” Seth waved out the window of his cadillac, cranking the air on as high as it would go before heading in the direction of the freeway, to his new apartment.

It was empty as of now, being a fairly frugal person, he’d only sent a few packages of things out in the mail, hopefully arriving later that week. Everything else he’d chucked or sold for some extra moving money. It was a little depressing, flicking on the lights to a vast empty space and a whirring air conditioner (the heat was really going to take some adjusting) but he was still feeling high from the hiring and how welcoming and kind his new bosses seemed to be.

 _New Start_ Seth thought with a sigh, reaching into his freezer for one of the pints of ice-cream he’d picked up for himself at Publix. He sat on the floor with the only spoon he had, staring out the sliding door of his balcony at the condos and palm trees. His new neighborhood. He was going to miss Iowa a lot, the midwest wasn’t something he really thought he would ever leave, but here he was chasing his dreams of upward mobility in aquatics… and trying to put things behind him. Time would tell if he’d get used to the heat and the people, maybe he’d have to start tanning?

He felt his phone buzz and he graciously opened his inbox, a message from Jimmy waiting for him.

**Did you meet florida man yet???**

**Nah lol GOT THE JOB THO!**

**Fuck ya**

He could see Jimmy smiling, perhaps excitedly telling anyone in earshot how he had ‘gotten Seth a job’.

**Thats great dude I really think ull like it the short amount of time i worked 4 Hunter was rly cool everyone was like a family an shit**

**Yeah he seemed really cool**

 

Jimmy didn’t answer for awhile and so Seth fidgeted with his pint, trying to dig out the fudge pieces. Jimmy Jacobs had probably worked for every YMCA and community center in the country at some point. It wasn’t until he’d gotten into management that he’d finally settled down.

**Gunna have to let me come n use the waterpark sometime**

**I live within minutes of disney land n u want to visit a tiny waterpark**

**Disney WORLD is expensive**

**Marek has been annoying as hell since u left**

Seth deflated a little, setting the ice cream aside and laying flat on the floor. His room was growing darker by the minute, he’d neglected to turn on any lights and his phone glowed ominously before locking again. He didn’t want to talk about Marek, didn’t want to think about it, that’s why he was here…

**Its to be expected i guess**

**sorry ill shut up now**

**its fine**

It was only eight thirty but Seth was feeling particularly drained after the long, exciting day. He packed his apartment up for the night and crawled into bed, eyes staring lazily out of the window at the still setting sun. He tried not to think about anything, but naturally he did and so he restlessly rolled around for a few hours, turning over the day in his head, trying to remember his new co-workers names, and tried his best not to think abut whether or not Marek was sulking in Iowa, thinking of him.


	2. Kind of a Drag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first of Seth's shifts. Old ladies that don't give a fuck and a pissy water aerobics teacher.

His first shadow-shift at the pool had him waking up at about six to get ready and eat and look the part before stumbling into his car, in the direction of White Water. Seth had never been much of a morning person, he’d drink a coffee if he really had to, but he didn’t like to rely on caffeine so he was always a little bleary and grumpy.

Nikki Bella was not however, at 8 AM she was the picture of wakefulness and was eager to greet him and begin showing him where everything was. 

“You can grab a tube and a fanny pack over there, she pointed to the back room door, next to were a rescue buoy and a backboard hung from hooks on the wall. “We’ll walk and talk, it’s chill enough where I can do that and guard.”

Seth got the impression that she was a really nice person, everyone at the pool seemed to know her and she was quick to point out the regular patrons that came to the pool in the morning to swim as their workout for the day. This early on in the day, it was a lot of retirees and older people that had the time to mingle around in the shallow section and engage Nikki in whole conversations.

“That’s Daisy,” Nikki pointed out an older white woman coming out of the first floor locker rooms, she was scooting a walker and trembling hard with every step. “She used to come more often but she’s got some health problems. I always just push her walker up by the ramp when she starts to get out.”  
Seth nodded, remembering the few old folks that would yak their heads off to him every time he came in. 

“And that’s Gary,” Nikki paused, taking a quick drink off her water bottle once they came by the guard’s stand. “He hates sharing lanes but he will if he has to.”

Nikki showed him where all the important emergency stuff was, as well as the emergency phone and the walkie to the front desk. Seth quickly peeked into the first aid cabinet to get a feel for where the quick stuff was, like bandaids and gloves. His fanny pack was pretty well stocked, but it was important to know these things.

“Do you think you’ll be opening or closing?” Nikki asked him, they both faced the pool at attention, but would occasionally meet eyes to appear polite.

“I really dunno yet,” Seth shrugged. “Back in Iowa I was mostly a steady mid person but I basically just put open availability. Don’t really got anything else going on.”

“Did you graduate already?” Nikki asked curiously. Seth shook his head.

“Nah, I’m not really a school person. Couldn’t bring myself to waste the money. I like guarding and I wanted to move so one of my managers pointed me over here.”

“That’s cool, I actually have a sister that works here too, it’s crazy, we’re always doing the same stuff. But we’re both from Arizona. Never really… made it to Iowa before. We were all about warm weather.”

“Iowa’s cool,” Seth said, an edge of defensiveness creeping into his voice. “You’re both guards though?”

“Yeah,” Nikki laughed, “I do Swim Team though, and she does some water therapy stuff. We try to diversify when we can.”

An hour or so of guarding and Seth felt pretty confident, The lap pool was low maintenance as far as mental exertion went. People came and went, most of the patrons were fairly locked into their workouts, and seemed regular in their movements. At about five after nine, a string of older folks, mostly old ladies came tottering out of the locker rooms, already heavily engaged in conversation.

“Those are the real snowbirds,” Nikki joked quietly, “Water Aerobics ladies.”

“Well who’s this?” One of them enquired of Seth and he turned jerkily, meeting eyes with a bent over old lady about half his height, staring at him intensely. 

“He’s new!” Nikki said excitedly “Flora, be nice.”

“I’m Seth,” He extended a hand to her, she was wet from showering and shook his hand softly. 

“You been here long?” Seth tried not to laugh as the old lady looked him up and down, “You’re a fuzzy boy, aren’t you?”  
Nikki bit her lip, trying to hide her obvious amusement while Seth flushed beet red, staring at his thin, hairy legs poking out of his swim trunks. 

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’m Armenian…”

He was too shocked to really be offended. Flora just sort of wiggled her nose and waved at the both of them, shuffling off to fit herself with an aqua jogging belt. Seth stared.

“She might have a little dementia, I don’t know.” Nikki murmured, covering her mouth, Seth just readjusted, looking at the pool dully. “They aren’t afraid of anyone.”

“Guess not,” he muttered, watching the first floor entrance again as a familiar face came out, the tan guy from earlier with the tattoos, he was just trying to remember his name before about four of the ladies erupted into cheers and greetings.

“Roman! Roman, we have to ask you!”

“Roman!”

“See?” Nikki laughed, “It’s not just you, giant Samoan guys aren’t safe either.”

Roman smiled politely, setting down the boom box he’d been carrying before the ladies bombarded him with questions and conversation. He was wearing a pair of fitted shorts and a black rash guard that barely contained the enormity of his form. Dressing like that? Seth thought it was pretty obvious he was going to get a little attention from all these grandmas. 

“Roman, they said you weren’t going to be teaching in August?” 

“Are they going to at least have another instructor?”

“If it’s Daniel, we’re not coming!”

“Hey it's alright,” Roman raised his hands, Seth wanted to laugh, they were hanging on his every word.

“I’m going to take a lap, you can sit in the guard’s chair.” Nikki offered up. Seth snapped his neck back. Even with Nikki, he should still be watching the pool and guarding, he quickly did a headcount, but he didn’t stop eavesdropping on the conversation. 

“I’m not leaving, where did you hear that?” Roman laughed as the ladies launched into an explanation of hearsay and gossip. “No, no that’s not true.”

“There was some other instructor though!” 

“I’m going to be _training_ another instructor in. But even then, they’ll probably just be taking the noon shallow-water classes, not the morning ones.”

The women seemed satisfied and Roman crossed by the guard station to lower the noise on the radio. Seth waved politely, Roman just nodded.

“He’s a natural with them,” Nikki laughed, returning to lean on the chair. “He takes a week off for vacation and they like, don’t show up, not for a substitute.” Roman had entered the pool and was leading the group in an exercise, calling out moves loudly to music coming out of his CD player. Seth had to agree, the ladies were following him with every step, eagerly watching and mimicking his body movements.

These sort of classes went on just about every morning, Seth found out. He worked for a few hours each morning that week and while the primary guard might change, Roman was steadfast there, as well as his students. The next day, Seth shadowed a very tall, thickly muscled man named Cesaro, who had a slight accent that Seth couldn’t really place. He had a very long gait and Seth had to quicken his pace and listen carefully to keep up with him. He was however, a very good gauge of internal knowledge about the place.

“Here, it’s very funny because most of the facility is indoors but everyone here, guy or girl, doesn’t matter, stays very done up like we’re on Baywatch or something.”

Cesaro sipped his coffee pointedly, and again, Seth was feeling a little self-conscious with his hairy legs and paler skin. 

“But then, I’m just as big apart of it as well cause I go to the gym with everybody too. Where do you work out?”

“Uh, nowhere really yet.” Seth admitted, “I used to guard at a club so I got a membership there and I just did functional stuff to keep myself ready to rescue if I had to.”

“Oh you gotta come with us,” Cesaro smiled, “You were from out of town right? We could show you were to go.”

They exchanged numbers. Even if Seth wasn’t a workout junkie, it certainly beat having nothing to do and no-one to hang out with.

His last shadow shift, he’d been paired up with the slightly askew guy he’d run into the day he was hired. Seth came in and stopped, looking at the back of the guard chair, the guy was slumped over so much it looked as though he was sleeping.

“What’s up,” he mumbled, sitting up as Seth drew closer, he’d been chewing on his whistle, his legs kicked up, knees on the arm rests.

“Oh, I’m uh, here for my shift.” Seth gestured with the tube he’d grabbed and the man’s eyes widened a bit.

“Yeah, sorry, I forgot, you were Seth?”

“Yeah, I was here the last two days.”

“Hunter, uh, wanted to have me go over any other stuff that you might not know yet,” Dean hoped down from the chair and looked around the pool for a moment, there was just a single lap swimmer, peddling along.

“You got any questions?” Dean asked, blearily. Seth smiled in spite of himself, he sort of felt like Dean looked, still not adjusted to waking up this early. “They never put me in here to guard if I’m guarding at all, I can hardly stay awake in here.”

“You’re normally in the other pool, right?” Seth asked conversationally.

“Mm-yeah,” Dean rubbed his eyes, glancing toward the swimmer, “I’m in P-pool, but I guess Dolph was busy with something. He’s normally the one up and rolling around here. P-pool isn’t really ever open this early so neither am I.”

The only thing Seth could think to ask about was whether or not each pool had it’s own AED and oxygen, it did, and so Dean showed him where it was. 

“Back by all the swim team junk,” he led Seth over to the clear cabinet where the equipment was stored. “Oxygen is pretty simple, you just turn the handle and it’s already armed to go. AED you gotta check the batteries every morning if you open.”

When Roman showed up, he’d showed up with two coffees, patting Dean on the back.

“Uce, you’re the man.” Dean accepted the cup. “Never going to be here this early unless you are.” Roman just smiled, again going to turn down the radio dial. Dean cranked around in his seat, looking back. “I’m gunna feel like a jerk drinking this though, you didn’t get one for Seth!”

“Oh, sorry man.” Roman said, Seth just shook his head, he felt like it was the first time that Roman looked him in the eyes since he got there. 

“Is he always kinda standoffish?” Seth asked cautiously, he didn’t want to seem like a gossip, but if he was offending anyone with his presence he wanted to at least know why. Dean grunted, shaking his head a little.    
“Nah, he’s just been kinda stressed out lately, that’s all.” Dean sipped his coffee thoughtfully. “He’s got a lot going on. Don’t worry about it. Oh, oh hey though-“ two sips of coffee and Dean seemed to come to life.

“Yeah?” Seth laughed.

“You, you were that guy. Yeah, you’re Seth.”

“Yup,” Seth shifted awkwardly. 

“Nah, I mean, you were that guy the other day that was with Hunter. You should do swim lessons man,” 

Dean launched into an explanation of their swim academy and the general need they had for staff. Seth listened intently, still sort of astounded Dean had just put together who he was. He noticed that Dean’s guard style was sort of this engrained twitch that had him refocusing back on the pool if his eyes ever wandered too far. It almost looked painful, the way he’d snap back and forth between drifting and staring.

“So, it’s the sort of thing where we’d have you shadowing before you took any classes, if you’re good with kids and you can get an intuition for how long things take, it’s really easy. Plus, if you’re doing private lessons and making connections, you stand to make pretty good money. The guy before you, well, we called him Punk, but he was actually really good at like everything, really good at swim lessons and stuff and had all these classes more or less accounted for, so when he left we had to fill this huge hole, it’s still pretty difficult.”

“Well, I’m certainly interested, I mean, I told Hunter I was.” Seth explained, watching Roman begin his class, gazing between the old ladies and the lap swimmer. “I think I wanna wait and get a chance to do everything before I decide to settle down in any one thing, you know.”

“Nah man,” Dean leaned toward him, “The water park sucks man, you’ll learn.”

“I wanna try it though!” Seth laughed, smoothing back some of his wispy brown flyaway hairs. “It probably does, the heat’ll probably kill me.”

“The heat and the screaming and the near heart attacks you get guarding those damn slides.” Dean counted off on his hand “Seriously man, if Hunter asks you if you want it, you tell ‘m hell no from the get go.”

“Aren’t we all supposed to work it?” 

“Well, yeaaaah,” Dean rolled his head. “But if you’re doing something else, something more than just guarding, you’ll be put inside more.”

Roman’s class wrapped and he took his time putting away the pull buoys and noodles that he’d used, mingling to chat up Dean while the older women toweled off and thanked him for the lesson. Seth decided to pace around the pool deck, something he would normally do when he was guarding to stay attentive, but he also wanted to give the two men space. Despite what Dean had said about Roman just being stressed out, Seth got the distinct feeling that Roman didn’t like him very much and had eyed him strangely during the class, whenever he was talking to Dean.

Roman and Dean laughed and joked about something while Roman stood dripping, trying to towel off his chest. Seth just hoped it wasn’t about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to name all of the chapters with titles of Baywatch episodes. Review if you're into it.


	3. A Good Man in a Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth finds a friend in Cesaro, but will he survive his first day?

“You wiped out?”

Cesaro was standing over Seth, smiling devilishly, it was open studio time at Cesaro’s Crossfit box of choice. 

“M-yeah,” Seth breathed hard, feeling a little dizzy. He was doing alright catching his breath, but the exercise, baby Fran, or whatever he’d called it, had him pretty much whipped. Seth hadn’t done Crossfit before, but it was better than sitting in an empty house, waiting for the mail to arrive. 

“It’s murder,” Cesaro sat down next to where he lay and hiked his leg up into a lizard stretch. “But then we get to eat all the chipotle we want.”

“F-fuck yeah,” Seth said weakly, wiping sweat off of his forehead, his chest still heaving. The medicine balls lay beside them, covered in sweaty hand prints.

Cesaro was an interesting guy. He drove his car very fast and chatted through his music from the radio, pointing out interesting spots and explaining little things about Orlando that an outsider might not be aware of. To some it might seem condescending, but Seth guessed that Cesaro was a transplant as well, and he really didn’t know much, and so, was eager to learn.

“The most annoying thing is the damn tolls,” Cesaro slowed down to a still too-fast forty miles an hour, buzzing through the sun-pass lane and gazing back contemptuously at the traffic camera. 

They ate huge, double meat, double rice burritos, pausing for a moment to just consume before discussing life and inevitably, the pool.

“You’re lucky for now cause we really only have a couple more weeks to deal with the water park before it closes for the season.” Cesaro explained, digging into his chip bag.

“Is it really that bad? Everyone’s warning me about this thing like it’s the worst.”

“I dunno, I’d say about one in ten find some enjoyment out of it.” Seth just shrugged.

“I worked outside and with kids for awhile, first got my cert working on a lake, it can’t be that bad.”

“Maybe not,” Cesaro agreed. “I just can’t do kids for too long man, I’m all about the lap pool. But that’s just me. Even swim-meets are a chore.”

“So who does work the park?” Seth inquired, trying to remember the names that Hunter had told him. Cesar wiped his mouth, thinking for a moment before counting off on his fingers.

“Well, Lana and Ru run it, those guys are nuts, they are the only people who got the energy for that stuff. So they have their crew that they roll with and a lot of them actually leave for the season when the park closes. Wade works inside sometimes, Sheamus leaves for the season, Kofi, Big E and Xavier actually do swim lessons mostly but they're the type to do pretty much everything.”

Seth had to smile, there were so many funny nicknames, he could tell you probably had to be kind of an odd duck to work the park.

“Roman used to work it a lot actually, but that was when he was a guard. Not a lot of the girls though, I wonder why that is…”

“Roman used to be a guard?” Seth asked, “Do you ever get a weird vibe off him?”

“Hmm? Oh, not really.” Cesaro shook his head, “He was a guard for years, worked a couple different pools actually. I’m surprised he didn’t get mega-burn out doing that shit.”

“But he doesn’t guard anymore… It’s weird,” Seth felt stupid, he sort of wished he hadn’t brought it up at all, he didn’t know why he kept thinking about it, “I just feel like he side eyes me whenever I’m guarding during his classes.”

“Oh,” Cesaro took a decisive bite of his burrito, chewing thoughtfully. “He’s just going through some shit right now, it’s all really stupid actually. I’d tell you but I dunno how personal it is. He got crabby at me the other day because I moved his lunch to the warm side of the fridge, don’t worry about it.”

Seth sipped from his drink, looking out the window at the hot, steamy parking lot. He needed to just put Roman out of his mind, he didn’t know why he kept bringing it up, but it was honestly the most interesting thing that had happened to him since he’d arrived. Pools were boring about 75% of the time anyways, some random employee beef would always occur just to keep things interesting. 

Seth didn’t need any distractions going into his first solo shift, however, they popped up the moment his alarm clock woke him up at six that Friday. He squinted, looking at his phone in the darkness, a couple of texts from Marek that had dropped in late in the night.

**Did u get the job? I thought u were going to text me once u figured stuff out**

**Pretty sure you packed up a bunch of my video games, not cool dude**

**I still miss you a lot id be great if u could just text me back**

Seth just sighed, setting his phone aside and stretching out. He owed Marek some sort of contact, just for the sake of friendliness, but he knew if he caved he’d probably do something he wasn’t proud of. Besides, he didn’t want to text him and get his brain churning on a bunch of shit if he couldn’t see his phone for a few hours. Lifeguarding was bad for that.

It would have been alright if Seth had got to the pool and had an easy shift, he’d have been able to think up something worthwhile to say to Marek, maybe even call him after lunch and sound articulate about his feelings. Such a thing did not occur. In fact, it was probably one of the worst shifts he’d ever worked.

He came in and it was already busy. Dolph had opened and explained that whenever it was expected to be a hot day people liked to come in early before the heat and get their workout in. The pool was still mostly old folks, the few that Seth was starting to recognize, but all the lanes were full and people had started splitting them.

He walked around, pacing the deck and trying to look busy, but he kept getting caught up in little micro-dramas that were extremely important to the seniors and tedium in the grand scheme of things. First, there was a man who was blowing his nose in he gutter of the pool, doing so loud enough that Seth jerked his head back, catching him in the act. Before he could round the corner and explain it was unhygienic, he’d left. This didn’t stop about four people coming up to him to complain and explain how disgusted they were and upset that Seth hadn’t managed to tell them off.   
Then there was the showering. Seth knew full well he couldn’t catch every single person who came out of the locker room dry, but he tried his best to politely ask patrons to rinse off before entering the pool, he knew if he didn’t, some busy body would complain to him about it anyway, but Seth had made the horrible, earth shattering mistake of asking a woman who’d already showered.

“Yeah, I did,” she said, snobbishly, not even looking him in the eye while she picked out a kick board to use. Seth just frowned, her hair was entirely dry, pulled back into a pony tail, her thighs were wet. 

“Oh-Ok sorry.” Seth just accepted defeat, hovering awkwardly by the lifeguard stand as she passed by, giving him an exasperated look. _Fuckin’ bitch_ He thought angrily, taking a swig from his water bottle. She proceeded to refuse to share her lane with about three different lap swimmers, all of which shot Seth confused, frustrated glances.  
Roman’s class started, pulling even more lap lanes out of the pool, forcing some swimmers to sit awkwardly on the deck, just sort of mingling to wait for their turn. Six people had crammed into one and Seth could feel Roman’s gaze prickling over his neck.

“You should tell them that it’s not safe to have that many people in a lane, the max is five.”

“Oh,” Seth said stupidly. “Right,”

People were angry and starting to leave, Seth just apologized meekly, not bothering to anger them any further by reminding them of the pool schedule. 

“You should just put another lane in,” One older man said angrily, towering over Seth who honestly just wanted to tear his hair out. 

“The water aerobics class is scheduled for this time.” He said, trying to put as much effort in to sound apologetic. “If we pushed them all together it wouldn’t be-“

The man had already walked away, Seth paced faster, looking at the clock. Still two and a half more hours to go.

“I need a belt.” Flora demanded as he passed by, she was staring at the pile of aqua jogging belts like it was a ball of tangled tree lights. “You need to help me find one.”

Seth restrained his sigh, he really shouldn’t take his eyes off the pool. He had no idea what size was what either, he was just about to set down his tube when Roman hopped out of the pool and came to his rescue.

“Flora, you can just ask me,” Roman immediately grabbed the preferred size.

“Well you were in the pool! What good does that do me?” 

Roman just laughed as she teetered away toward the stairs in the deep end, he looked at Seth sternly.

“Just ask for help if they ask you for stuff like that, you can’t let them think you’re the pool boy.”

“I know,” Seth said flatly, he didn’t mean to be rude but he didn’t need Roman’s condescension either. He continued his pace, settling down a little bit once Roman’s class ended and he could open up more lanes. Roman watched him through his frantic pacing and Seth’s heart leapt when he waved him down before he could pass.

“You need anything? Bathroom break?” 

“What? Oh, no, I’m fine,” 

Roman raised an eyebrow, Seth just shook his head.

“It’s fine, you just know how it is.” Seth’s eyes flicked back to the pool instinctually. “Busy morning.”

“Yeah, for sure,” Roman sniffed, sliding the CD from the boom box back into the hard case. “Once these folks know you better they won’t be so obnoxious.”

“Yeah,” Seth agreed, the stress ball in his chest alleviating a little bit. “It’s just dumb, you know? I’ve been guarding for years, this isn’t my _real_ first time alone.”

“Yeah well, I’ll see ya,” Roman cut him off, passing by him brusquely, towel wrapped around his shoulders and bag swung over his bag. Seth rolled his eyes, pounding the pavement as fast as was safe to crank the radio up nice and loud.

A fight over the ownership of a towel, two more goody-goody’s that wouldn’t shower and an old woman who demanded the use of lane six, and Seth was counting the minutes to noon when he’d be relieved of duty. It was the most bogus shift he’d worked in a long time and he’d almost forgotten about Marek. Remembering just stressed him out further, unable to force his face into a passive smile before Hunter came in for the day.

“How’re we doing?” Hunter asked, facing the pool and watching it just as actively as Seth was, he forced a smiling nod and Hunter just beamed at him. 

“A little busy but that’s what keeps you awake, right? Once you’re done I think there are some dough nuts at the front desk that Sami brought in, make sure you snag one before they’re gone.”

“Gladly,” Seth’s mouth was watering, a consolation doughnut was necessary at this point. 

“I got your certs laminated too, if you want to pop into my office and sign them, you can keep a copy in your wallet, unless you already got one, I just need one for my record. Cesaro should be here any second now.”

“Sounds good,” Seth got out of the guard chair and stretched, Hunter returned to his office and Seth squatted a little, trying to stretch out his hips from the constant walking. Perhaps sensing the noon hour, most of the swimmers were finishing their laps and making their way to the locker room to change for lunch. An older cuban man came out of the first floor locker room and Seth pulled a smile, waving at him. 

It happened almost in slow motion, the man was smiling and waving back before he stepped in a puddle of water pooling on the tile floor and slipped. It was like in a cartoon, his feet flying into the air before his head came down to crack loudly on the floor. Seth’s heart leapt and the man yelled, Cesaro came through the locker room door, already changed.

“Grab Hunter,” Seth said immediately, Cesaro threw down his bag and slammed the emergency button on the adjacent wall. Seth leaned over the man, setting down his tube.

“Sir!” Seth touched the mans shoulder and he groaned loudly, trying to move his head. Seth instantly put a hand to his forehead, “Don’t move sir! Don’t move your neck!”

Hunter came hurdling out of his office and to Seth’s side in a heart beat. The emergency lights were flashing and some of the patrons were staring. Cesaro had run to grab the AED and the oxygen, instinctually. Seth looked around to the other pool patrons before giving Hunter a meaningful look. Hunter just nodded, the man was groaning, crying out.

“I’m sorry,” Seth said, bounding over to the group of about five men who were watching the scene. “The pool is closed now, you’ll have to leave,” He ushered them into the locker room and patrolled the perimeter of the deck, making sure there was no one in the water, he then grabbed the backboard.

“Can you tell me where you’re feeling pain?” Hunter was asking, his voice was low and a little gruff. Both Cesaro and Seth were kneeling beside him, “Again, sir, please do not try to move,” Hunter looked up at the two, “One of you, grab the keys and lock the entrances, leave the first floor open. Make sure the fire lane is open.”

Seth bounded off to slide on a pair of sandals, meeting a handful of staff at the door who were holding clipboards, already gloved up. Seth’s heart was pounding, but at this point, EMS would likely be very close. Cesaro made a face, catching Seth’s eye.

“Of course, right?” He mumbled, grabbing the key off the ring by the backroom door. 

In all of about five minutes, the ambulance had arrived and the EMTs had taken over the scene, leaving everyone to sort of awkwardly mingle while they strapped the man onto a backboard to be carried out.

“Spinal you think?” Cesaro mumbled, just now fixing a fanny pack to his waist. “I didn’t even clock in yet!”

“Oh definitely,” Hunter nodded, “He was going into shock when I was talking to him, I think there was a language barrier but he still wasn’t making much sense.” Hunter turned to Seth, his arms were folded and he looked quite intense. “That was excellent Seth, textbook emergency procedure.”

“T-Thanks,” Seth managed, looking up at the clock, it was about 12:30. All the thoughts in his head, the stupid day, Marek, had faded away. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but he felt very warm and light.

“We’re off the clock for one day and there’s a goddamn ambulance outside?”

The three turned, Dean and Roman had come through the only open door, both were carrying lunch and looking perplexed by the scene. A large man followed up behind them, scooting a mop bucket, a hose slung over his back. 

“There any blood on the floor or anything?” He asked gruffly, craning his neck to try to see past Hunter.

“No Kevin, I think we’re alright, looks clean.” Hunter waved him off and Kevin nodded, shutting the door behind him.

“We handled it fine, besides, weren’t you here earlier Reigns?” Cesaro laughed, fixing the strap of the tube around his neck. “Hunter thinks it was a spinal.”

Dean screwed up his face, as though he’d tasted something unsavory, his eyes widened when he saw Seth, who looked almost dreamy. 

“Damn kid, your first week and you got a spinal.” Seth blushed, shrugging dumbly.

“Duty calls I guess.”

“Hey,” Hunter reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet and grabbing a twenty. “Petty cash boys, go get a treat on me.” He looked at Seth meaningfully before Dean yanked the bill out of Hunter’s hand. “Seriously though, great job Seth. All I want out of my employees is knowing I can rely on them when stuff like that happens.”

“We’re not going to Dairy Queen,” Dean laughed. “Rome, lets get a beer.” 

“I was there too!” Cesaro complained loudly, pointing at them with his coffee hand, “I gotta sit on my butt right here till four, you better get me something! Hey, Dean! Grab me one of those doughnuts that Sami brought.”

Seth just looked between them like a tennis match. 

“They’re already gone,” Dean mumbled, turning to Seth “You got all your stuff? Sami will have to fill out an incident report with you but that’ll just take a sec.”

“Yeah,” Seth said, trying to shake some of the cloudiness out of his head, “Yeah I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! People like this, that's cool. Y'all are sweet.


	4. Hijacked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Painfully awkward lunch. Why doesn't Roman guard anymore?

Sami’s hands were shaking a little as he transcribed Seth’s account of the incident into their report log. Dean and Roman hovered back awkwardly, eating the sandwiches they’d brought with them.

“But, he seemed just fine when he came in? Nothing strange?” 

“Nah, I mean, it happened literally seconds after he walked in the door, so,” Seth watched Sami scrawling down notes under Seth’s contact info. It was just procedure, Seth had filled a million of these out in the past. He was shaking off the adrenaline now and his mind was racing, he was going out? For a beer? It felt a little cruel to do so leaving Cesaro to monitor the pool, if he’d have to start his shift like that…

“That should be everything,” Sami said, blinking hard and rubbing his forehead. “Haven’t had to do one of these in awhile.”

Seth followed Dean and Roman out into the parking lot, instantly languishing in the intense heat that hit him the second he was out the door. Dean and Roman slipped on their sunglasses and Seth squinted, trying to keep up. The car they crowded around was a big grey Grand Cherokee, Roman’s ride. 

“So, what the hell happened?” Dean asked clamoring into the passenger seat, Seth slid into the middle, hoping his silence came off as a cool indifference.

“It was just some guy who slipped and just ate it really hard on the floor.” he explained, “He was older and stuff, happened in a second.”

“Crazy,” Dean said, looking back in his seat as he sipped on his drink, “Good on you kid, I think if that happened my first week I woulda' shit my pants.”

“Well,” Seth buckled his seat belt as Roman pulled the car out of park, “It’s not my first week,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean gesticulated with his soda, “Our pool is weird though, I swear weird shit just sort of gravitates toward the place.”

Roman was mostly silent throughout the ride, Seth hoped he hadn’t just been pulled along for the hell of it. Seth didn’t even know where they were going and before he got the chance to ask, Dean had launched into a whole story about the last big save he’d had to make in the water.

“See, we were way over ratio,” Dean began, mostly just addressing Seth as he guessed Roman had probably either heard this story many times or been present at the scene. “But I know that there aren’t any back ups in the building and, well, frankly, fuck it, I’m the Michael Jordan of lifeguarding, ok? The park is closing in two days anyway. I’m over it. Anyways, little girl starts swimming out without a tube, right? Right up to the flags.” Dean paused to sip, leaning right over the center console. “So I’m like, you know, giving the warning, don’t touch the flags, etcetera, But we just got so many people, just me and Randy holding it all down and we just keep looking between each other like, fuck man what can you do? He’s pissed, I’m pissed. Wave pool kicks up, little girl goes down like a fuckin’ rock.”

Seth frowned, his heart racing a little. They stopped a little abruptly and Dean’s head bumped Roman’s shoulder. 

“You can face forward you know,” Roman grunted.

“In a sec,” Dean pointed at Seth, “I do this beautiful compact jump, just the best you’ve ever seen. I swear, my head didn't go underwater at all. Randy clears the pool, little girl is just fine, crying and whatever, but breathing. Whole park closes early, boom. Pizza party.”

“You’re a hero.” Seth snorted, “An actual pizza party?”

“Steph got us pizzas, it was great.” Dean remembered joyfully, then sat up straight in his seat. “We going to Eskimo Joes or what?”

Eskimo Joe’s was a tacky little bar and grill on the edge of Orlando proper, Seth could only guess the reason they were there was because it was cheap and close. Tacky mariachi music was playing from blown out speakers, they sat in a booth close to the bar.

“What about you Roman?” Seth asked quietly, “You had a big save lately?”

“Uce isn’t a lifeguard,” Dean mumbled quickly, burying his head in a menu. Seth noticed the strange way Roman’s face twitched at the mention. He didn’t press the subject.

“You guys come here a lot?” He tried to thread the conversation up again. Dean nodded, then threw down the menu exasperatedly. 

“We just ate,” Dean realized. “You just finished though, you’re hungry?”

Seth nodded, he was feeling weak from hunger. The hours trotting around the pool had weighed on him.

“We could just share some chips or something though, you guys don’t have to watch me eat.”

“Get whatever you want, it’s your day.” Roman said plainly, clearly trying to make an effort to appear sociable. Seth couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Besides,” Dean flipped out his wallet. “I got the bosses card so, we can just drink more if we’re here longer.”

“When the hell did Hunter give you that?” Roman snorted, grabbing the card off of him and checking the name.

“I had to order a bunch of new belts earlier, that’s why I was there, I was supposed to return it to him.” 

“You can’t buy beer with-“

“And how are you gentlemen doing today?” A short, light skinned black girl with wavy black locks was smiling down at them, instantly Dean’s face lit up.

“Jojo! Is it too early in the day to get a margarita?”

“We are not getting margaritas.”

The waitress named Jojo laughed, clearly familiar with them, or at least Seth thought. Dean seemed to be entirely relaxed with just about every one he ever met. 

“Well,” She laughed, “What do they say? It’s happy hour somewhere?”

“We’re having _A_ beer.” Roman said sternly. “The usual for me.”

“Me too I guess.” Dean rolled his eyes. 

“Pfff uh,” Seth shifted. “Blue Moon or Pabst I guess.”

Eventually he decided on ordering a burger as his company didn’t seem to mind sitting around for a little bit. Seth was glad because it gave him more time to be out and about and Dean insisted on paying with the card so it was a free meal. The more they talked, the more Seth came out of the weird funk he’d been in from guarding.  
“What were you doing tomorrow?” Dean glanced at Roman, who was swiping through his phone. 

“Tabata in the morning and Sasha is shadowing me for bootcamp.” 

Dean’s eyes flicked over to Seth, who was listening but focused on his meal. 

“No plans yet,” He swallowed, “Today I’m supposed to get a bunch of my stuff in the mail so I was thinking I’d probably just be unpacking. Cesaro might want to workout too.”

“That guy is cool,” Dean nodded. “I almost died working out with him once, I don’t do that crazy stuff. No work though?”

“Nah, I guess they didn’t want to burn me out or something.” Seth said thoughtfully. 

“Well you’re doing P-pool next Monday. They’ll probably put you on the park week after too.”

“No big deal,” Seth gestured between them, “How long have you guys been at White Water?”

Dean squinted, thinking hard, Roman set his phone down.

“Like, five or six years now?” Dean counted off on his fingers.

“You were there before me so it’s longer than five.” 

“Seven.” Dean laughed. “Damn, I’m old.”

“Is that how long you’ve been certified?” Seth guessed he wasn’t surprised, but it didn’t really help him gauge either of their ages. 

“Me yeah,” Dean mumbled. “I only ever worked here and I didn’t start till I was out of school.” 

“I got certified when I was sixteen but I don’t guard any more.”

Again, that twitch. 

“You just let it lapse?” Seth asked, there was a voice in his head telling him he should shut up but he couldn’t help being curious.

“Pretty much,” Roman mumbled. He downed the last sip of his beer. “Please tell me Hunter has comped you a beer before so he’s not going to yell at your ass when you show him this receipt.”

“Huh?” 

“Never mind.” 

A tinny ringing from his pocket signaled Seth’s phone going off, Roman and Dean stopped and stared as Seth drew it, quickly trying to mute the noise. It was Marek, of course, he had forgotten all about the morning texts after the crazy shift. Seth just locked his phone again, setting it face down as if it settled the matter.

“No one important I hope,” Dean frowned, “We aren’t that big of a deal.”

“Oh, no, I mean.” Seth hoped he wasn’t blushing. “It’s just someone from home, nothing I can’t deal with later.”

“Did you really move out here all by yourself?” Roman asked him quizzically. Seth could feel his face burning now,

“I did when I moved here, what’s wrong with that?” Dean was looking at him suspiciously.

“Nothing,” Roman said innocently. “No offense man, you just don’t seem like the type.”

Seth perked an eyebrow, meeting Roman’s gaze in a sidelong glance before he picked through some of his waffle fries. Had he elicited some sort of weird response when Marek called him? Why was Roman making him feel so damn nervous?

“Oh yeah?”

“I meant no offense.”

They were silent for a whole five seconds before it became unbearable for Dean, who fidgeted, playing with the tongs of a fork restlessly. 

“You said you were from Iowa, yeah? I can down here from Ohio when I moved.” He leaned back in his seat. “Uce is from the panhandle.”

“Mm,” Seth said, not allowing himself to be distracted, still determined to stand his ground. Seriously, why did Roman have a stick up his ass? 

They left the restaurant awkwardly, Jojo took a painfully long time to return Hunter’s card, and Seth sat back in his seat in the Jeep, not bothering to lean into Dean and Roman’s stilted, back and forth conversation. He reread the texts Marek had sent, stress mounting in his chest again as he anticipated the stupid call he’d have to make to even things out.

**I was out, I’ll be home in a little while**

It didn’t make up for not answering the texts from earlier, but the emergency situation might help his argument. 

He only flicked his head up when he felt the car being put in park again and they were back in the White Water parking lot. 

“Hey,” Dean mumbled, waving Roman off and cornering Seth before he could escape to his own vehicle. “My friend’s an asshole, obviously, but try not to go into it with him about his guarding and stuff like that.”

“It’s whatever man,” Seth made like he wanted to just get past Dean and get to his car, he wanted to. He was done being sociable for the day and frankly, didn’t think any of Dean’s annoying mannerisms were much fun to be around either. Dean sidestepped him however, his eyes were serious under his messy hair.

“I told ya earlier,” Dean said, a little softer now. “I’m from out of town, I’m from the midwest too, this place can be hard sometimes. Just let me know if you need company. I’ll buy the first round.”

“Thanks,” Seth sighed. “I do have to get home though, gotta call this guy back.” He waved his phone for effect and Dean nodded, letting him pass. “I’ll see you around man.”

There was only a notice from the post office however, perhaps Seth had been optimistic about a carrier leaving some 300 dollars in shipped goods on his doorstep. Another night with the same fork, spoon and plate, he’d survive somehow.


	5. Mirror, Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman is hot. Is Dean hot? Masturbation and swim lessons.

A lot of angry driving around the Orlando suburbs and Seth had the majority of his personal items by late Saturday. He’d flaked on Cesaro to try to put his new apartment together and he spotted one of the tenants of his building throwing a couch into a dumpster outside. Without trying to appear too obvious, he scoped out the piece of furniture for wear and tear and the more obvious signs of bedbugs before hoisting it out. 

It was a little raggedy brown thing, but since Seth’s living area was completely unfurnished, he didn’t have any better ideas. He grabbed the dolly from his car and a couple of boxes to make the first trip up.   
By the last box, Seth was just glad he hadn’t wasted any energy at the gym, three flights of stairs and his arms were shaking from the effort. He could pull grown men out of the pool just fine, but he still wished he was stronger sometimes.  
He dug out his speaker set first and played some energetic punk music, tied his hair up higher on his head because he was sweating, and began the process of nesting.

Seth was incredibly particular, but he relished the time he had to be choosy, and now that he was by himself, he didn’t have to think about how he’d have to compromise his set up to fit someone else needs. He was tall, everything could be moved up a shelf. Toilet paper always was drawn over-roll. Peanut butter _didn’t_ go in the fridge. 

He washed the seat covers to his new-old little couch, hung string lights on his balcony, washed all his new dishes and put mats in his cupboards, took down the blinds in his bedroom and replaced them with curtains, then set up his entertainment system before passing out to Netflix in his living room.   
Sunday was lazy, he played some video games, he did some laundry. He sat out on his balcony as long as he could stand the heat before making some food. He paced around, fixing little things he hadn’t noticed the day before while thinking and over thinking situations in his mind. 

The conversation he’d had with Marek had been fairly short. He explained how insane his day had been and Marek mostly just listened quietly, not asking too many questions. He’d said he had just wanted to make sure that Seth mailed him back anything that was his, and hoped he was doing well so far from home. Seth appreciated it, but hearing the voice of his ex really made him uncomfortable, and, if he had it his way, they wouldn’t really be talking much more.

Roman was weighing on his mind, and he was stating to realize why. He’d never really worked with anyone that was so initially cold to him, and he wanted to know what was bothering the man. There were plenty of people he’d worked with before that he didn’t get a long with, sure. Typically, it was over trite things like Seth’s appearance, or very subtle stuff that had to do with his sexuality, if it came up. Seth wasn’t the easiest guy to get along with either, he was fussy about little things, and because of his strong work ethic, it bothered him when others didn’t work as hard as he did. 

However, Roman was extremely attractive and once Seth stopped pacing and realized that, he stomped his foot loudly on the floor, causing his downstairs neighbor’s dog to start barking.

He was frustrated, because he was new around town and because he was dumb for thinking this much about a coworker. In Iowa, once he and Marek were officially done, he’d had a few NSA buddies he could call up in the evening and blow off steam with, heck, once he knew he was headed south? He and Jimmy had been pretty quick to let each other know how they felt about their bodies…  
Roman was like, insanely hot though. Very possibly out of his league and completely off limits in that he was a moody bastard and probably accounted for in some way. 

It didn’t stop him from being Seth’s type though.

“Don’t do this.” Seth said aloud to his bathroom mirror, pouting his face determinedly. “You don’t even want that, you don’t wanna get involved with a co-worker.”

He swallowed, moving closer to his own reflection. Living alone was fun in that when you got a little horny and stir crazy, you could get on your own case about it. 

“Even if he does have a really nice body.” He muttered, scrunching up his face. “Even if he’s probably got a really nice-“

He mouthed cock silently, stepping back, he sighed, looking out the bathroom doorway and racking his brain for a moment, just blinking and standing stupidly. 

When he’d packed up all of his things in Davenport, he’d packed his toys in the little black travel bag that he’d always kept them in, he’d taken them out yesterday and set them aside, before eventually stowing them… On the bottom shelf of his bed stand.

He should have taken out his phone and mentally whisked himself away to some porn site, but he just flopped down onto his mattress with the bag and wiggled out of the shorts he’d put on for routine’s sake. His dick was lazily swollen, he hadn’t been of a mind to touch it much since he’d moved, everything was new and emotional and he’d been too drained to think straight. A weeks worth of lost time crept up on him and he moaned as a little pre-cum beaded up quickly.

He needed to get off for sure, he could mess with his ass later, he just needed to get off so he could stop thinking about Roman of all people. His cock arched up against his belly eagerly as he gave himself a dab of lube, slicking himself up for the sensation before working to tug the urge out of him. He closed his eyes, sinking into his bed, eyelashes a flutter and mouth barely parted while he abused himself.

_Roman, heaving himself onto the pool deck after a class, hair whipping around his shoulder in a dark curtain while he dripped off in the gutter. The memory of the snarky scowl fading slightly as he imagined, lustfully, the rash guard turning up and away from his speedo, large muscled hands working it over his chest and exposing, what Seth imagined to be a full bodied continuation of that wrapping, beautiful tattoo. Seth licked his lips, humming a little as he picked up the pace. He could feel his legs twitching, his belly tightening. Roman, dusting off his pec, throwing his hair to the side and creeping closer, muscle and bulk in bounty._

“Aww fuck,” Seth groaned, eyes snapping open, he tried to slow down a bit, waiting like this was nice but he had no endurance. He relaxed, breathing heavy. He was having trouble remembering exactly what Roman looked like, the details not coming as easily as he’d liked, he swore again, not exactly sure who he was trying to last for. He got on his knees, flipping onto his stomach, grabbing for a pocket tissue from his fun-bag. Seth kicked up the pace again, stuffing his face into his pillow and jerking his ass back and forth, imagining tan hands working their way around his sides to hold him in place as he threw himself back.   
He came for what seemed an unhealthy amount of time, a hefty savings leaking out of him as he whined into the pillow, brown locks waving out in a mess around his head while he hung limp, softening up into the tissue. 

Thinking about coworkers while jerking off wasn’t a habit he wanted to create, but since he and Roman seemed pretty distant, Seth didn’t really imagine it affecting his ability to work. When he showed up at noon on Monday, Roman was actually one of the first people he saw, talking with Sami behind the desk. He waved at Seth, mildly friendly, Seth nodded and made his way to the lap pool. Nikki was on the stand and looked confused when he came through the door, smiling at her.

“You’re in P-pool today, aren’t you?” 

He frowned, looking around the lap pool, trying to think.

“Yeah, you’re right, my bad.”

He made his way back out into the main hallway, passing by a few patrons to the considerably busier pool. A very tan guy with tattoos and a petite darker-skinned woman with a red-pink dye job were zoning different sides of the pool, there was a light on in the office and Seth went in to see if there was a schedule posted, he wasn’t sure who exactly he was relieving.

He could only push the door open about a third because of a stack of CPR mannequins in the way. In fact, the whole office was a pigsty of lifeguard junk, manuals, rubbermaid bins full of supplies, unopened aquatic gear and paper files in stacks all over the floor.

“Oh good, I was worried you were gunna miss me.” Dean popped his head out from a rolling chair covered head-high in towels.

“This is your office, isn’t it,” Seth said, completely shocked by the disarray.

“Hey! I know where everything is in here!” Dean said through a mouthful of BBQ chips. “Plus everyone likes cleaning it when they want hours but they don’t wanna guard.”

“Did-“ Seth side stepped some boxes and made his way into the tiny little space Dean could roll his chair in, he leaned against the wall, “Did you need to show me anything before my first shift?”

“Uhh pff, maybe.” Dean chuckled, pulling his chair back an inch to stand to see through the glass, what the state of the pool was. “Let’s walk around and have a looksie. I have a consultation thing in a few minutes but I guess the mom ain' here yet.”

They made their way out of Dean’s rats-nest of an office and Seth noticed he was damp, wearing his Swim Academy spandex shirt. The male lifeguard immediately started walking over, making to take off his tube.

“One sec Randy,” Dean turned, pausing as he watched a woman come through the family locker room, two kids in tow. “On second thought, here, real quick, this is Seth,” He waved his hand between the two of them. “Seth this is Randy, Randy, show him where the emergency junk is and what the swim test is and what the rules of the-“ he waved at the mom who was looking around, a little confused, “-the diving board, yeah, just let him know.” and then he wandered off in the direction of the family, shaking hands and smiling.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Randy snorted, turning to Seth, “Yeah go put your stuff down kid, I’m not going anywhere.”

Once Seth was ready for his shift he geared up and followed Randy around the deck, which had a lot more rules and notices posted then the lap pool did. 

“Kids gotta swim a length of the pool, starting from the shallow end, if they wanna go in the deep end.” Randy explained, the test was posted on the wall as well. “They gotta do that and then they gotta tread water for thirty seconds. If they pass, they get a yellow bracelet, and those are in that ice cream bucket thing by the first aid cabinet.” He pointed back to the guard stand where the other guard was standing at attention, there were about five or so kids in the pool, Seth guessed it was pretty slow inside because the water park was open.

“For the shallow end they just need to be able to float.” Randy continued down the deck, pointing where the water marker split the two depths. “If they can’t do that, they need a parent, an adult, somebody, and they need to like, be right there, swimming with them, in the water.”

“I can show him the rest Randy,” The girl piped up, she smiled widely at Seth, “If you got somewhere to be.” 

“Dean _should_ be the one doing it,” Randy murmured, taking off his tube nonetheless and hanging it up on the wall. 

“Yeah… well…” The girl said sarcastically. Seth laughed a little. “What can you do, really, I’m Sasha.” 

Seth shook her hand and Randy went to change. 

“You’re that guy from Iowa though, right?” She asked curiously, “Heard you had a fun friday last week.”

“Oh, oh yeah,” Seth grimaced. “Yeah, I won’t get into it too much but what you heard is probably true.”

“That’s crazy, I’ve never really had anything happen to me while I’ve been here, hoping to keep it that way.” She flicked her hair back over her shoulder and Seth could see she was really pretty and ‘done up’ her nails were long and she somehow managed to hold her tube tight, but daintily. “Did you have any other questions?” 

“Are there always a couple lanes in?” Seth asked, pointing to the far side of the pool where two lanes were in the pool, vacant of any swimmers.

“Parents sometimes just want to be near their kids but they still want to swim. I haven’t worked here that long but I think that they just have them in during the summer when it’s a little slower inside and there are less kids around.”

“Gotcha,” Seth said, turning around to watch some girls get out of the pool and walk hastily into the locker room.

“Yeah, this shift really only gets busy toward the end, but we’re both scheduled just in case. Do you mind if I just grab a quick bathroom break?” Sasha asked with a hint of sweetness toward the end.

“Sure, no problem.”

She smiled widely, grabbing her phone out of the back room before making her way to the locker room. He didn’t really care, there was now just a few kids, plus the two that Dean seemed to be meeting with. He plopped down on the guard stand, close enough to hear and observe what Dean was doing.

“-and we’re going to put on our floaties, back to front like this. But we need to hold onto the wall, ok?”

The kids, a boy and a girl that looked like they could be twins just smiled vacantly, letting Dean attach tiny children’s floatation belts to their back and stomach. Their mom sat off to the side, watching and scrolling through her phone. Seth grinned widely, it was really funny to see Dean like this, knowing what a weird twitchy guy he seemed to be talking to adults, a discernible sweetness came into his voice while talking with children.

“Do you know how we get into the pool? Yes, on our tummies, good, now what we’re going to do is use our swimming arms and we’re going to swim to the ramp with the noodle ok? If you can show me kicks or put your face in the water, that’s great but I really want to see some swimming arms-“

Seth listened, alternating between watching the older boys race each other across the pool and glancing at Dean, swimming in front of the boy and girl in turn and encouraging them as they paddled away, giggling and splashing in the water. 

“All the way to the lifeguard stand.” Dean floated, behind them. “Wave at the lifeguard kids.”

Neither of them did but Seth stuck out his tongue at Dean who swam like a crocodile in the wake of the kids, messy hair sticking to his face. Sasha returned soon enough, putting her pack and tube back on, she stood at Seth’s side, watching the water.

“So how do you like it here?” She asked, watching Dean playfully splash the children. 

“It’s a cool gig. Still just getting used to the heat and the swampiness of everything but a pool is a pool, right?”

“For sure,” She agreed. “I love the sun but yeah, the swampiness I don’t think I’ll ever get used to… But you just came down here for this job?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, Seth was getting a little tired of the same banal story he was telling everyone, but he supposed he’d still only met a handful of people. “Just wanted to get away, you know? Co-worker told me a few pools that were looking for experienced guards and it was either this or a dinky little water park in Nashville Tennessee.” 

“All by yourself? That’s so adventurous.” Sasha smiled, she had very even, white teeth.

“Yuuup,” Seth said, batting at his whistle. “Me myself and I.”

“Too cool, when I moved I was with one of my exes and we split pretty quick after we arrived.” Sasha recanted, “It was stupid, I was like twenty, whatever, but you can really get sucked into this Florida lifestyle of just living hard and having fun without really trying to hard to find it, you know?”   
“Oh yeah? Lots of bath salts?” Seth joked quietly, Sasha blushed.

“No! I just mean like, you know.” She rolled her eyes.

“Everyone here is like, too hot to know what to do about it,” Seth finished her sentence, she laughed, pointing.

“Yes! Exactly. It’s weird to think about now I guess, but I’m a lot different now than when I first came here. And _no_ , not because of meth or something.” She said the last bit quietly, as not to be overheard by Dean or the children. 

The boy and girl seemed to be finished, the mother was toweling them off and they shivered while Dean hung to the wall of the pool.

“There’s not going to be a guppy class until late August so if you wanted we could do a private, maybe even a semi private class. I have another family looking to get registered that’s probably about the same level.”

“We definitely wanted to start before school,” The mom explained, Dean nodded. “We were going to go on vacation to see their grandpa in the keys and we wanted them to have a little more swimming down.” 

“Grandpa has a boat that has fish on it.” The little boy said excitedly through the towel his mother was rubbing on his head. “He had a fish on it and words that are grandmas name.”

Dean laughed, pushing his hair up and out of his eyes.

“I can email you then, for more information on a semi private.” 

The mom nodded, turning her children to the locker room to get them changed, waving and thanking Dean for his time. Once the door had shut behind them Dean pushed off from the wall, lazily floating off, wetting his head and fixing his hair back into the weird mess that it usually was.

“Just gunna swim around some?” Seth leaned back in his chair, watching his progress with Sasha.

“I got a private lesson in like twenty minutes. I dunno why I shouldn’t just get paid to float. I could go passively drown in the deep end if you’re bored though.”

“We’re good,” Sasha rolled her eyes. Dean cozied up to the wall by Seth’s feet. 

“You tell Seth how much fun it is doing swim lessons yet?” 

“Yeah it’s great, your hair is so crunchy and fades really fast.” Sasha rolled her eyes and Dean frowned, “Plus there is the one kid every now and then that freaks cause they think you’re trying to drown th-“

“It’s not THAT bad.”

“I prefer water aerobics,” Sasha explained, turning to Seth before watching the rest of the pool. “Same prune-y fingers, less yelling and shenanigans.”

“You’re a traitor to P-pool.” Dean rolled sloppily from the water to the gutter. “Turn in your gun and badge.”

“Ok, but for real though, can I leave early?” Sasha laughed, “There is nothing happening here.”

“Yeah, hell, why not,” He lifted himself out from the gutter. “Go clean the office for a little bit and then go.”

“Not that this hasn’t been fun,” Sasha smiled at Seth, “I was texting my friend though and she was trying to hang out with me before the day is out.”

“Hey, live your life,” Seth waved, she skipped to take off her tube. Seth liked Sasha a lot, she was at least talkative, not grumpy. Dean toweled his hair off and it poofed up into a frizzy mess.

“You sure you don’t need anything though? Bathroom break?” She asked, looking around the pool at the last boy wading around, playing with diving rings in the shallow end. 

“Nah, I should be fine. So long as it doesn’t get too crazy.” 

“Cody is the closer, he’s almost always a little early too.” Sasha grabbed her water bottle and eyed Seth carefully, “Just be careful with ol’ Deano there, He’s totally flirting with you.”

Seth blushed from his head, neck and shoulders, looking questioningly at Sasha. She didn’t explain however, opting to smile and wave as she walked to the back to change, leaving Seth to stare at the pool with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasha is injured, I quit. Vote who fucks who first???


	6. The Contest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth wants to reinvent his image. The lifeguarding staff have their monthly inservice. What's Roman complaining about now?

Seth's week at P-Pool wasn’t much more mentally taxing than the lap pool, with the exception of a few water safety courses, the majority of the kids in the facility were in the park, so the indoor areas were quiet. It was nice having a second guard around to chat up, most days it was Sasha, but Dean filled in here and there and Seth was cautious around him.

Dean was just, weird. Seth wouldn’t have chalked up his twitchy, drive-by conversations to anything flirtatious, hell, it was hard to see Dean’s eyes under his hair most of the time so reading his face was difficult. But the more he thought about it, the more plausible Sasha’s words seemed. In fact, it seemed as though Seth was the only thing that tore Dean away from Roman, and, now knowing the friend groups of the workplace, it was something to be noted.

Seth wasn’t too uncomfortable with this perspective, the timidity of being new was beginning to wear off and he felt more confident. People knew his name and vice versa, and he tried to be punctual, reliable, and be as friendly as possible. Dealing with the occasional rude patron or snobby regular that insisted on special treatment was the only thing that was still tripping him up, and it wasn’t really anything he could help.  
But walking in circles for hours past reflective surfaces was starting to have an effect on his psyche. The fact was, everyone he worked with was either an adonis or naturally good looking, and Seth was feeling inadequate. But he didn’t really know what to do about it until he got his first paycheck and, for the first time in a long time, was really compelled to treat himself.

“Of course I can help you find a good place!” Cesaro had said eagerly on the subject of gyms. “But then, it’s just depending on what you want to get out of it.”

“Uh,” Seth said stupidly over the phone, he was out grocery shopping and had wandered down the health and beauty aisle, looking at higher-end products. “I guess I just need to get a Florida body. Doing Crossfit was pretty challenging, but I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

Cesaro chattered away over the benefits of functional fitness, and said a lot of things Seth wasn’t sure he understood about isolation training and body building. Seth just agreed and told him he’d be down to try just about anything, which just made Cesaro more excited. He hung up at check-out to be polite, loading his goods onto the traction belt to be accounted for.

He’d been using little travel shampoos since he’d arrived and had now invested in some large bottles of some nourishing de-frizz formula. The Florida humidity had been turning his hair into a nightmare, and he was just a little too vain to pretend like it didn’t bother him. Seth didn’t like feeling like the ugly duckling of the aquatics staff, he wanted to vary himself up a little, separate himself from where he’d been, improve himself a little bit.

He hadn’t imagined he’d be sitting in his own kitchen with Sasha’s hair-friend Tamina, dyeing half of his head. But it was definitely different.

“Did we have some kind of plan?” She’d asked, carding her hands through his hair. Sasha sat on his kitchen counter drinking a glass of lemonade. Tamina was the one who kept Sasha’s hair it’s usual flamboyant rose so she came highly recommended. Seth didn’t want pink hair, but he knew he wanted to turn heads.

“I, uh,” Seth began, enjoying the tingling sensation he got from someone touching his scalp. “I think I wanna dye half my head white.”

“White,” Tamina said tentatively, parting his hair down the middle. “That might just fry the hell out of your hair.”

“It would look so cool though.” Sasha encouraged.

“So… damaged.”

“What would you recommend?” Seth asked, he would be pretty upset if he had to buzz his head to lose a bad dye job.

“Well, we can try it.” Tamina felt the ends of his hair now. “I would aim for a light blonde though, your hair is just too dark, if you’re going to maintain it it, you don’t want any funky banding action going on…”

Seth didn’t really know what she meant, but Tamina mixed up a solution and soon enough she was foiling up his head, his roots burning at his scalp while Sasha toyed with her own hair. He was starting to feel anxiety, mixed with excitement building up in his gut. There had been a couple of times where older (perhaps dementia-affected) ladies in the lap pool had mistaken him for Roman from the back. Though flattered, he wanted to give them something better to remember him by.

“You’ve gotta really care for this though, it’s an investment” Sasha explained, “You’re a guy or whatever, but you’re gunna have to think about your hair more cause the pool is going to fry it.”

“Right,” Seth half-laughed. “Totally forgot about that ‘till just now.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help.” Tamina offered. “No more all-in-one shampoos though.”

There was a whole lot of hot hair-drying, checking and rechecking, fidgeting and bleach-induced headache, before Tamina pulled Seth’s head under the sink and pulled the foils out of his hair, rubbing in product before holding up a mirror to show Seth his new locks.

“Oh hey, look at that.” Seth laughed, the hair was still pretty stiff to the touch but he beamed, whipping his head around to see it from different directions. It was a pale blonde, but he supposed if it was any lighter it might him look like a super villain.

He thanked Tamina and paid her fifty bucks for the services before Sasha stepped into the chair for a touch up, they’d made a day of self experimentation and they’d all gone shopping until the heat was unbearable and they had to hurry into an air conditioned area. Seth wasn’t much a mall person and wouldn’t come out of the dressing room to model his new shorts even though Sasha and Tamina bullied him about it, but he did look at himself in the mirror overlong, examining the fit and the texture.

Leaving the two in his kitchen for a moment to look into his bathroom mirror, Seth smiled again at his reflection, turning his head left and right for the effect, chuckling a little. It was definitely bold, he couldn’t imagine what Marek or his old Iowa friends would say, but it probably would have pleased Jimmy. He dusted off his tank top, Tamina had cut some of the damaged ends and the pieces of hair had snuck down his shirt. Not wanting to feel itchy, he slipped out of his shirt and jumped in the shower to rinse off.

He thought he might shave a little, but before he realized the extent of what he was doing, he’d clear cut his arms, shoulders, part of his chest, his belly, his legs and took some time to maintain his downstairs into something a little more aesthetically pleasing. Two razor heads and only a couple of cuts, he swore when he realized there were some patches of his back that he couldn’t reach.

“You want that fixed it’ll cost you extra boy,” Tamina laughed, yanking his towel down from his shoulders to see how patchy he was. Seth just blushed, biting his lip.

—

“Well, you seem to be fitting in really nice.” Hunter smiled. Seth was sitting in his office before the scheduled inservice that Sunday. The facility was closed and was empty except for the lifeguard staff which were gathering on the pool deck, ready to meet and do the monthly mandated swim.

“Yeah, well, I think I like it a lot here.” Seth rubbed his thumbs together, half smiling. “Everyone has been really nice and willing to tell me any stuff I don’t know, so it feels good.”

“Excellent, and yeah, I mean, I said it earlier but me and Steph had talked about it too, that incident last week went really well all things considered. That gentleman is doing fine now, his family had called and thanked us for how professional everything was and how he felt really taken care of.”

“Well, thank you sir,” Seth smiled. “It’s been a really good opportunity for me, I’m glad I’ve been able to take this direction.”

At seven, they hit the pool deck and just about everyone had arrived and was waiting, some wading around in the shallow end, some sitting on the pool deck talking. Half of the people Seth didn’t recognize, he guessed they worked in the park, but Seth spotted Sasha with some other regulars from P-Pool, E, Xavier and Kofi, Cody, Randy, Charlotte and Paige. Cesaro waved, but stopped in his tracks as he saw Seth’s shock of blonde and gestured at it, surprised.

“It’s different, I know.” Seth laughed, he slid out of his guard shirt and tossed it by the guard stand, sliding into the pool to join his coworkers.

“Seth Rollins!” Sasha yelled, “You put your hair up and into a cap before you ruin it!”

Everyone laughed and Seth rolled his eyes, walking backwards to slide back out and grab the conditioner Tamina had given him out of his bag in the back room. This whole high maintenance hair thing was going to take some getting used to. Sasha hopped out and helped him, her own hair pulled back under a swimming cap.

“We look like nerds.” Seth remarked, scratching at his beard before the both slid back into the water.

“Nerds with good hair.” Sasha corrected him. Hunter signaled for everyone to come closer, holding up a white board with the swim instructions written across it.

“We’ll be doing in-line stabilization in the shallow end after, so pick out a partner once you finish.” Hunter explained, There would be a 200 yard front crawl, 50 yard head-out-of-the-water swim and 100 free choice. “Lets hurry up and get this over with.”

The atmosphere immediately became competitive as the staff started to argue over lanes. Nikki and Brie just rolled their eyes, swimming in the open space by the pit with a handful of other guards who just wanted to get it over with.

“We’re not timing any of these!” Hunter barked as a couple of guards began to bicker over who could swim faster. Seth was curious however, hovering over by a ginger haired guard and another lean dark haired guy who wore a tight speedo.

“I beat you the last two times Wade,”

“And what’s different about this time, is that I didn’t just get done guarding.”

“And I’ll still beat you.”

“You wanna race E?”

Everyone laughed, E just rolled his eyes, choosing to split a lane with Sasha and Kofi.

“Alright, who’s supposed to be fast around here?” Seth interjected with a smirk, “Varsity swim team heat winner wants to know.”

A dramatic Oooing and Awwwing followed, all but two lanes were already full of guards starting their swim. All eyes seemed to fall on the smallest of the guards, a man with long hair and pointed ears who looked endearingly at Seth, his hands on his hips.

“Let ‘em know Neville.” Cody laughed, sliding into the pool. Seth jerked his head toward the deep end.

“You wanna race? Start off the blocks?”

Neville just smiled.

“What’s your 100 choice then,” he asked, he had an accent. “Let’s make it an IM.”

Seth swallowed, his butterfly wasn’t what it had been in high school but he could make it work for 25 yards. Hunter was staring at the group of dripping men and they knew they needed to get it over with. They all followed as Seth and Neville walked the length of the deck toward the diving blocks and speculated which man could possibly be faster.

“Seth _did_ just shave his whole body,”

“It’s Neville though…”

Seth did a double take when he realized Dean was sitting in the guard chair, actively guarding and listening to Hunter talking about something, he was watching them the most intently, his expression unreadable as they moved the ‘closed’ cones off the blocks and Neville and Seth stepped up.

“Wait!” Cesaro laughed, slow bounding across the deck to the side of the wall, “We actually have the klaxon rigged up, let’s do this right.” Everyone laughed and Seth slid his goggles over his face, psyching himself to go.

“On your mark,” Cesaro called, they prepared, he pressed the button for the signal which echoed off the walls harshly. Both men dove into the pool.  
 The second Seth felt water he almost forgot what stroke he was doing and broke his streamline a little early in his confusion before starting up a scissor kick. He could definitely hear Hunter yell “Dammit you guys!” The noise had stopped bouncing off the walls, but he wasn’t worried. The group was cheering, yelling. Coming up for air, Seth could see the blurry outlines of guards on the shallow side, crouching by their lanes and cheering. They were neck and neck, both hitting the wall and flip turning in unison.  
Fifty yards. Seventy-Five. One hundred and their pace was broken by the awkwardness of swimming with their heads arched out of the water, goggles fogging up. Seth slowed when he accidentally smacked his hand on the lap lane and swallowed a little water, but he was still close in with Neville, their pace very similar. By the medley, everyone around was watching and Seth caught Dean’s eye coming up for air before he started his butterfly stroke, his heart racing.  
He had Neville with his butterfly, it wasn’t a perfect thing, but he’d trade form for speed. He was maybe a few strokes ahead, hearing himself giggling in his head as the cheers grew louder and louder.  
Back stroke into breast, Neville had recovered and Seth frog kicked like his life depended on it. It was his slowest stroke and his competitor was taking advantage, reaching the wall seconds before Seth and breaking into a freestyle again, kicking up a storm as yelling and cheering bounced off the walls. Seth kicked ferociously, taking huge breaths to stroke on the count of six to beat him, to break the distance…

“AND NEVILLE’S GOT IT!” Xavier screamed thumping the pool deck as Neville’s finger tips brushed the wall just seconds before Seth. Both men gasped, grabbing the wall and taking a moment just to catch themselves as the determined ‘team Neville’ guards celebrated. Seth swore under his breath, jerking his goggles off his head and panting hard. It took him a moment before he realized Neville had his hand extended and was quietly trying to show sportsmanship.

“Oh, yeah, good swim man.” Seth breathed, awkwardly grasping the outstretched hand and shaking it before heaving himself onto the deck. He was flushed red from his chest to his forehead, he hadn’t sprinted that hard probably since he’d last competed. Cesaro tossed him a water bottle and he eagerly drank down several swallows, watching those who had been too involved in cheering them quickly finish their swim. He leaned against the wall, waiting to start the next part of the inservice.

At the guard’s stand, Roman had appeared and was saying something to Dean who was sucking on his whistle. It looked like they were both in a good mood but just a few seconds later Stephanie came out of the office with a short man that Seth hadn’t seen before. He had long brown hair and a thick beard, and although he was talking to Stephanie, Roman stopped his conversation a few paces away and the two seemed to accidentally catch each others eyes. Seth wiped his eyes, they were stinging a little from pool water and he didn’t have his contacts on, but he could just sense the weird energy going on between the two men. Stephanie patted the guy on the back and he disappeared into the locker room, Dean snapped his fingers and turned closer to Roman, giving the pool a sideways glance before muttering something quietly between them.

“Almost done?” Stephanie asked the group that was gathering on the pool deck. Xavier was the last one swimming and he finished by swimming diagonally toward them, under the lane lines. “Well good, wouldn’t want to keep any openers here too long.”

“Yeah, thanks boss,” Dolph murmured. Plopping down next to Seth.

“Alright,” Stephanie said, looking down at her notes. “First off, I want to introduce all of you to Seth, our newest speed swimmer here.”

Seth waved awkwardly, turning a little pink. Some murmured ‘Hey Seth,’ dully in response.

“And Randy is now officially a deck manager, and he’ll probably be our regular closer from now on so if you need anything to do with night time biz, he’ll be your guy.”

“Night time biz Randy,” Cody joked, Randy mouthed ‘oh yeah’, to Stephanie’s chagrin.

“The biggest thing this month is still a lot of park business,” She continued, “Just a few more weeks left before we close up for the season, but we still need to make sure that people are staying hydrated outside, and, if necessary, we intervene where we see potential risks for heat exhaustion.”

They went around as a group, the park guards picking up most of the slack, listing off the signs of heat exhaustion and stroke, with Stephanie stepping in and describing the responsibilities guards had for the patrons.

“Randy you want to lead us in In-line stabilization?” Hunter proposed as the group wrapped up their discussion.

“Oh sure,” Randy sighed, sliding into the pool, everyone else hopped back in as well and Seth shivered, he’d cooled off and now the water felt chilly.

“We’ll practice in the deep end too, so just alternate when you’ve both gone through and there’s room.” Randy grabbed Cody by the wrist. “Die, dude,”

Randy reminded everyone of the proper technique for stabilizing a possible neck injury in the water as Cody floated prone and face down to be made an example of.

“Firm grip,” Randy described, “If you’re using the arms for splints you need to really push ‘em in there, and get some momentum going to turn them,” He pressed Cody into his chest, his hand firmly pushing his arm against his ear, stabilizing his head and neck. “Go do it.”

Seth looked around deflated, he was still the new guy and everyone had pretty much paired up already. Sasha was already pretending to drown for Xavier and Cesaro had done the same for Dolph, who was quickly turning the man over, trying to finish early.

Seth snapped his head around when he heard a splash and saw Dean doing his goofy alligator float in his direction. Hunter was now sitting on the stand with tube in hand watching them.

“I thought-“ Seth looked around, privately hoping there was someone else.

“What?” Dean laughed. “I’m still a guard, I still gotta do it. Company policy or whatever.”

“Ok, well.” Seth just shrugged and Dean smiled, “drown then.”

Dean ducked his head down and Seth came to his side, opting rather to do the chin-hold stabilization technique he was more comfortable with. He flipped under Dean, getting some momentum going to turn his body upright and get his face out of the water, all while Seth surfaced and continued to drag him across the surface of the water.

“Good,” Dean sat upright, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. “Felt pretty smooth.”  
They alternated, but Seth didn’t float very easily and so Dean had to submerge at the start to get him lined up. He was the perfect level of firm but gentle, breaking the surface at a straight angle and cradling Seth up against his chest as Seth took a breath.

“I’m dense, sorry,” Seth apologized before he could open his eyes. Finding his feet on the floor of the pool. “Never could float very easily.”

“Well, I’m a lifeguard, so…” Dean began walking backwards toward the deep end. “Just makes this part more fun.”

Seth couldn’t deny he had butterflies, the spot on his armpit were Dean had grabbed him was tingling a little. He followed Dean with a breast stroke and caught Roman’s eyes as he swam by the lifeguard stand.

“Who was that one guy?” he asked Dean just quietly so only they could hear, grabbing the side of the wall.

“Who?” Dean asked, looking around.

“That guy that was with Stephanie in her office.”

“Oh,” Dean’s mouth twitched and he raised his head higher out of the water, “That was the guy who works upstairs in the adaptive pool, Dan.”

“Hmm.” Seth didn’t know what to do with the information, so he just let it drop.

Dean faked drowning again, sinking a couple feet below the surface so Seth could surface dive. Deep water saves were always sloppy looking and Seth fumbled for a moment, getting to Dean’s side to get them both surfacing at an angle, all the while trying to push his arms against his head. Dean gasped at the surface while Seth kicked hard, trying to get him in line.

“That sucked, I know.” Seth breathed, letting go so Dean could wipe his face.

“Practice,” Dean shrugged. “But then, nobody has spinals in the deep end anyway.”

Seth was always nervous about passive-submerged exercises in the deep end because he was so bad at floating. He felt confident with Dean doing it because Dean was at least similar in size, but he’d almost become the victim his first time getting certified because he’d been paired up with a 110 pound girl who, while very athletic, had taken her sweet time getting him out from the bottom of the pool. He grabbed his goggles for this part.

“Not that I really need to see what’s happening,” Seth explained. “But doing this when I can’t see kinda psyches me out.”  
 He filled his chest with air and sunk, his toes managing to brush the bottom of the pool before he felt Dean’s hands on him, Seth startled through the bubbles as one of Dean’s hands grasped his neck, the other, the back of his head and instantly they were rising, Dean kicking toward the shallow end while Seth trailed along in his wake. It was quick, but Seth was still out of breath, gasping as he broke the surface. His chest heaved against Dean’s elbow, in line with his spine against his chest.

“Sir!” Dean mimicked the Red Cross video they’d all seen 100 times, “Sir are you ok?”

“No Consent.” Seth muttered, straining against Dean’s grip, water had pooled around his eyes. “I’m suing you.”

Dean let him go, wading toward the wall where Roman stood.

“You done?” Roman said gruffly. Dean looked around at Seth.

“You done?” Dean asked Seth, “You didn’t want to practice any more?”

“N-nah, I’m good.” Roman looked like if he didn’t have Dean in five minutes he was going to pitch a fit. Dean heaved himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel that was hanging off the pull bar of the office door. Seth sighed, using the stairs to get out of the pool before ripping off his swim cap and tossing it on the floor with his goggles, he’d grabbed his own towel and began drying off before he heard the murmured conversation.

“-told steph, I told her straight up that if I’m doing any sort of combination class, I didn’t want to do it with Dan.”

“Reaaaaaal awkward ,” Dean muttered.

“Awkward as fuck, like, half the old ladies know what’s going on too, they’re all gossiping about this all the time, bad enough as it is. They’d probably freak if they had to do a combo class with the both of us at this point.”

“You should like,” Dean laughed, “You should like, mobilize all the old ladies around here to do your bidding Uce, get them all to strategically complain at the same time.”

Seth rounded the corner, there was no helping it, they were right in front of the locker room. He just hoped that they wouldn’t-

“Seth!” Dean stopped his scheming to stare at Seth up and down, Seth stopped wiping off his face and stared, Roman was staring too.

“What?”

Dean softened and Seth realized he was staring at his head. Everyone looked really embarrassed.

“You dyed your hair.”

“Yup.”

“It looks good,” Roman said annoyed, jerking his head at Dean. He did look at Seth a little longer though, his eyes curiously fixed on the shock of blonde that was dripping against Seth’s chest. “We’ll see you around,”

“Uce,” Dean snorted, being led away in the opposite direction. Seth just frowned, his towel hanging off his shoulders. He wondered if there was ever a day he could have a conversation with Roman were he wasn’t pissed off or awkward. The two continued talking in low voices, making their way to the back room so Dean could get his stuff. Cesaro hopped out of the pool with Dolph, passing by Seth.

“Hair all crunchy yet?” He asked, laughing. “You look pissed.”

“I’m good. Just tired.” He lied.

“Yeah that swim was something. There are a handful of old swim team kids that work here, just don’t tell John the Swim Coach, he’ll make you volunteer for meets and stuff.”

  “Mmm.” Seth wasn’t really listening. Too concerned with watching Dean and Roman disappearing through the doors to the upstairs locker room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a lot crammed into one chapter. Review if you like it (I GUESS)


	7. Boiling Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fighting! Tension! Emotions! So many Emotions! Also Cesaro's cat.

**Look I told u before u even packed- I wanted that shit n u said u were good about it and u would give it back**

 

**Not like u give a fuck but jfc just mail me the shit so i can stop bothering u**

 

**U cant tell me u had to save a whole group of children or st, just text me or fuckin call me!!!**

 

Seth turned his music up louder on his speaker, as though Marek was in the room and he could drown him out with a Spotify playlist. He was tired, he was hungry, and the best thing about being in Florida was that he could simply turn his phone over and think about something else. Marek didn’t see it that way however.

**no i dont think im being unreasonable.**

**u have ur receipts on u kno i kno when u see this shit.**

 

Seth sighed, setting down the little crappy, half-bowl of instant mac he’d microwaved. It was no use, he disconnected his blue tooth and stared at Marek’s contact info for a solid minute before pressing the call button. His heart pounded.

 

“Yeah?” Marek said hastily, Seth could hear he was driving.

 

“How much is this shit actually worth to you?”

 

“Well shit Seth, it’s more the fuckin’ meaning of the shit and the principle is why I wanted you to give it back to me.”

 

Seth bit his lip. The items in question were his guitar hero controllers, a couple of xbox games and some DVDs. They’d all been christmas gifts from various years they’d been together, but Seth wasn’t about to bring them up as part of the argument for keeping them. He didn’t have an argument at all.

 

“Yeah, well,” Seth sighed, toying with a macaroni piece with the edge of his fork. “Don’t count on it.”

 

“Don’t count on what?”

 

“Getting it back.” Seth said plainly.

 

There was silence on the other end on the phone, and it pained Seth to know exactly which face Marek was making, the sort of hurt he hadn’t felt since they had broken up and it was all still raw. Disappointment, resentment, distrust…

 

“Fuck you man,” Marek spat, “You’re a fucking ass.”

 

“I know,” Seth murmured, he wanted to hang up badly. He could already feel Marek’s words oozing through the phone and ruining his day, but he needed this, he needed Marek to hate him and leave him alone.

 

“Don’t do this shit again,” Marek continued, “Don’t ruin someone else’s good time and make them like you and pull this bullshit again. You’re a fucking bastard.”

 

Silence, Marek had hung up, Seth had given him that. This wasn’t about a bunch of stupid video games, Seth knew Marek was mad he’d just been able to leave the state, to get off scott-free and live a brand new life. He’d hurt Marek, he still was hurting him, he _should_ send back the stuff and try to maintain a positive, distant relationship.

 

But he just didn’t want to, and that was that.

 

Without warning Seth felt tears prickling the corners of his eyes and he moaned, angrily. He sniffed and scrolled through his phone quickly, stopping at Cesaro’s name.

 

**Gym? You off rn?**

 

**Was gunna go in an hour actually ;)**

It was hard to think about anything when you were trying to do a timed set of pull ups and double-unders. Seth scaled his set down using an assistance band, but was still just as exhausted as Cesaro when the trainer called for time.

 

“Fuck,” Cesaro laughed weakly, collapsing onto the floor next to where Seth was laying, his breath hitching in his chest, content to not feel much of anything. “You wanna quit yet?”

 

“Nah man,” Seth mumbled, wiping his eyebrows and his beard of sweat, “This is great.”

 

“Well, good,” Cesaro laughed shakily, “You’re the first person I took with me that hasn’t thrown up yet,”

“For real? Nah,” Seth rolled over, “It feels good, I was dealing with some hometown crap—“ He gestured with his hand, “Fuckin’, just fuck it man,”

 

Cesaro just chuckled, sitting up.

 

When they both had the energy to return to their feet, they wiped up the spot where they had left sweat stains on the floor and thanked Cesaro’s trainer. It took them hobbling over to the car and driving halfway to Cesaro’s place before they could thread a conversation back up, being as thoroughly worked as they were.

 

“Some drama back home?” Cesaro had asked, drinking down a protein shake.

 

“Yeah,” Seth stopped scrolling through his phone, actively avoiding his message box.

 

“Well,” Cesaro shrugged, “I guess just be glad you’re here, right? Unless… it’s really bad or something?”

 

“Nah, no, it’s just dumb,” Seth watched the neighborhood roll by. “I just got out of a relationship, ran out of one, you might say.”

 

“Mmm,”

 

“Kinda why I’m here,” It felt weird to hear the words coming out of his mouth, he hadn’t told any of his co-workers yet. “But, yeah, I’m here, it’s no problem.”

 

“That’s good.” Cesaro said lamely, glancing at his own phone. “Be glad you don’t have to work with them I guess,”

 

“Yeah,”

 

“Yeah, my phone’s blowing’ up about all of that. You want any coffee?”

 

“Nah,” Seth braced himself as Cesaro quickly hurdled himself onto the exit road for a drive-thru Starbucks. “Do tell though,”

 

“It’s silly,” Cesaro queued his car behind an SUV. “Sasha was asking if I’d cover her guard shift because Roman wanted her to cover his aerobics shift… but I’d be working right after so I’d need to ask-“ he rolled his eyes, “Drama.”

“Does it have to do with that Dan guy?” Seth asked, trying to keep a tone of humor in his voice. He didn’t like to think himself a work-place gossip, but this was more interesting than the stupid internal politics of his old pool.

“Daniel, yeah.” Cesaro pulled his car forward. “You’re new, everyone else knows it so I won’t feel weird telling you. They were together forever and split like-“ he thought for a moment, “Well, I guess it’s been six months now. Anyway, They both just went through a rough patch- couldn’t be helped. It’s getting to the point now were I wonder why one of them doesn’t just quit.”

 

“Seriously?” Seth snorted, “Well shit, I just got out of a rough relationship too! You don’t see me acting like how Roman treats me though.”

 

Cesaro pulled a face and Seth pulled his attitude back an inch, watching as he ordered his coffee.

 

“Well,” he shrugged, “Roman’s had it hard, I’ll just say that. I don’t know how I would act if I went through what he did.”

 

“Hmm,”

 

Seth sort of wished he’d gotten a coffee, he was still exhausted from the workout and the smell filling the car was enticing.

 

“Well, I dunno. Maybe I’m being sensitive.” Seth admitted, not wanting his friend to think he was judgmental. “Just didn’t feel the southern hospitality comin’ off him.”

 

“This is southern florida, not the south.” Cesaro joked, but he waved his coffee hand at him seriously. “I’ll just say this, google Roman Reigns, not now, not in my car, but google him sometime, you’d be surprised.”

 

Seth filed that away for later, resisting the temptation to whip out his phone when Cesaro had his back turned. They pulled up to a row of reasonably priced condominiums and Cesaro navigated his way through the parking lot to his little space.

 

“You’re not allergic to cats, no?”

 

“More of a dog person, but cats are cool.”

 

Cesaro had a tiny little cat named Zoe that followed them around excitedly the moment they stepped in the door, it was difficult not to step on her as Seth walked in circles around Cesaro’s space. It was modestly furnished, it reminded him of his own apartment. Frugal, conservative, but with little touches of personality sprinkled around. There were some pictures of international soccer players on the refrigerator and a couple tokens of swiss pride- flags on glasses, the salt shakers. His counter top space was taken up entirely by protein powders and supplements.

 

“You sure you don’t want any coffee?”

 

Cesaro was manning a french press, little espresso shot glasses at the ready. Did he ever stop?

 

“Sure, why not.”

 

They listened to some music and played some video games. Seth didn’t have anything better to do and the more he heard Cesaro talk about his life, his work- he realized that Cesaro was kind of a lone wolf himself, a neutral party to any workplace drama, and feeling a little alienated living in Florida for just a couple of years.

 

“I’ve never been to Iowa,” he admitted, “I traveled around during school but never really-“

 

“It’s ok, it’s not really a destination hot-spot.” Seth admitted, “Great place though, underrated.”

 

“Yeah, and really, thinking back I don’t know why I chose Florida of all places, god.” Cesaro laughed, “It’s a full moon every night here I think, sometimes.”

 

“The water is definitely… gritty.”

 

“Definitely.” he paused, staring at the ceiling, “until something better comes along…”

 

Zoe hopped up in his lap and he spent some time doting on her while Seth sat thoughtfully. He was still glad he was here, better here than running into Marek in Davenport. Cesaro’s words about Roman were bothering him though, distracting him from being able to form any interesting conversation, what horrible tragedy could have come up that would have Roman’s name on it? Was he a victim in a shooting spree? Had his house burnt down? Seth quelled the urgent want of imagining Roman as some sort of former porn star. _God, that would be awesome, but wait, if that was the case, was Cesaro gay too?_ he shook his head a little, where was his mind going?

“I’m beat man,” Seth sighed, “You don’t wanna take a crossfit nap?”

 

“Mm?” Cesaro was drinking from his third coffee, “I’m fine, I can drive you home though if you want.”

 

Seth was actually tired, but really he wanted to be alone with himself and his computer, doing some research into Roman’s ‘dark’ past, and hell, maybe some self maintenance. They talked for a little bit about supplements and gym stuff (Cesaro was a wealth of knowledge) and before Seth hopped out of his car, he’d agreed to help him pick up proteins that were inexpensive but worthwhile. Seth waved, thanking him for his time and flexibility before trudging up the three flights of stairs to his little, chilled space.

 

He immediately went to grab for his toys, thinking, even if Roman _wasn’t_ secretly an internet gigolo, he could still get off at the thought of it. He relaxed on his bed, grabbing his tablet and eagerly typed in “Roman Reigns,”

 

The search took a moment, his computer warming up to his internet connection. He paused, waiting, expectant.

 

He read, he sat up, he frowned and scrolled through the search, his eyes widening at each of the results that made up the bulk of the front page.

 

**Roman Reigns | LinkedIn**

**Roman Reigns - Nathan Shippley**

**Judgement - Nathan Shippley**

**Estate of Nathan Shippley vs. Wadeville Athletics Club**

 

…

 

“What,” Seth said aloud, not really sure what he was supposed to be reading, a bunch of the links were from a page with the same name ‘Nathan Shippley .com’ Seth tried googling just _Nathan Shippley_.

 

“Oh,” Seth gritted his teeth, sitting up, “Oh, yeah ok.”

 

**Nathan Shippley**

**Drowning video - Nathan Shippley**

**Nathan’s tragic death (video)**

**The people involved in Nathan’s Death**

 

Seth just closed the laptop, staring at the opposite wall, grim-faced. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear this is going somewhere fun, I just don't know how to not write a bunch of bs. Are you reading? Ok cool.


	8. Lifeguard Confidential

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman's harrowing backstory (AN: If you're not interested in reading about a kid drowning, skip to the asterisks) A birthday party? Jerkin' it in the shower.

All that was left of Nathan Shippley was the story and the consequences of his untimely death. Seth looked through the blogs and newspaper articles pertaining to the story, his gut twisting uncomfortably as Roman’s name came up, and, even worse, a picture.

He watched the video, the whole thing was caught on camera, and the pool was easily the worst Seth had ever seen. The clip had been broken down and deconstructed for casual viewers, but a moment’s glance and Seth could see exactly what it was- understaffed, over-ratio, the deck littered with patron’s belongings. Even though it was blurry, captured from a surveillance camera, Seth could make out the swimmers dunking each other and running on the decks. His heart pounded fast as the video highlighted a single child and the two lifeguards- neither of them were Roman- lounging in their chairs

The boy, Nathan, goes down in the deep end, right by the lifeguard’s chair. Nobody moves, the swimmers keep swimming and nobody knows what’s happening. Seth’s counting the seconds unconsciously, grinding his teeth, feeling the rage building up as the lifeguard’s seem to be zoning out.

A minute goes by, a minute in a half, Seth gasps as another person is coming up on the deck, Roman, clearly looking flustered by all the noise and action going on. The guard in front of the deep end leaves the stand and Roman overtakes them, they exchange a few words before Roman’s got the tube on fully-

“Fuck!” Seth yells, pulling at his hair. He can tell it’s Roman because of the hair and the tattoos, and he can tell the moment he spots the boy on the bottom of the pool. He whistles to clear and makes the save.

The video cuts out about a minute later, but Seth watches in awe at the other guards, standing stupidly on the deck while the patrons watch and scream. Roman just drags the kid out of the pool himself and performs about 30 seconds of CPR before the clip ends.

The articles and the website for the drowned boy reveal a lengthy court case involving the gross negligence of the staff and the assignment of blame on a few individuals. The Wadeville Athletics Club is closed in the process, Roman isn’t listed by name on the Shippley’s list of responsible parties, but his picture is there- it makes Seth sick. Roman, dressed in a suit before a panel of judges and experts, his face obviously red from crying, Daniel was sitting at his side…

It took Seth forty five minutes to pour a bowl of cereal and eat it for dinner that night, far too distracted to remember milk didn’t go in the cupboard. The incident had happened just a couple of years ago, Roman must have been working a few pools. Was he striped of his certification? Seth had never imagined anything like that could happen to him, he remembered Cesaro’s words through the Starbucks drive thru-

_I don’t know how I would act if I went through what he did…_

“God I’m dumb,” Seth just sighed, running his hands through his hair. He couldn’t contemplate, not in his wildest nightmares… 

******

The schedule hadn’t shifted the next day and so Seth found himself guarding the shift where Roman and Daniel would be tag-teaming water aerobics. He got up earlier and picked up some coffee for his shift, he bought a cup for Roman as well, wanting to ease some of the awkwardness between them.

“I thought you might appreciate it,” Seth said warmly, trying just a little too hard to pull his face into something warm and innocent. Roman looked a little confused, but didn't question it.

“Yeah, thanks.”

Roman was set to teach his class from the pool deck while Daniel did some additional one-on-one help from the water. They passed by each other awkwardly, shoulders low, the old ladies in attendance were very quiet and perturbed throughout the affair, not their usual gossipy selves. Seth paced the deck, helped a man with a walker ease his way down the pool ramp, and talked a little with Kevin while he changed the pool's trash cans before the class finished.   
The older ladies shuffled back to the locker room and Daniel toweled off while Roman put away some of the extra floatation equipment they’d been using.

“Well, that wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be.” Seth heard Daniel remark.

“I dunno, they were really quiet.”

“Yeah, well, hopefully we won’t be doing it too often right?”

He watched as Daniel gathered up his gear bag and waved at Seth as he went to change, he waved back, but felt Roman’s eyes staring behind him.

“People haven’t been talking about us a bunch, have they?”

“What?” Seth's eyes widened, “About you and Dan?”

Roman just sighed.

“Not really, it’s just-“ Seth wanted to be truthful, “I had asked Dean if… there was… something going on. Not to be nosy or anything, it was just that I was afraid that I had pissed you off or offended you.”

“Oh, Really?” Roman seemed to soften.

“Yeah man, I just-“ Seth’s heart was pounding hard, he hoped he was coming across right. “Not that you did anything, but well, I got the vibe you were having a kind of bad time and maybe I could have been a little more understanding.”

“Don’t sweat it man,” he shook his head, brushing a stray hair back behind his ear, “It’s just life shit, it’s not you or anything, I’m sorry if I came across like a jackass or something.”

“Hey, no problem,” Seth smiled, “Not to like, bring it all up or anything, but I just got out of a relationship too. It’s why I’m here, really, I get it.”

Roman just nodded, blushing a little. Seth was glad he didn’t ask exactly who was telling Seth things or what Dean had mentioned to him, he didn’t want to put anyone on the spot. Roman went into the aquatics office for a little bit to use the computer, leaving Seth alone with the pool and his thoughts.

A half hour later, Dean cracked open the emergency exit door, the alarms went off and Dean swore, beating a fist against the frame until it stopped beeping, Seth just laughed.

“Did you, uh, need something?”

“Ngh, yeah, you seen Roman? Is he in the office?”

Dean went to go check up on his friend, he was wet, wearing his swim lesson’s uniform and a towel, but he was grasping a piece of paper that looked like an ad or something. Seth could hear them talking, Dean manically mumbling while Roman mostly just grunted. It was about a ten minutes until Seth was going to get off and Dean emerged from the office as Dolph was coming in to take over the guard’s stand.

“You get yours too?” Dean looked at Dolph’s hand, grasping a similar little card. “Oh, but I suppose you’re in on it too.”

“Well yeah, big three-six this year… god…” Dolph flipped over the piece of paper. Roman joined them on the deck. “You see this Seth?” 

Seth glanced quickly at the paper before scanning the pool again, it was a birthday invitation, printed quickly from a template, the name on the card was Hunter’s. 

“Boss throwin’ a party?”

“He throws one every year actually,” Dolph says, “This year it looks a little ritzier though, I don’t know this address. We normally just go to Joe’s, think there will be an open bar this year?”

“He said so.” Roman looked at the invite again. “I hope so.”

“Open bar? He really knows how to treat us.” 

“Yeah, it’s a little insane by most standards.” Dolph smiled. “He and Steph don’t have any kids though so they dote on us instead. Work's out for me cause it's my birthday too. Haven't had to actually plan anything for myself in years! Sorry, I’ll go change.”

Dolph hurried into the locker room, Seth didn’t really care if he was a little late. 

“You gotta come,” Dean play batted Seth’s shoulder, “It’s loads of fun, one year we had a drunk CPR relay-race in the parking lot.”

“I’m not really a drinker, but I’d go if I’m invited,” 

“Everyone’s invited! It’s this weekend, you’ll be working the park the week after, so celebrate life while you can.” Dean laughed. “Supposed to be like 110 degrees. That waterslide is gunna be a ride to hell.”

Seth just rolled his eyes. Dolph took over the stand a couple of minutes later and Seth went to the back to grab his things. He checked his phone for a minute, not really having any kind of plan for his afternoon. He could see if Cesaro wanted to go work out, but he was tired from walking around the pool.  
On the deck he heard a loud, hearty laugh and Seth strained his ears as he searched for his clothes, it sounded like Roman, but he hadn’t heard Roman laugh before. He’d shut the door to change his shirt quickly, but he could still make out a conversation over the hum of the filtration system and air conditioners.

“Well shoot, I dunno.”

“But that’s cute, yeah? That’s what you do when you have a little crush.”

“You buy me coffee all the time.”

“Yeah?”

Seth’s stomach dropped, Roman was actually giggling.

“Roman if you don’t want people hitting on you at all times, you’d do yourself a favor and cut your damn hair.” Dolph joked. “Maybe wear sleeves once in awhile.”

“I don’t give a crap!” Roman laughed, “You guys are like a gaggle a’ hens.”

Seth’s ride home was impeded by traffic, but he wasn’t paying enough attention to work himself into a mood over the stop and go nature of the commute. Was he too obvious? Was he a workplace flirt? Everyone seemed to genuinely like him, did it even matter?  
Roman’s laugh echoed in his mind and he just wanted to believe the joke wasn’t on him, that Dean and Roman weren’t poking fun at his act of kindness. It was, just a _little_ inappropriate to say “Hey Roman, that video of you and that drowned kid was pure nightmare fuel! I’m so sorry your life is so shitty and caused your relationship to fall apart!” Coffee had been the much better route.   
Or nothing, Seth could have just done nothing and been a little more casual. 

_Whatever_ Seth sighed, staring out the window at the side of the road. Dead armadillo, ripped up tire, garbage. He’d never been good about these things, never really had a boyfriend that wasn’t Marek. Never learned how to not brood over boys he couldn’t have.

_But then_ , Seth thought ambitiously, _It wasn’t like Roman had rebuffed him, it wasn’t as though he’d told Dean and Dolph to cut it out… Apathy might work in his favor, right?_

Seth showered when he got home and instinctively used the opportunity to daydream about all sorts of lusty scenarios of Roman laying him out and fucking him over various surfaces. He leaned back on the shower wall, his hair sticking to the tile while he shut his eyes and tugged at himself back and forth, alternating fast and slow.   
When that wasn’t enough, he raised a leg onto the raised lip of the tub and backed away from the wall so he could fiddle with his ass. He imagined, gleefully, Roman sitting back in a chair, fully erect and huge as he slowly lowered himself onto his lap, facing the man. Seth stuck himself a couple fingers slowly and breathed, eyes tight shut as water from the tap beaded across his face. 

He needed this, he needed something, some release. Maybe he was playing sweet because he subconsciously knew it, but Seth needed a cock in his ass. At this rate, he’d have to revisit his online dating apps and poke around the Orlando area, it would be smarter than trying to fool around at work.

But why couldn’t he have his cake and eat it too? Dean hovered at the forefront of his mind for a moment and Seth wiggled his fingers around, panting. Dean was a flirt too, Dean was flirting with him and probably knew a charity case when he saw it. 

“Mmgh,” Seth imagined Dean fondling him, his hand working magic on his dick as he managed a third finger in his ass. Dean’s weird cheshire grin spreading as he trailed a hand up his stomach, to his chest, finding a nipple and giving it a hearty tug.  
Seth nearly slipped with his foot on the side of the tub as he came, he backed into the corner helplessly as the shower water washed his mess away as quickly as it came. He sunk to his knees, easing down the wall and sitting for a moment to recover, mind bleary. It was easier to just lay spent, with his eyes closed for a moment, enjoying the warm sensation of the shower before he was revived a little and stared up at the stucco ceiling. 

“I don’t want a boyfriend.” Seth said out loud, reminding himself. It was important to do so every now and then, he didn’t want these indulgent thoughts manifesting into romantic intentions. 

Though, it would be nice if there was someone there to grab him a towel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be starting school now so the frequency of which I'll be able to update is based upon time, homework, and the engagement/apathy of the audience. I promise it's going somewhere lol


	9. Boys will be Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunter's big birthday bash. Tequila. Ladder golf. 
> 
> **The chapter works up to alcohol use to the point of drunkenness, be warned if you're not into that or w/e.

The week took an unusual amount of time to wrap up and the whole pool was buzzing with excitement over Hunter’s birthday celebration. Seth couldn’t remember a boss who was so charitable, not only with his staff but with the patrons, and it showed as gifts began to pour into White Water.

Baked goods, flowers, candy and cake were all graciously donated by friends, school groups, volunteer organizations and even the US Army. It showed how interconnected the pool was as an organization with it’s community, but Hunter had no use for such a bounty and so bestowed it upon his staff. The break room became swamped with goodies and everyone stopped packing lunches so they could snack on meat and cheese trays and ice cream sandwiches instead.

“I love this time of year,” Nikki said gleefully, taking a sandwich from a catering platter that had been dropped off. “Park’s going to close soon and everyone’s just sugar high.”

Seth had to agree, other than Jimmy (who seemed to fall outside of the category of _usual_ bosses) Hunter was probably the best boss he’d ever had. He hardly ever saw him, but was always there if Seth had a question, he mostly worked from his office but still got out and about, sometimes guarding the pool to relieve guards and he talked with the patrons on a first name basis. Seth wasn’t really sure what Stephanie did, he assumed it was mostly administrative stuff, Hunter was really the face of White Water. 

The worst thing about the whole affair was just that Seth really had no idea what to get the man who seemingly had it all. The rest of the staff were getting him some kind of gift so Seth knew he needed to participate, but he didn’t know Hunter well enough to know what the hell to get him.

He paused overlong by the huge array of gift cards at the grocery store, scanning through the various restaurant chains, iTunes and Facebook game credits, gas station cards… 

All Seth knew about Hunter was that he listened to metal music in his office and seemed to be pretty diligent about maintaining a certain physique. Getting him McDonalds gift cards seemed like a waste of time. 

“I normally just get him cards for GNC, stuff like that.” Cesaro admitted when Seth asked for advice. “He really isn’t the type to care though, you know? He just appreciates the thought.”

Seth wasn’t great at buying gifts, but he definitely wanted to be remembered. Hunter had given him a great job and really took a liking to him from the get go. Heck, if Hunter hadn’t been so warm to him, he probably would have felt a lot more defeated and alienated his first week, dealing with the incident and Roman's antisocial tendencies. 

It wasn’t until the afternoon before the party when Seth was snooping around the mall for a gift that he stumbled upon a book that he knew would set him apart.

He wasn’t a follower of the fine arts, but Seth stopped when he noticed a display of artist books that had a woman on the front cover, shrouded under a veil, but flexing her arm in a traditional body building pose. He flicked through the pages, seeing the same woman in various states of undress, flexing and posing. It was all very tasteful and artistic, black and white, and surely a great coffee table book for someone with some knowledge of bodybuilding. Seth didn’t recognize the name Mapplethorpe, but eagerly purchased it, glad to be done searching. It would be better than a tacky hallmark card at least. 

The restaurant for the party was a steakhouse, and it was actually closer to Seth’s apartment than White Water. He wasn’t sure of the dress code, but judging by the webpage (and Hunter’s own general distaste for things that were too formal) he felt comfortable wearing a T-shirt, snapback and a pair of shorts. It was a typical humid florida night, the sweaty feeling creeping up in minutes of being outside, he decided on taking a cab, eliminating any urge to drive intoxicated. The book, his gift, wrapped up under his arms as he made his way inside the steakhouse.

“Hunter’s party?” The Host asked. He showed Seth upstairs to a large room similar to a dancehall. There were already plenty of people chatting around little tables and standing at the private bar. Calls of “Hey! Seth!” “Seth’s here!” made him blush and grin stupidly. 

“We’re stacking everything up like a mountain on that table.” Xavier pointed at a massive assemblage of gift bags and boxes that was already impressively high. Seth added his book to the array and instantly a beer was pressed into his hand.

“Hot Damn now all of P-Pool is here!” Dean’s arms were stretched in the air and Seth waved, craning his neck around to see where everyone was. Sasha, Nikki, really all of the ladies were by the bar and dressed immaculately. Randy and Dolph were engaged in a spirited conversation with several onlookers, but Seth was still surprised by the vast majority of names he still couldn’t quite put to faces.

“Find the place alright?” Dean asked, Seth sipped his beer shrugging.

“Took a cab, they seemed to know where they were going.”

“Smart, smart. The bar is very much open.”

“Don’t let that be your excuse to get too sloppy,” Roman nudged Dean with his shoulder, Roman was at least smiling, holding a beer as well. Seth wondered exactly how loose he’d be getting.

“What did you guys get him?” Seth pointed at the table, Paige had just arrived and was setting down a little gift bag.

“Same thing I always get him,” Dean snorted. “A six pack of lite beer and a whatever looked good in the five dollar movie bin.”

Seth laughed, coughing on his beer. Dean just shrugged.

“He’s never told me he don’t like it! What’s wrong with that?” 

“Does Hunter even drink?” Seth asked, turning. He still hadn’t actually seen his boss.

“Barely,” Dean said.

“He doesn’t” Said Roman, flatly.

“Mmyeah, well, Steph probably does.” Dean shrugged, taking a swig.

Hunter eventually appeared from a throng of other guards and some other men that looked to be around his age that Seth hadn’t seen before. He assumed that these were close friends and so Seth didn’t go out of his way to bother him. At about six thirty, the wait staff brought out huge piles of steak, potatoes, veggie platters and baskets of bread and Seth stacked up a huge plate, glad not to be eating frozen pizza for once. 

Stephanie looked stunning in a floor length, floral print dress, she encouraged everyone to eat and grab drinks so Hunter could go through his gifts quickly. There was talk of some sort of gigantic ice-cream cake that was to be wheeled out later in the evening, once everyone had settled a little bit.

“I just want to thank everyone for coming,” Hunter beamed at all of them, a respectful hush came across the little groupings, “My good friend Shawn here and a couple of guards from his facility have taken on the duty of opening up the pools tomorrow, so nobody has to go to bed early.”

“AYE! WE LOVE YOU SHAWN!” Xavier and Big E yelled, the older, long haired man standing next to Hunter just smiled and waved. 

“We’ve all, collectively had a sort of crazy year, some of you guys have been here as long as I have and the level of consistency I get out of you guys is really incredible.”

It was then that Seth saw, windowed through the crowd, Daniel, looking a little awkward and standing alone. Some people nodded their heads and smiled.

“I don’t wanna get into some big dumb speech because, quite frankly, I suck at them, but just know that I appreciate each and every one of you and I wouldn’t really uh, well, I wouldn’t give a fuck about my birthday if I didn’t have such a great team to celebrate with.”

Stephanie sort of play slapped his arm but Hunter just smiled, pulling her into a hug.

“Keep eating and all that, I’m going to open these up though.” He gestured at the mass of goods. Some people clapped politely, finding a place to sit while Hunter took his place next to the table and was handed a stack of boxes.

“This seat taken?” Cesaro sat anyway, filling the empty spot between Seth and Randy. “The food is amazing this year.”

“No shit,” Seth muttered. “I wanna steal a to-go box full of that steak.”

Hunter’s gifts really were a range of items, it was actually entertaining to watch even though there was so much stuff. Stephanie and Shawn snuck in to dispose of wrapping paper, but Hunter was sure to thank each person and read cards aloud to the watching audience. Seth’s heart began to race a little as Stephanie’s hands trailed over his gift, so far he was still convinced his book was the most ‘thoughtful’, A stack of gift-cards, candles, a massage chair, BCAA gummy snacks, tickets to a pancake breakfast, new polarized sunglasses and-

“They’re Chubbies!” Tyler called over the crowd that instantly burst into whooping cheers and cackling. Hunter turned red, unfolding, what looked like, a very tight fitting, pair of shorts. Stephanie laughed, giving Tyler the thumbs up. Seth chucked, but honestly thought they looked really cool and fashionable, he sobered quickly, realizing his gift was next.

“Seth!” Hunter said, looking at the tag and turning the package over, Seth blushed, waiting. He’d wrapped the book up in some Davenport newspaper he’d used to pack some mugs. Hunter pulled the paper away and paged through the book curiously. The little note he’d written fell out and Hunter grabbed it from the floor to read aloud.

**Happy Birthday Boss!**

**Thanks for giving me the chance at a new life in Orlando.**

**-Seth Rollins**

The crowd “awwed” and Cesaro patted Seth on the back, Seth just rolled his eyes but Hunter nodded, continuing to page through the book.  
“Didn’t remember telling you I liked Lisa Lyons!” he smiled, turning the book over. Seth paused, not sure who Hunter was talking about, but he looked really delighted, Stephanie took the book, looking at the photos as well. “Thanks so much Seth.”

More drinks, more food, Seth was just barely starting to feel tipsy after stuffing himself on such a weighty dinner. There wasn’t a DJ, but rather just an auxiliary cable connected to a nice sound system, naturally people began fighting over what exactly to play after all of Hunter’s gift’s were unwrapped. 

“Let’s share a pitcher!” Dean said, pulling Seth, Randy and Cesaro back up to the bar to refill all of their cups with some pale, lite beer. Roman still seemed a little edgy, perhaps because of the fact Daniel was mingling around, talking with Nikki and Brie. “We’ll break out some Cuervo once cake comes out.”

“I gotta teach tomorrow,” Roman grunted, knocking cups to cheers nonetheless, “Shawn ain’ covering Tabata.”

“I got lessons at noon! So what!” Dean pointed at Randy.

“I’m off, but I’m with my daughter.”

Then to Cesaro.

“Do Tequila and cake mix well, really?”

And to Seth.

“Umm,” 

“God you guys are dorks.” Dean sipped off of his beer. “As far as I see it, we got a couple of different options, yeah? Now Roman, I know you have the ladder golf stuff and the horseshoe toss stuff in the Cherokee, yeah? There is a bar across the street that has a huge patio area where we could totally do some of that _and_ we could play Volleyball in their pit too, cause they got a net.”

“I don’t have a Volleyball in my car.”

“What happened to the one we had the last time we went there?” Dean looked manic, it was hilarious watching him fake-argue with Roman, they were such unlikely friends.

“You remember?” Roman started giggling, “That couple?” 

“Oh. What? Shut up!”

“He started playing with it outside some bar on a busy street with this couple and he spiked it into oncoming traffic.” Roman explained, they all laughed except Dean who made like he was going to punch Roman across the cheek.

The cake came out and miraculously, shots appeared. As soon as the huge slab covered in frosting was wheeled in, Xavier, Kofi, Big E and a couple guards from the park began singing Happy Birthday raucously, the whole staff had joined in before the end and Hunter carved the first piece to excited cheers.

“Alright,” Seth laughed, wiping frosting out of his beard, “So this is going to be like, a recipe for a spectacular hangover? Sugar and sugar?”

“Oh definitely.” Dean laughed, they all held up their shots, clinking them dully before they each downed them. Roman and Cesaro each pulled faces, Seth had to take a couple of swallows.

A couple of people were awkwardly dancing and mingling by the speakers, but everyone was taking turns trying to catch Hunter before the night wrapped up. Dolph seemed duty bound to remind everyone that it was his birthday as well (the ongoing joke was to mime buying him a beer to shut him up) but people were sort of separating off into groups, planning the afterparty. 

“We’re going downtown!” Sasha said excitedly, grabbing Seth’s hands and swinging them. “I guess there is this club with a pretty low cover and Charlotte’s dad got her a driver for the night.”

“Sweet,” Seth said, he could feel his face was warm. “Gunna tear it up?”

“Oh yeah, What about you?” She grinned, stepping closer and Seth had to lean in to hear her. “Big boys night out?”

“Uhh,” Seth looked over to Dean and Roman, standing at the bar, Sasha laughed and play slapped him on the chest.

“Seth you are so cute!” She snorted, Seth chuckled, scratching his nose. They were both a little fried. “You gotta let me-“

“Seth!” Cesaro called, “Are you in on this?” 

“Uh,” Seth bit his lip, Sasha just waved him off and he maneuvered his way through the thinning crowd to the bar where Dean and Roman were quickly polishing off their beers. “What?”

“We’re gunna go to the other bar and do volleyball,” Dean said.

“Ladder golf,” Roman corrected.

“Fuckin’ skee ball, whatever.” 

They gave Hunter their best before hobbling down the stairs and outside into the swampy Florida night. They crowded around Roman’s car while he sorted out the ladder golf set. 

“Oh shit,” Dean had laid on his stomach to reach into the back of the jeep for a one of the bolas and grabbed for a bottle of Jack. “Forget I left this in here.”

“When the hell-“ Roman just laughed. Dean took a pull off of the bottle before passing it, Cesaro waved a hand, not interested, Seth took it from him. 

“I suppose we’ll have to actually pay for a drink at this place.” Seth took a quick swig, it was gross and warm from being in the jeep for who knows how long. 

“I’m not gunna drink that much more,” Roman zipped up the bag on the canvas bag. “We ready?”

The Bar across the street was called The Half Shell, it was probably the most ‘southern’ place that Seth had been since moving and they immediately checked their loud conversation at the door. Pretty much everyone inside was white, dressed in work clothes or otherwise unkempt. There were a few unpleasant glances thrown their way, but Between Roman and Cesaro, they had enough muscle in the group to stop any assholes from bothering them. They quickly made their way out back to occupy enough space for games.

“Did y’all wanna get something started?” A waiter asked, watching them set up the little PVC pipe ladder golf set.

“Pitcher of beer is fine,” Dean mumbled, swinging a pair of bolas around like nunchucks. Roman grabbed picked up a pair and started swinging them at Dean, who yelped.

“Did you… want…” The waiter watched as they started laughing and trying to grapple with each other. 

“Whatever you got is fine,” Cesaro assured him, “Guys, cut it out.” 

“Yeah Dean, cut it out,” Roman sniggered, grabbing his wrists and forcing him back onto a picnic table. The waiter walked away slowly as the situation began to de-escalate.

“Woooo!” Seth jeered as Roman seemed to hover over Dean for an over-long amount of time. Both of them blushed, or, maybe they were already blushing? They looked at Seth patronizingly. 

“Be happy now cause I’m about to fuck you up at this here ladder golf.” Dean said, feigning anger and rising to his feet. “You in, Swiss man?”

“I’ll play a game,” Cesaro looked at his watch. “I think I’ll split after that though.”

The beer came and they each poured glasses before dividing up into teams. Inexplicably, Seth was paired up with Roman. He could feel the beginnings of drunk enthusiasm welling up in his stomach and his pants at his close proximity to the man. He had to think hard to make sure he wasn’t making a slack-jawed, stupid face. 

“Team good hair?” Roman raised his knuckles and Seth bumped them happily, he let down his hair and fanned it out similarly to Roman’s under his hat. 

“If this is anything like video games I should be fine.” Seth said blearily, looking at Roman meaningfully, “‘m really good at video games.”

“Ok,” Roman laughed, “Show me.”

Ladder golf was _kind of_ like video games. Or at least Seth was lucky because he was able to land eight points right off the bat. Roman cheered him on and Dean swore, urging Cesaro to knock his bolas off.

The game was incredibly close, with lots of laughing and yelling that had everyone in the outside area either riveted or very annoyed. Roman and Seth sat at 19 points for awhile with Dean cursing up a storm and knocking down their bolas. Cesaro was no master of yard games, but he put in a good try and took responsibility for his and Dean’s defeat by the end of it.

“One more game!” Dean urged him, “One more! We need to teach these long haired jackasses a lesson!”

“It’s all you, man.” Cesaro laughed, flashing a peace sign before walking off the patio. “Be safe tonight guys.”

Seth and Dean polished off the last of the pitcher, Roman just sipped off of his beer sluggishly, determined to drive home. They were all hot and sweaty from yelling and being outside.

“’s some fun shit,” Seth slurred, falling to sit on the picnic table. “It’s too bad you don’t got that volleyball though.”

“Thank Deano,” Roman laughed. Earning a hearty fuck you finger from his friend. 

“This was real fun though,” Seth reiterated, turning his head, grinning. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Yeah no problem.” Dean mumbled. “We gunna play with three people?”

“Nah, man, I gotta go, I gotta teach.” Roman rubbed his eyes, sitting beside Seth for a moment. Seth’s stomach fluttered.

“You good to drive?” Seth asked conversationally. “You’re not that far are ya?”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Roman sniffed. “I’m a big guy.”

_You’re a big guy_ Seth mouthed wordlessly back when Roman turned away, his half shut eyes raking him up and down. 

“Well,” Dean stuffed the game pieces away. “I want a margarita.” 

“Shit,” Roman ruffled Dean’s hair, “You sure you don’t just want me to drive you home?”

“Does-“ Dean leaned on the pole holding up the awning over the patio, straining his face, thinking hard. “Does your car have a margarita dispenser?”

“You wanna get rita’s?” Seth asked. “I’d get a rita.”

“You guys are both gunna be wrecked.” 

Dean just held his arms out tucking his head to his shoulder as if to say _whelp_ …

“Let’s go get rita’s.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all are too sweet! Google Lisa Lyons!


	10. Tequila Bay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of lifeguarding in this, I'll be honest.

The Half Shell wasn’t a spot that most men would use to get flirtatious with each other, but Seth was having a hard time keeping a straight face as Dean came back from the bar, hands full of huge margarita goblets.   
Roman had slipped away once they had come inside, significantly more sober than the pair and resigned to getting to bed early. He paid for the pitcher of beer and slung the game bag over his shoulder before leaning into Dean to say goodbye.

“Behave,” Roman said simply, his eyes were serious but he couldn’t help smiling. “Tip the cab driver.”

“I’ll text you or whatever,” Dean mumbled, shaking him off. Roman then, rather unexpectedly, pulled Seth into a brief little side hug, his heart fluttered.

“You too kid, you’re trouble, I can tell.”

“‘m not trouble!” Seth said indignantly, his voice cracking. Roman laughed, patting his shoulder before making his way to the exit, waving.

“Roman’s a big mom.” Dean didn’t bother sipping from his straw, pulling the drink up to his lips to pull, getting a mouthful of salt. “Get too- If you get too drunk in front of him, like, one time, he’ll be just, hovering over you.”

“Mm,” Seth sipped from his own drink. He hadn’t been this drunk in awhile, he wasn’t really the type to ever _want_ to go out, never really understanding the compulsion to get fucked up. However, it was a lot easier to excuse messing around with a coworker this way. 

“He, Roman, he think’s you’re cool though.” Dean pointed at him, an earnest eye poking out from under his mane of hair. “You don’t gotta worry about whatever’s going on in Roman’s-“ he shook his hand around, “-world.”

“Yeah, I know,” Seth said quickly. “We talked a little bit and I know about him and Daniel. I told him about my ex and stuff.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Y-yeah,” Seth licked his lips, he knew he was rosy faced, even if he couldn’t feel it. “Whatever, it’s all in the past now. I’m here.”

“Yeah,” Dean raised his glass. “You’re liking it righ’? Bein’ down here?” 

“Oh hell yeah,” Seth clinked their glasses together. “It’s sooooo great, I was just really afraid when I got down here that I wouldn’t be able to get the job for whatever reason ’n then I’d just be alone and stuck down here not knowin’ what to do with myself.”

“You’da figured something out.”

The bar was filling up fast with more and more people and the cacophony of noise, a soundcheck for a band, and the mix of alcohol was causing Seth and Dean to practically scream at each other across the table.

“YOU GOTTA DO SWIM LESSONS!” Dean shrieked, thumping the table. Seth cackled, Dean’s manic face still managing to be some kind of bad-boy cute even as he spit out his words. 

“I’m gunna! I swear, look man, I swear.” Seth chewed his straw. “I’m gunna now that I’ve like, figured out how it all works n’ stuff. I’ve got plenty of time to stick around and shadow or whatever.” Dean rolled his eyes, Seth swallowed. “Sasha told me you were totally flirting with me that day.”

“Wha? What day?” Dean grinned.

“That day-“ Seth rolled his neck, looking at the ceiling. “I was guarding and you were in the pool.”

“That’s like, any number of days.”

“Yeah but-“ Seth laughed, Dean’s eyes widened as he stared, the grin spreading further up his face. “Shut up!”

“I don’t flirt baby cakes.” Dean slumped back in his chair. “Never have I ever.”

“You’re a tease then.”

“Nah,” Dean finished his drink. “Nah, no way man.”

“I’d swat you, “Seth waved his hand, “I gotta piss though,” He stood up and immediately stumbled. Dean’s hand grabbed his arm even though he’d leaned into the table, he snorted, blushing harder. “I’m good,”

“You sure?”

“Ya, I’m good, I swear.” 

He hobbled away, threading himself through the crowd to where a sign marked the bathroom. He could feel Dean’s eyes roving over him until he was out of sight, and Seth had to calm his excitement so he could piss properly. 

“Fuck,” he mumbled, catching his reflection in the mirror. He was pink all over, his hair a big goofy mess under his hat. It was hard to keep from smiling because he felt so light and excitable, but he took a few deep breaths and pulled his hair back into a bun at the back of his head. 

_I look ok_ Seth thought blearily to himself, _good enough at least_ He shuffled over awkwardly, letting another man wash his hands while he continued to pick at his face and his hair, taking a steadying breath. He hiccuped and sighed, his stomach still over-full of liquid.

“I dunno about you,” Dean said, leaning in as Seth sat back down at their table. “But I got a frozen pizza and a six pack at my place, I ain’ about to pay for a ticket to whatever show is about to go on here-“ he nodded his head at the band that had finished setting up, then drummed his hands on the table. Two more shots had appeared, Seth groaned.

“Where do you live?” he breathed, taking the glass in hand. It was clear, more tequila. 

“Not far.” Dean clinked their glasses and they threw back the shots, Seth hiccuped on the recoil and he grimaced, Dean sniggered. “I already called a car.”

In Seth’s world, it was a shot too far, but he followed in Dean’s wake and tried his best to keep his cool. He was offered a cigarette but he declined it, preferring to just lean up against the brick on the building without distraction, breathing in the sweaty humidity of the night.

“You gun’ be good to work tomorrow?” Seth mumbled. “If I had tuh work I wouldn’ be good tomorrow” 

“Yah, I got it.” Dean spit on the ground, “It won’t be great but I’ll be good. What’re you gunna be doin’?”

“I dunno.” Seth sighed, hiccuping again.   
“Ahhaha you got tequila hiccups.”

“Shuddup.”

Seth tried holding his breath, but stopped when he started feeling a little more light headed than he could stand. The cab pulled up next to the curb and Dean abandoned his cigarette, opening the door for Seth to clamber inside. He slumped against the opposite door as Dean mumbled the address to the driver. 

The feeling of the cool glass of the window on his face was very comforting, Seth moaned lightly, closing his eyes. Dean sat in the middle, snaking a clever hand across his shoulders and he instinctively rolled into it, breathing in a warm and soapy scent. 

“I can’t wait for pizza,” he whispered, giggling in spite of himself, it was hard to focus on anything, but Dean’s stupid grin cut through the fog, looming and chuckling.

“Supreme pizza,” he muttered, “artisanal… oven bread…”

Seth swallowed back his hiccup, nodding. He might be just a hair too drunk, but he felt good. He hadn’t done anything like this in so long, he and Marek never really did shit like this, it wasn’t anything either of them were that interested in. But maybe he hadn’t because of Marek? 

“Quit thinkin' about stuff.” Dean shook his arm and Seth’s head lulled for a moment. “You’re makin’ a face.”

“No I wasn’,”

“You were squntin’” Seth just nuzzled closer and smiled. “Now who’s flirting?”

“You’reh.” 

“Oh yeah?” Dean tugged Seth’s hat off his head and put it on his own, brim backwards. “You’re full of it.”

Dean helped excavate Seth from the cab once they rolled to a stop through a maze of townhouses, fumbling through his pockets for his keys, still wearing the hat like a prize. Seth staggered a little, following him wordlessly into the house, a little surprised by the quiet stillness of the dimly-lit little room once the door was shut. Dean stood proudly by the back door, slipping out of his shoes while Seth glanced at his kitchen and living space, unseeing.

“It’s nice.” Seth nodded, leaning on the divider wall between the two spaces. Dean moved closer, and Seth chuckled.

“Yeah?” Dean slid his hands on top of Seth’s waist, massaging, it was difficult to look him in the eye.

“Mm-yeah,” Seth mouthed, coquettish, the dark of his eyes glimmering. He smelled Dean before he could really track his movement, but Dean’s hands snaked under his shirt and drew him in for a kiss. He reciprocated eagerly, grinding his beard up against Dean’s chin and letting him press his tongue right up into his mouth. Seth wiggled a little, tickled by roving hands, his dick shivering in his pants. It was all happening so fast and all he could do was react, Dean had effectively pinned him up against the wall. 

“This ok?” Dean breathed against his mouth, Seth blinked, trying to focus his eyes. It was all good, it was fine.

“Y-Yeah,” Seth hiccuped, he cleared his throat. “Super ok.” Without warning Dean hoisted him over his shoulder and began walking him through a hallway, Seth kicked his feet, beating his fists lightly on Dean’s back, laughing. Dean flicked on a lamp by his doorway and then flopped him down on a bed, low to the floor. Immediately Seth undulated onto the surface, humming happily as he buried his face in the sheets, smelling body wash and chlorine on the surface. From above, he could hear Dean’s belt coming undone, he stuck his hat on his dresser, surveying the scene. 

“C’mere,” Seth beckoned, Dean eased in, down to just his underwear and his undershirt. He quickly made to undress Seth as well, his hands roughly working away.

“Whoa,” Seth blinked, focusing his eyes and attempting to sit up. “Dude.. you’re like, ripped.” He laid a hand on Dean’s chest, grinning stupidly as he felt the swell of Dean’s pec, Dean flexed his breast and Seth snorted. 

“They make me wear that shirt,” Dean muttered, pushing Seth down again to kiss. Seth eagerly felt up Dean’s sides and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss and purring as Dean pressed against his leg, grinding away.

“I ate’a big dinner,” Seth said, his fingers trailing down to palm up against Dean’s cock, “But I’m game if you’re game.”

“Yeah?” Dean kissed down his chest and tickled the inside of Seth’s thigh. He twitched and twittered, feeling for Dean’s mop of hair. 

Seth’s cock was lazy, too soaked in alcohol to do much more than occasionally pulse eagerly before withdrawing again. It wasn’t really a big deal though, as he was much more focused on getting fucked. He hadn’t given his ass any attention since he’d left, if it hadn’t been itching at him like a rash he wouldn’t have been so determined in socializing to fix it. 

“I’m gunna need a little help here,” Dean grabbed for his own dick, massaging through the fabric of his underwear, he didn’t look like he needed much help, Seth didn’t have his glasses on and was drunk as hell but could easily spot the outline of his cock. He eagerly sat up, feeling around awkwardly for the waistband of his underwear before springing him loose. 

Dean pushed him back again, resting his hand on the wall as Seth grabbed his ass and pulled him toward his mouth, Dean was thick, uncut, little sprigs of hay colored hair trailing from his belly to his crotch. Seth savored the opportunity to suck it, even with little hiccups tearing up his throat every now and then, he wet his lips and went in, taking Dean in and sucking him down, stretching out the sides of his mouth.  
It was a little overwhelming, but Seth relished it, moaning barbarically as spit beaded into his beard.   
Dean was quiet for a time, arching a little grind in against Seth’s mouth, his eyes fixed on that busy, flushed face. He Licked his lips approvingly at the doughy, blissed out fluttering of Seth’s lashes, finally breaking his silence once Seth got him unbearably deep, sucking in his cheeks. Dean beat the wall with his fist, grunting, restraining himself from rolling too hard against Seth’s throat.

“‘Wanna fuckin’ eat you out.” Dean popped off unexpectedly, fisting his cock as he kneeled. Seth wiped his mouth on his arm, bucking his hips upwards as Dean freed him of his underwear. A decisive hand flipped him over, onto his belly, propping him up, rough.

“Gunna fucking kill that bussy,” Dean growled, grabbing handfuls of Seth’s ass, ignoring his sleeping cock. Seth frowned, turning.

“Wha-? O-oh-“ Dean spit, burying his face against Seth’s ass. He giggled and squirmed, the playful tongue warming him up, making his ass tremble. It had been far too long. If he had been sober he would probably be worrying about if he’d managed the shave properly and how clean he was, but the drinks and Deans… enthusiasm… wasn’t letting him think about it. Seth just panted and bit his lip, fisting up Dean’s blankets and shaking through his ticklish nerves.

Dean muttered something and Seth grunted, dipping his back and looking behind. Dean just grinned back at him.

“Cute ass,” Dean repeated, tapping lightly on the roundest part of the muscle. He leaned over to reach at his nightstand and grabbed some supplies. “I’ll go easy on it.”

“N-nuh don’-” Seth spit some hair out of his mouth, “I c’n take it.”

“Mmph.” Dean laughed, spreading some lube on his fingers, warming them up. “Your funeral.”

Seth let out a huge sigh, forcing his back, stomach and ass to relax as Dean popped him two fingers. It was very warm, and Seth closed his eyes, occasionally rolling his hips in a circle, but letting Dean give him the best finger banging, hell, probably ever. He pressed in deep, finding his prostate without too much difficulty, and set to giving it some quick back and forth rubs, making Seth shiver and whine.

“Yeah?” Dean growled, adding another finger, Seth just nodded into the blankets, gulping in air. He realized a little too late that he was drooling all over the blanket, but Dean was flecking lube all over the place so it probably didn’t matter _too_ much. He gouged down deeper still, making him buck nervously.

“Put ‘tid in.” Seth whined, “Put it in now, I need it.”

“You’re a mess,” Dean laughed, slapping Seth’s ass as he sheathed his dick in a condom quickly. “Beggin’ ’n shit.” 

There was just a slight burn, then Dean was in, wasting no time to work up to a pump that made Seth shake with the effort of staying loose. He held him in close, firm hands at his hips to catch on the withdraw, it was hard to tell who was becoming more unglued.

“Goddamn.” Dean hissed, his voice was so low, Seth could barely hear it. It felt really primal and raw, he’d never heard him so gruff and unintelligible. “Fuckin’ tight.” 

“s-s’ big.” Seth whined back, the words being punched out of him. He tried his best to sit up just a little bit, pushing up at the elbow, straightening out his back. Dean pulled in closer however, releasing his hands on his ass to fall forward, pinning him down with driving force. He tucked Seth’s legs closer together and kept closing the distance between them, as though he wanted him flat on his stomach. 

There was a full body shake somewhere in there, Seth’s prostate vibrating his extremities while Dean cursed and panted along. Seth was just starting to wonder if maybe it was a little much to hope Dean would climax (being as drunk as they were) when Dean huffed loudly, a strangled sort of frustrated noise, and relaxed considerably. Seth blinked hard, his body collapsing in on him as Dean gave a few feeble shakes before withdrawing.

“Whoo wee.” Seth recognized the uncomfortable snapping noise of a condom being pulled off, but was too exhausted to do much more than lay limp. He knew he should clean up his ass and drink some water before passing out, but he could feel himself fading fast, Dean’s bed was lumpy, but this drunk, it didn’t matter.  
“You ok?” Dean rubbed Seth’s backside and Seth turned, eyes squinting, hair whipped over his face, smiling and nodding. “Here, you can wipe up. I’ll get some water.” Dean handed him a towel and Seth eased up into a sitting position as he stumbled away. 

It couldn’t really be called cuddling so much as a tangle of limbs and blankets, but they lay together connected, Dean’s hand on Seth’s chest, Seth’s hair in Dean’s face.

“That was fun,” Seth whispered, Dean stroked absentmindedly. “Thanks for not kicking me out.”

“‘m not that much of an asshole.” 

Seth squinted in the darkness at his phone. Two AM. 

“You alrigh’ tho? You’re quiet, not gunna throw up ‘r nothin?” 

“‘m fine,” Seth let his phone fall back on the surface loudly. He wanted to tell Dean how great he felt, how happy he was he’d been able to get his ass worked over and how much fun he’d had all night. But he was exhausted and too self conscious to get the words right. The air conditioner and the fan on the bedside hummed loudly, cooling their spent, sweaty bodies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9 chapters of me making a trail of sexy reeses pieces, hope y'all enjoyed it. But then, what happens when the sun rises? Hope y'all enjoy the rumble! 
> 
> PS: No one has ever used the word bussy in a fic and it's like, of course not, it's horrible, but you can only say slit and opening so many times??? Team bussy for life.


	11. Muddy Waters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hangovers. Waffles. Swampy Boat rides.
> 
> ******  
> ALSO::: CHECK OUT THIS SICK FANART MY BUD DREW::::
> 
> http://sendendo.tumblr.com/post/138065629401/yall-should-read-to-the-rescue-bc-my-friend-wrote

It took about a minute upon waking for Seth to realize he was not in his apartment. He was disoriented, the smells were wrong, the light leaking into the room through the window was on the wrong side-

“G-g- fuck,” Seth rolled onto his back and realized with a pang the amount of pressure he was feeling on his brain. His eyes locked in on the glass of water at the bedside and he began drinking it, sloppily, his bladder vibrating angrily to remind him he had to piss.

Dean was nowhere to be found and his phone only had 15% battery. 

_What the fuck_ Seth kneaded his eyes, trying to trace his memory back. He’d bedded Dean, no, Dean had bedded him. They’d fucked. It was great. His ass was still a little loose from it. It was 2:30 now. 

A foggy memory from a couple hours ago shifted to the forefront of his mind. Dean had laid a hand on his shoulder, tried to rouse him.

_”Aye, hey, Seth, I gotta go.”_

Dean had work, that was right. And he’d just left him here? Alone in his house?

Seth stumbled into the adjoining bathroom to piss before he damaged his urinary tract, moaning as a nights worth of courage pooled into the toilet. It was hard to think, his head hurt. Things sort of made sense, but then they didn’t. 

Dean’s apartment-home was sparse, but very lived in. He didn’t have many belongings, but Dean hadn’t mastered the habit of picking things off the floor yet. Shirts, socks, swim wear and lifeguard shirts were a pretty good indication of where he’d been or where he was going. Seth strained to stoop down to pick up his own clothes that had led into the bedroom from the entry way. 

_Some good ol’ Florida fun_ , he thought, redressing himself in the clothes he’d worn the night before, grimacing at the smell of alcohol. 

Dean ate his meals on a little folding card table in the living space. Seth frowned when he saw a quickly scrawled note with a plate laid out, it would have been laughable if his head wasn’t pounding so hard.

_Good Night_

And a plate with a single cold Eggo Waffle, unadorned. 

Seth just stared, desperately trying to understand. The waffle was just about the least appetizing thing he could imagine, but his stomach was beginning to ache from holding onto stale margaritas. He stood, zombie-like, tearing at the toaster meal in bites and looking to Dean’s little porch area where the sun was shining through. 

It was tempting to peak around a man’s living space while he wasn’t around, but there honestly wasn't much to see. The only personal item Dean had was a single photo that had been taped to his refrigerator door, an old copier photo of what looked like a young, poorly-lit Roman, giving the thumbs up while he was lifeguarding a water slide. Seth triple checked he had everything, still feeling drunk with how foggy his head still was, he let himself out the porch door and walked through the grassy courtyard to the main street, overlooking the bus stop and shopping mall across the road. 

One crappy waffle had him craving the real thing, there was a Waffle House across the street and before Seth had a mind to call for a Lyft ride, he knew he needed something more to weigh him down so he wouldn’t get motion sick in a cab. He jaywalked across the road, squinting away from the harsh light of the sun and the sizzling heat of the pavement. He sighed audibly, entering the cool breakfast-chain and sat down to be served.

He hadn’t even finished ordering before he got a text on his phone, still clinging to life. 

**You mess around with Dean last night???**

Sasha. Seth’s blood ran cold. Had Dean told her? Were they all at work right now, gossiping and laughing about it? A horrible image of Dean and Roman giggling to each other at how horrible Seth was in bed pierced his mind like a dart, he drummed his fingers on the table anxiously, thinking.

**The Fuck told u?**

**You did just now LOL**

Seth groaned, a couple that was sitting at the kitchen bar looked at him strangely. He knew that he must look like dogshit, that it was pretty obvious he hadn’t spent the night in his own bed. All he wanted was a waffle. 

**Its not super obvious or anything it just that Dean looked wrecked but was super loose so we thought he got laid**

_Who is we?_ Seth typed out, praying Sasha had the compassion _not_ to be running around White Water with the information. He’d done it, he’d become pool drama.

Sasha replied back with a picture of her and Nikki, a selfie from the break room where they were each eating leftover slices of cake from Hunter’s birthday. Seth rolled his eyes to himself, his stomach was making horrible aching noises, his food couldn’t come fast enough.  
_Better them than Roman_ , Seth thought miserably, kneading his temples. He didn’t doubt that the guy would put the pieces together eventually, it had only been three hours- where he’d finally felt close to the guy. Was he a predatory friend? Roman had called him trouble, did he mean that endearingly? Or…

A plate of waffles helped his stomach, but his mind was still turning over troubling thoughts. He managed to hail a cab before his phone completely died. He’d never been happier about leaving his air conditioner on all night and day, the apartment was a perfectly chilled little slice of heaven when he passed out on the couch.

Seth was up before sunrise the next day, still a little burned out from drinking, but determined to do something productive. He texted Cesaro about getting a workout in, but he was working on some sort of PT training and didn’t have time. There was a couple of minutes where he contemplated calling Dean and seeing what his schedule was, but Seth didn’t want to bother him, still a little unsure. Sasha was free, and was eager to hear exactly what went down on Friday. 

“Uh- I don’t know what I want to do.” Seth frowned at the inside of his fridge. He needed to go grocery shopping, or, he’d eaten all of his ice-cream. Everything else was pretty well stocked.

“I already went to the gym.” She paused, “You were saying you wanted to do something touristy? Let me check my groupon!”

Sasha picked him up about an hour later with the simple instructions of “Don’t wear anything too nice.” And they drove an hour south of the city to go air-boating.

“Shoot.” Sasha pointed at him the moment he’d buckled in. Seth just blushed, tucking his hair behind his ear nervously.

“You first.” Seth tried. “You went out with all the girls, didn’t you? Charlotte and them?”

“Yes,” She nodded, queuing to get on the highway. “But I did _not_ hook up with Dean Ambrose, so-“

“Ok, but, for real, how did you just look at him and ask me about that?”

“Did you see him that morning?” Sasha laughed. “You know Dean, right? You look at Dean and you know he’s always twitching and getting distracted and doing weird shit.”

“Yes.” Seth agreed. “So what?”

“Well,” Sasha shrugged, “It’s kinda obvious when Dean, well, dude was just chilled the hell out at work.”

“But he was hungover!” Seth argued. “He had to be! we drank so much-“

Sasha grinned at him deviously, Seth rolled his eyes. They both couldn’t help but giggle a little bit.

“He likes you, or at least he thinks you’re hot. I knew.” Sasha admitted. “I don’t wanna say the whole pool knew but, who cares? Really? Like, nobody is talking shit, it’s more just something that was noticed. I know that you’re new, so maybe this might come as a shock, maybe not- but people hook up _a lot_.” 

“You don’t say.” Seth sighed, staring out the window. He wasn’t sure if the words he was hearing were supposed to feel assuring or not. 

“Yeah!” Sasha nodded. “Roman and Daniel were probably the most obvious, but they were serious, so maybe that’s not a great example. But when your bosses are married and shit, there is some leeway with what you can do.”

“Who else is messing around?” Seth asked, sounding a little like a weasel. Sasha licked her lips, smirking. “You can’t trick me into telling my gossip and _not_ give me any!”

“Of course I can!” Sasha cackled. “Me and Xavier hook up sometimes though, there, that’s my dirt. It’s square.”

“Square.” Seth laughed.

“You left the party though-“ Sasha made the universally understood motion for ellipses with her hand. Seth began recanting the night, the ladder golf, the margaritas, going back to Dean’s house…

“And well…” Seth’s face burned again, glad Sasha was focusing on the road, or, at least multitasking.

“Was it good?” 

“I… had… fun…?”

“But you guys were pretty drunk, I bet.”

“Completely.”

“But you remember everything?”

“I’m not telling you what his dick looks like if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh god no, I don’t… I don’t want to know that.”

“Ok, good.”

“But, you’d do it again.”

“I don’t know!” Seth said, ebbing on annoyed. He clenched his asshole unconsciously. “I’m not in love with the guy or anything.”

“You know though,” Sasha giggled. “I didn’t say a word to him about it, scouts honor.”

“Good.” Seth watched as they took an exit off the highway, getting onto a more rural county road. The palm trees were fading into the distance, native trees and reeds making up the patchwork of land bisected by the roads. Seth smiled, then chuckled, remembering the night.

“What?” Sasha asked. 

“I just remembered now,” Seth laughed, rubbing his eyes. “He- he called my ass a bussy.” 

“A bussy?” Sasha was confused. “What the fuck is a bussy?”

“A boy-pussy.” Seth choked. Sasha shrieked, covering her mouth with her hand.

“He did NOT.” 

“You can’t tell anyone this shit,” Seth wiped a tear from his eye. “Don’t fuckin’ do it.”

Talking to Sasha seemed to ease some of the anxieties he was feeling about the ordeal, even if she was maybe a little nosy. He was really glad she’d been free and willing to go dutch on some gas to have a mini adventure. They arrived at the tiny lake Marina and parked the car under an aluminum awning. A group of tourists were already forming, waiting for the next trip.

“Well, my night was really fun too.” Sasha explained once they had sat down with their tickets. “So, we had that car and we went downtown. Me, Charlotte, Paige, and Becky- but we were pretty determined not to hook up so we just got like, really caddy about any dude who was near us.”

“Fair enough.”

“But it was great because we all got to dancing, I don’t dance ever, but I got reeeeeaaallly wasted. Me and Becky both did and we just had the most by-the-book ladies night out ever. We crashed at Charlotte’s place at like three in the morning.”

Seth didn’t know how excited he was for the airboat ride until the first tour group returned and they began boarding the craft. Everyone was given earphones to deafen the noise of the giant fan-engine and told expressly to stay seated any time the craft was flying through the swamp. The tour guides were a pair of very colorful locals, tanned, tattooed and missing some teeth.

“Y’all guddit sit en back?” The bearded one with long hair barked loudly at Seth and Sasha as they settled in, “D’you ain’ goin’ be screamin’ when we start dis?” 

“Uhh-“ Seth looked at Sasha, “What?” 

“Y’all are good right?” The other asked. “It’s loud.” 

“We’re fine,” Sasha waved her hand, laughing a little. “This is going to be fun.”

“Alright y’all, we wanna thank y’all for choosing Muddy Waters airboat tours- the real gateway to the florida everglades. I’m Jay and this here my brother Mark is gunna show you all sorts of wildlife and flowers that can be found in Lake Tohopekaliga.”

“Now we really do ‘preciate da fact y’all wan’ come on down hee’ when there stuff like Di’dney Lan’ some twenty minnnits away but I cn’ tell y’all are ’n ‘ntellgn’t group a folks tha’ wan’ see the ree’ side’a Florida that ain’ no Mickey Mouse or no dance club or nuffin.”

“Now,” Jay interrupted, some of the group snickered. “I’m the one that’s goin’ be showin’ y’all what we can find. I’m the talker, Mark is the expert seaman. This here boat is a loud craft, as you’ll find out in a moment, and it is just about midday, so a lot of the critters might be hiding-“

Seth and Sasha both almost grabbed each other as the boat jetted out of the Marina inlet at top speed, barreling like a jet plane through the reeds, mowing down grass as it skipped on the surface like a rock. It felt good in the sweaty humidity, the flecks of water skimmed the edge, arching and creating little water rainbows. Birds and bugs flew out of the patches of reeds as they passed, Mark gestured toward a patch of reedy lagoon and Jay nodded.

“Now, we got some Sandhill cranes up here.” Jay pointed at a pair of long legged birds, frozen in terror at the approaching boat. “These guys here’a mated for life, they’ll spend all day out here foraging fer bugs and snails.”

It was impressive how easily the brothers remembered exactly where all the most impressive birds and flowers where. All of the reeds and the surrounding landscape was very similar. The boat would kick up to high speed and Jay would scout for a few moments of hairpin turns and then yell “CHICKEN, SLOW IT DOWN!” 

The tours proudly promoted the Florida gator as the main attraction for the boat rides, but Jay insisted it was rather late in the day to be successfully spotted.

“They he’ for sure.” Mark nodded. “They just sleepin’” 

They had their best luck at the end of the tour when they broke out of the reeds and onto the lake. Mark killed the engine and Jay pointed far off into the distance. 

“Alligator.” he circled the air with his finger. “Just a sliver, but you can see it.”

Seth and Sasha stood up, squinting their eyes against the sun and cupping their hands over their foreheads. A single shadow floated on the surface, Seth would have just thought it was driftwood.

“We get any closer he gun’ just pop back down under the water.” Jay explained, “We’ll just sit here a sec tho’ see if he come ‘round.”

There wasn’t much luck seeing a leviathan lake gator up close, but when they returned to the Marina there was a woman waiting for them to arrive, holding a baby gator for them to hold and take pictures with. 

“Miss Jessica here’ll let you take a picture with our lil baby gator we got.” Jay explained as the tourists tipped him and made their way off of the boat. “Thank’s so much for comin’ y’all.”

Sasha refused to hold the gator, but insisted Seth do it.

“Come on! You gotta instagram this!” She teased. “You’re in Florida now, you gotta let your family know.”

“Right.” Seth remembered, gingerly placing the gator on his arm so it’s taped down jaw sat in the palm of his hand. Sasha snapped a few quick pics.

“Don’t let it’s bussy touch your shirt.” She giggled. Seth snorted, handing the gator back to the woman, thanking her. 

It was a very touristy photo, but Seth smiled at how genuinely happy he looked. His hair was a mess from the turns and wind of the airboat and his shirt was wet, but there was no mistaking how excited he looked. Gap toothed and sun-kissed as he was. 

“This was fun.” Sasha stated simply, watching the countryside pass by as they made their way back North to the city. “Would be cool to go in the morning and see more stuff.”

“Yeah,” Seth agreed. “Thanks so much for driving. Can’t stay away from water for too long I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd incorporate Jay and Mark Briscoe into every fic if I could. If you don't know who they are, please check them out, they are everything wrestling should be >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugQes4dW020 
> 
> I also highly recommend Airboat rides.
> 
> R&R. Wipe your butt. Text your parents. Etc.


	12. Heat Wave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth works the park during one of the hottest days of the summer, what could possibly go wrong?

Dean hadn’t been joking when he’d talked about how hot it was going to be at the start of the new week. The 110 degree high that had been predicted wasn’t anything Seth could have imagined, but it was made very real when he woke unexpectedly early. During the night, his air conditioner had shorted and by 8 AM he was rolling around in swampy sheets, confused and sweaty. 

“You don’ have any pets do you?” The maintenance man had asked him over the phone. “We gotta lot of properties we gotta see to today an’ we wouln’ make it over till ‘bout four or five.”

It wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened, but he was guarding the park for the first time today. He supposed he could just stay at work if his place was still a hot-box, a water park sounded like the ideal place to be in a heat wave.

 _Which means everyone will be there_ , Seth thought miserably. He left early, grabbing a coffee before reaching White Water.

The park opened at ten each day, the opening park crew always did a walk through of their safety zone and the zone of one other person for a check. Safety breaks were every two hours, with a half hour break at 1:30 that rotated the guards and gave them time for a snack if they were staying on. 

Rusev was the manager of the park for the day and Seth had never seen such an unlikely lifeguard. He was gigantic, incredibly intimidating, but seemed to have a great sense of humor and kinship with his staff.

“Today is going to be very hot.” He said in his gruff Russian accent, clipboard in hand, addressing all the guards as they stood sweating under the shady awning. “If we hit 110 degree before noon we will be doing safety check every half hour. Water bottle is just one dollar today, water fountain is by bathroom and make sure to tell guest where they are.” 

“If they look like they are dehydrate or sick but refuse your care, let us know.” Lana said very seriously. She was also deck staff, but she was filling in for someone today and had suited up. “Sometimes people are too proud or having too much fun to know they are in danger.”

Walkie talkies were passed around and everyone did a walkie check.

“These things are crap.” Cody murmured to Seth, shaking his walkie a bit when the light wouldn’t go on. Seth smiled nervously. 

“Everyone have their jug?” Lana asked. “Ru has the assignments.”

Seth was scheduled for the top of the serpentine slide.

“So I just, stagger the swimmers?” Seth asked, looking to where Rusev was pointing at the top.    
“There is a light, green light. You just make sure they don’t go before the light. Make sure they go one at a time and are ready to go. If they change their mind, they gotta walk back down the stair.”

It seemed simple enough, Seth wasn’t about to complain about not having to take an active guarding role. It was already very hot and although he didn’t really have much shade, it was better than having to stand over a wave pool full of folks who were hellbent on breaking rules. He climbed up the sun baked wood stairs, hearing the gushing sound of water flowing down the tube. It was very high, but from the top he could peer down and see Neville standing at the mouth of the slide, waving at him from the bottom. 

“Ready to go.” Seth said clearly into the walkie. He set down his water bottle and settled in the corner, looking out over the panoramic view of the little neighborhood White Water was part of. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky to hide them from the radiating sun, Seth wished he’d taken a quick dip in the pool before starting, he was already sweating so much. He didn’t even have any sunglasses.

“Alright, doors are open. Be safe everybody.”

Seth heard people before he saw them, the excited noises of children laughing and screaming and then thumping up the stairs. They argued who would be first and anxiously murmured about how scary it would be. It was probably a half hour into his shift before Seth saw his first adult, a very tan fat man with faded blue tattoos, rocketing down the slide and hollering like a child.

Each time Neville gave him the thumbs up and the green light went on.

“Make sure you lay down and don’t grab onto anything.” Seth told them each time, “Go Ahead.”

  “I know that!” A little boy giggled, Seth had to smile. He’d ridden the slide some three times in a row now. 

The heat was obscene however. Seth scowled, imagining Cesaro and Sasha guarding inside, prancing around inside an air conditioned pool, talking at length about how awful the park was. Seth had a whole week of this to look forward to.

“Real scorcher!” A mom laughed, talking her little girl into going down the slide. “They payin’ y’all good for this?”

“Uh,” Seth licked his lips. The little girl went down by herself and Seth picked up his water bottle and his heart sank, was he supposed to have a jug of water? He’d forgotten to refresh his bottle before heading to the top of the slide and it only had a couple of warm sips left. There was still another hour and a half before he could get some relief. The line for the slide snaked at least halfway down the stairs. 

“Can I go?” A middle-school aged girl was staring at Seth.

“Yeah, uh, make sure you don’t grab anything…”

It wouldn’t be so bad if he was were Neville was at. The lucky bastard was standing waist deep in water, entirely shaded by the slide. Seth frowned, feeling the skin on his face, he’d quickly thrown on some sun screen before his shift but he’d probably sweated it all off by now. 

“Is it time?” 

“Yeah, m-sorry.” Seth blinked, waving his hand at the teenage boy to go ahead and sit down in the slide. He shook his head, trying not to let himself get distracted. If he drank all of his water now he’d be out for another hour, _unless…_

“Hey, this is Seth on the top of the slide. I don’t know if anyone is free right now, but I’m all out of water up here.”  
He’d walkied management for far less important things in the past. It didn’t seem like too much to ask. Seth signaled for another patron to go, holding the speaker to his face expectantly, but there was no answer.

“Yeah, hey, anybody down there? This is Seth, I’m all out of water.” he bit his lip, “The serpentine slide.”

He toyed with the volume buttons and the channel selections but the walkie light was off and nobody seemed to be hearing him. Seth knew his walkie had worked earlier, he’d heard mumblings from people who had been getting ready in their positions. 

_Well, fuck me, right?_ Seth thought sourly, letting more swimmers go. He just drank what little he had left in his bottle, wiping his eyebrows and wondering if there was any good way to signal to Neville he needed water.

He sweat profusely through a half hour, certain that it had to be at least 115 degrees, he’d never had to deal with such an intense heat. Even when he’d been guarding outside during some late summer heat waves, it had just been ultra-humid, nothing this focused. The second he finished he’d have to chug a ton of water, he was sure he was getting dehydrated. 

“Can anyone hear me?” Seth tried desperately into the walkie talkie, he only had fifteen more minutes left of his shift, but he was increasingly restless. He tapped his foot on the wooden platform anxiously, wiping his brow off with the back of his hand, catching loose hairs. There was still no answer, Seth tried to lean to the side to see if there was still a long line of swimmers on the stairs, it was all becoming a lot to handle and the noise and excitement of all the children was giving him a headache. It didn’t seem like anyone was stopping swimmers from coming up the stairs, would they all be able to ride the slide before the safety break?

Seth wiped his brow again, blinking hard. There would be a noise signal that started the safety break and got the patrons to take a few minutes away from the water. Would it go off promptly? He was a little annoyed he’d just been stuck to guard without much explanation of where things were or proper procedure, though, he supposed if something horrible happened he wouldn’t be the first person responding. Glancing down to Neville, he waited for the signal, but Neville was watching something happen that Seth couldn’t see. A younger, frizzy haired girl waited for a few moments as Seth waited and eventually Neville waved and Seth let her go. He was positive that if his walkie was working he would be getting word of something… 

A recorded message played at the top of the hour and the few guests left on the stairs descended without too much complaint. Immediately Seth rose to his feet, eager to get off of the horrible, over hot staircase. However, the moment he rose to his feet, all the blood rushed from his head and he clung to the wooden railing, cursing, waiting for his vision to clear.

“Goddamn,” Seth muttered, instinctively going to brush off his brow, he dropped his tube and it plopped down a few stairs. He knew, deep down, that something was wrong, his vision was spotted and he was feeling tremors in his arms. Was he severely dehydrated? He knew he needed to get down the stairs, but was lucid enough to know how unsafe that could be. 

With a few steadying breaths and a firm hand on the railing, he descended, letting the tube bump along down the stairs behind him, attached by the strap. He hadn’t even grabbed his water bottle, standing up and nearly passing out made him realize just how much he’d deteriorated over the course of a few hours. It was difficult to think in a straight line, let alone walk.

“Aye, Walkie noise was about some little girl in the wave pool area that got a heat cramp.” Neville said as Seth rounded the corner of the stairs, landing on the firm ground. “Wasn’t sure if your walkie was working or not.”

“Hey,” Seth breathed, his heart dropping at how quiet and raspy his own voice sounded. Neville sat up from the sinking depth of the slide’s pool exit.

“You look awful.” He said simply, “You ok?”

“I don’t know.” Seth said, his hand was struggling to find the strap that his tube was attached to. He stood, swaying a little as Neville hastened to grab his walkie from the faux rocky outcrop that made up the slide’s exit.

“Lana? Ru? Can somebody run down to the serpentine pool quick?” Neville looked at Seth again, “Might have some minor heat exhaustion.”

“It’s not that bad, I just need water,” Seth mumbled, he tried to hold up his hand to wipe his forehead but the moment he got his hand to his brow he grimaced, his vision whiting out. The last thing he clearly remembered was Neville’s voice straining in the walkie. 

There were two incident reports filled out that day. One was for a little girl who had been in the wave pool for two hours straight, running in and out of the water uninterrupted until she felt a painful cramp in her leg. Lana was actually the one who talked with her and filled out the paper, there was some crying, but her parents eventually were found and seemed understanding of the suggestion to leave and have her drink plenty of water.

Seth came-to a couple of times. Rusev pulled Neville aside as soon as Seth was hoisted up and brought inside, he asked him exactly how Seth had seemed when he came down from his shift. Seth came to a couple of times, not making much sense when answered questions. Rusev put him on oxygen and an oximeter, insisting he would probably be fine while Lana angrily threatened to call EMS. 

“He had walkie fourteen.” Wade said grimly, returning from the top of the slide with some of Seth’s things. They’d shut the park down for two hours, determined to not fill out any more incident reports. 

“Why do we have that walkie in rotation?” Rusev barked at Lana. She pursed her lips, arms crossed.

“It was the only one to grab,” Wade answered for her. “Normally one of the ground folks get the bum walkie, but Seth didn’t know cause it was his first day.” 

Seth stirred a little and Rusev stooped to check his oximeter again.

“He is doing ok.” He murmured. “Run inside, see if someone can monitor him while we get all of this in order.”

Hunter and Roman both came down, Hunter was disturbed that the front wasn’t notified immediately, but once he assessed Seth and was sure that he was alright, he was glad he hadn’t had to deal with ambulances pulling up to the park. 

“Hey Seth, how are you doing?” Hunter asked, kneeling down to were he was resting on the floor, propped up against the wall of the park break-room. 

“My head hurts,” He rasped, “Did they tell you? I ran out of water and I-“

“Yeah, no, don’t worry about it. I know you didn’t screw up.” Hunter set a hand on his shoulder. “I just want to know if you’d like to go to a doctor and get looked at. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, we’ll drive you over and get you taken care of.”

Seth blinked hard, his vision was more or less normal, but the florescent lights were hurting his eyes. Hunter looked serious, was looking him over cautiously. Roman stood awkwardly, he was maybe a little more pale than normal. 

“What do you think?” Seth sniffed, it was hard to hear when you were hooked up to oxygen. He jerked the nasal cannula out of his nostrils. “I don’t feel good but I don’t know if they’d be able to tell me anything.”

“Better safe than sorry.” Roman mumbled. “Worst case scenario they just prescribe you ibuprofen you won’t need.”

“Yeah,” Seth said dumbly. Hunter sighed, looking from Seth, than to Roman and Rusev. 

“Why don’t you go.” Hunter said softly. “Roman’ll take you. I’ll call ahead and it won’t be too long a wait.”

Seth didn’t know how to feel, being escorted to Roman’s Jeep by a handful of other guards and staff. If his head wasn’t aching so much he would have felt more immediately embarrassed. Hunter just wanted what was best for him, but he didn’t understand why Sami and Randy had joined Lana with them in the parking lot, asking what was going on.

“Just go talk to Hunter, if you need any forms filled out or whatever he can do it, we’ll be back when we’re done anyway.” Roman answered for him. Seth just lay back in the passenger seat, curling his hands around the third water bottle he’d been given. He was starting to feel nauseous drinking so much, Roman’s car was so hot he felt like he couldn’t breathe.  
“Rubber neckers, I swear.” Roman sighed, quickly putting the key in the ignition and starting the car. “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Seth breathed, not opening his eyes. Roman cranked the AC up to eleven and blew through the parking lot quick, making his way toward the highway. 

“Don’t feel too bad.” Roman assured him. “I swear this happens about every year, maybe not _this_ bad, but it just sucks that it was your first day and whatever.”

“I’m supposed to work tomorrow too.” Seth moaned, rubbing his eyes. “Wonder if that’s gunna happen.”

“No.” Roman said flatly. “If it comes down to it, maybe you’ll work inside, but Hunter was calling people when we left. Park’s going to close for the rest of the day.”

“It was stupid.” Seth’s stomach turned sluggishly. “I should have told a patron to go tell someone or something, I just was sitting down, I didn’t think that-“

“Hey, I said don’t worry about it.” Roman mumbled. “Keep drinking that.” 

“I feel lousy.” Seth said, rather unnecessarily. “I don’t wanna puke it your car.”

“It’s leather, it won’t be that hard to clean up.”

Luckily, it didn’t come to that. Rather than driving well into downtown Orlando, Roman pulled off the highway pretty soon after getting on, a suburb just a couple of neighborhoods over. Seth kept his eyes locked ahead, closing them just gave him the spins. They parked, close to where the ambulance lane was and Roman came around to the side to ease him out of the car. 

“Just go slow.” 

Any other time and he would have been thrilled to be this close to Roman. He’d just thrown one of his sleeveless hooded tops over his rash guard, his hair hung around his shoulders. He’d probably just gotten out of the pool from a class and been called down with Hunter to see what was going on. His strong square hands held onto the back of Seth’s arms, guiding him from the car to the ground and Seth was glad he was already red from cooking in the sun all day so he couldn’t blush like an idiot.

“Can you walk?”

“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” 

“You say that a lot though. You want to just take a second? I could go grab a chair.”

Seth sighed, if he was outside any longer he might just melt. The sunny tropical paradise had turned into a nightmare hell with palm trees. Roman just stood close, ready to grab him if he decided to black out again. He couldn’t think, he needed to just be thought for. Roman seemed to understand this because he eased Seth to sit back in the cab of the car, legs dangling out the open door while he ran to the entrance of the clinic to grab a wheel chair. When he returned he helped swap him into the seat and handed him his water bottle, then speed-walked toward to the clinic and out of the sun.

The whole check-in and waiting process was expedited by the fact that it was work related and the Hunter had called ahead. Roman did the majority of the talking while Seth sat exhausted, kneading his head with his knuckles and trying to make headway on his water bottle.

“-His pulse was elevated last they had checked I guess, they had him on some low level amounts of oxygen.”

Just a few minutes in the waiting room and a doctor called for him. Seth blinked a few times, then tried to undo the lock on the chair so he could move. 

“I’m doctor Duval,” Seth shook her hand limply, “Did you want your friend to come with you?”

“Sure,” Seth just waved and without a second thought, Roman stood and kicked back the break of Seth’s chair so he could push him along. They followed the shorter, brown haired doctor to an exam room.

“We’ll have you change into a gown, we’re just going to want to get your temperature and make sure you’re not still burning up too bad.” Seth eased his way onto the exam table and Roman sat in the corner watching. “You’re still feeling pretty out of it, yeah?” 

“I think I’m still dehydrated,” Seth admitted. Dr. Duval put her hand to his cheek feeling how warm he was, examining his face carefully. 

“We’ve had a couple people come in because of the heat today, you probably won’t be the last. We’ll get you on an IV too, feels like a hangover, right? If you’re still feeling bad after some saline we’ll get you some painkillers.”

She left after jotting down a few notes and Seth just lay back, groaning.

“Do you-” Roman hummed. “Did you want me to, uh, leave? So you could change?”

“Can you help me?” Seth laughed feebly, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t want to have to fight with my clothes.

“Now you’re milking it,” Roman snorted, but he stood up just the same, unwrapping the plastic bag with the soft gown inside. Seth was still wearing his trunks and tank top, they’d been soaked with sweat and since dried, but he was chafing around his legs and armpits. He sat up, undoing the draw string on his waist band, then tried to jerk his shirt over his head. He was sick and exhausted, but he hoped that the bit of Crossfit he’d done in the last few weeks was enough to impress. 

“Sun got you good.” Roman said sympathetically, respectfully looking just a degree above Seth’s shoulder as he brought his arms forward, letting Roman ease the sleeves back and tie the joining strings across the back of his neck.

“Yeah?” Seth sniffed. “I feel so warm all over I didn’t think.”

“There is a load of sunscreen in that break room.” Roman said wisely, “It’s just communal, you gotta re-up any second you got or else you get fried.”

“Yeah,” Seth sat back, breathing hard. He was being stupid, his heart had gone all a flutter and the momentary excitement of Roman seeing his stripped down had made his vision white out again. “I, I worked outside a bit before.”

“Oh yeah? Where at?” 

“This camp I guarded at awhile back,” Seth took another drink of water. “It was like, a summer camp. It’s where I got my woofer and waterfront certs. But anyways, it was a camp on this lake and I was outside a long time each day in the sun. But uh,” Seth stared at his dangling toes, “Sun’s a little different down here.”

“Oh yeah.” Roman agreed, he had his phone out and was texting intently. It had been buzzing and going off pretty constantly through the car ride, but Roman hadn’t bothered with it. “People are such gossips man.”

“Yeah?”

“Just, trying to get me to fess up on what’s happening.” 

“With this? What’s to tell?” 

“They just want to make sure you’re alright.” Roman rolled his eyes. “Like they don’t believe Hunter or something. They just don’t know what to do with their day since the park closed.”

“Hmm.” 

A nurse came in shortly after and fitted Seth was a saline drip through the top of his hand. He shivered at how cold the tube felt against his skin, but was more flustered with the act of getting his temperature taken. 

“We’ll just have you lie back on your stomach.” The nurse said, giving Roman an awkward glance. He’d just accepted a phone call and hadn’t been paying much attention. Seth fumbled awkwardly for a moment, still sitting, his eyes darting toward the door. This wasn’t really the cutest thing to do in front of a potential crush. Roman seemed to realize what was going on once the nurse began lubing up the thermometer and his eyes widened a little, without stopping his conversation, he stood, turned his chair around and sat, facing the corner. Seth snickered.

A quick stick and a sensation Seth wasn’t unaccustomed to, the nurse gave him some time to adjust before reading the output.

“Still just a little bit warm, you’ve had a hard day, haven’t you?”

“Been better,” Seth breathed a sigh of relief as she slid the thermometer back out and dabbed at his behind with a towel. 

“Dr. Duval wanted to let you use some of this medicated lotion as well.” The nurse opened up a little container with a creamy substance. “It’ll help with your sunburn better then some dollar store aloe vera. We’ll check back in in a little while once your bag is finished.”

“-Yeah, no he’s fine, judging by how chill the nurse was just now we’ll probably be back soon… Yeah I have Hunter’s card, it’s for gas. Maybe we could stop by dairy queen?”

Roman quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure Seth was decent before he turned all the way, the phone in the crook of his shoulder.

“You should probably eat something, right? How do you feel?”

“Who’re you talking to?” Seth laughed, adjusting his gown a little bit.

“’s Dean.” Roman gave the slightest little nod and Seth looked nervously out the window for a moment.

“I mean, sure, I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cut it short just because it was getting real long, sorry if it felt abrupt.


	13. Nevermore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth makes a bold declaration.

A quick zip through the Dairy Queen drive thru and Roman passed Seth several bags and a drink carrier full of blizzards and more water. The car quickly smelled salty and thick and despite how wobbly his stomach was feeling, Seth tore through a couple triangles of grilled cheese, savoring the taste.

“Thanks,” Seth mumbled through mouthfuls of bread, “For everything today, I appreciate it.”   
“Beats filling out paperwork,” Roman chuckled. “Drink all that water down.”

Seth got discharged with an ibuprofen prescription, a creme for his sunburn, a doctors note for a work excusal and some basic information about heat exhaustion and syncope. The word from Dr. Duval and all the nurses that had come by was that the heat wave would be breaking that night and the temperature would be back down to a balmy ninety degrees on Tuesday.

“I’m feeling almost fine now, that IV drip stuff did the trick.” Seth drank the water anyway, it was nice and cold. “Coulda used some of that last Saturday morning.”

“Mm,” Roman hummed, Seth couldn’t help wondering what he knew or how much. Did Dean really have a confidant? Neither of them seemed like terrible gossips.

“How were you that morning?” Seth asked playfully, chomping down on fries.

“Not that bad.” Roman shrugged. “I didn’t drink like y’all did, went home and drank water.”

“What about Dean? You worked with him right?”   
“You haven’t talked to him?” Roman grinned. They were at a stop light, Seth’s smile faded.

“What?”

Roman just shrugged again, chuckling.

“What! Tell me!”

“It’s nothing, I’m just fucking with you man.”

 _He definitely knows_ , Seth rolled his eyes, looking out the window. It was early evening now and the murderous sun was setting, long shadows jutted from the trees.

“It was a fun night.” Seth mumbled. “Hunter knows how to throw a good party.”

“That’s not even the biggest one.” Roman sighed. “The park party is the big deal. Then, what, we get a christmas banquet? Employee appreciation day…”

“Is the park party as… lively?”

“It’s nuts. It’s at the park.”

White Water was pretty busy when they rolled into the lot and they had trouble finding a spot, even in the back. With the park closed, all the traffic had moved inside and families were coming and going in equal measure. 

“You’re back!” Sami said cheerfully, “Hunter and Steph are both still here. What a day, right?”

Heads poked out from the back as they carted through with their bags of Dairy Queen. Seth felt embarrassed with the amount of attention he was getting. 

“Poor boy,” Lana tutted, throwing her arms around him after she investigated his hospital bracelet. “We will give you very thorough orientation later on in the week, better explain everything so you aren’t just thrown in!”  
“It’s all good,” Seth blushed, “I think I’ll be fine next time. It was my bad.”

“No, no, our bad.” Lana patted him on the shoulder.

Hunter, Steph, Randy, Dolph and (Seth’s heart did a little backflip) Dean, were all crowded into the tiny aquatics office of the main pool. Everyone looked overjoyed and a little relieved that Seth appeared lively again, Dean was easily the most animated. 

“Thank god for modern medicine, and brownie batter.” Dean quickly grabbed his bag of ice cream, winking at Seth.

“How’re you feeling kid?” Hunter smiled, he took the notes the doctor had given him. “We didn’t think it was full on heat exhaustion, but thank god you went in.”

“Not fun, but it’s life, I’m fine now.” Seth ripped off the hospital band. “That note excuses me from work, but if you need someone to work inside tomorrow, well, I feel fine now.” 

Hunter beamed at him, Randy and Dolph looked a little relieved.

“We were thinking that you could do the adaptive pool instead.” Stephanie explained. “There is just the one class in there tomorrow morning, plus a couple of therapy sessions. If you don’t feel 100%, that’s totally fine, but otherwise we might have to get creative with the schedule.”

“Get creative by putting Hunter in the guard chair.” Dolph smirked.

“If I have to, it’s not issue.” Hunter said seriously. “But this week is going to be a long one, no doubt.”

“It should be fine.” Seth said, trying to shake the last remaining raspiness out of his voice. He just wanted to get home and relax in his- he groaned, and everyone stared. “I just remembered- it’s nothing. It’s not about-“   
Now everyone was just curious, Seth sighed, knowing how it would sound-

“My air conditioner went out last night, I dunno if it’s been fixed yet or what.” Seth folded his arms, why was everyone staring at him so concerned? “I’ll call my maintenance guy and see what the deal is, worst case scenario I’ll just wait around here a little bit so I’m not breathing in hot air.”

“Oh yeah, that’s pretty important.” Stephanie laughed.

“And, if you don’t?” Hunter looked at Seth pensively. “You shouldn’t chance staying there, not after today.”   
“I’ll, I’ll go buy a fan or something.” Seth shrugged, nobody seemed terribly convinced.

“Slumber party,” Dolph joked. Seth couldn’t look at Dean. 

 

He couldn’t get a hold of the maintenance man of his building, but the last thing he wanted to do was make them worry about him and have to make up a bed on one of their couches. He hadn’t _really_ spoken to Dean yet. He’d just gotten out of the hospital, sex was about the furthest thing from his mind, an awkward conversation was a close second.

“Uh, Ok,” He felt like an idiot, phone to his ear, miming a conversation to sell his story from a passing glance. He was on the other side of the glass door to the office, but was sure that Dean was eyeing him suspiciously. “Glad to hear it…”

“Here,” Dean passed him a sticky note after he fake hung-up on his phone call. “Just in case, ya know? If I’d had half a mind, I woulda left it on that note the other morning.”

“Thanks,” Seth mumbled. He tried to smile but he honestly just wasn’t sure. Dean saluted him, ice-cream in hand before passing past Roman, who had seen the entire transaction.

“Thanks again,” Seth said to Roman, a little more cheer in his voice. Roman nodded, looking carefully between Dean, now talking to Randy, and Seth’s little crispy fried face. 

“Be careful with him.” Roman said quietly. “It’s none of my business, but he’s my brother, you know?”

“I wasn’t-“ 

“It’s none of my business,” Roman repeated. “Dean’s just dumb sometimes. He’s a lot of fun but he doesn’t know what he wants but he’s got a lot of feelings… Anyways…” Roman sighed, shaking his head. “You got someone you can call though, right?”

“Uh,” Seth just gestured lamely with the number in his hand, Not really sure what Roman meant.

“Here,” Roman pulled out his own phone. “I live a lot closer than Dean anyway.”

“Wha-? How did you know-“ 

“It was on your contact info.” Roman grunted, eyes narrowing. “That I pulled today? Because you fainted?”

“O-oh!” Seth laughed, peering down at Roman’s phone and quickly grabbing his own to put it in his contacts. “Sorry, still kinda fried from the sun.”   
“Yeah,” Roman snorted. “Take it easy, Seth”

Two numbers. Two different men. 

“Why the fuck didn’t I just tell him I had Cesaro? Sasha?” Seth asked himself allowed, angrily in his car on the way home. “What the hell!” He’d just been so caught up in, well, Roman, his brain had just shut off.  
_Goddamn nothing is simple_ He thought bitterly. He remembered that he wasn’t sure if he had air conditioning or not and his heart sank. Today could have gone a lot better, it seemed like he was just giving his co workers reasons to pick him apart and question his ability. Dolph’s stupid little comment was bouncing around in his skull. So _everyone_ knew about his night with Dean? Could Sasha not keep her mouth shut? Or had Dean been telling everyone?  
Thank god no one was homophobic, that would have been a whole different level of bother.

Seth braced himself at his front door, crossing his fingers on his left hand as he turned the key in the lock. Hoping, praying…

He started laughing maniacally as he was met with cool, refreshing air and the normal whirring of a functional AC. The maintenance notice was resting on the floor, a sloppy signature at the bottom.

More water, a shower, some soothing lotion for his face and shoulders and Seth was having trouble keeping his eyes open. He put his hair in a sloppy bun, forgoing clothes to wrap up tight in his blankets. Though his body was exhausted, his mind was swimming with murky thoughts.  
_I don’t wanna be trouble_ he thought sleepily, _I don’t wanna be the workplace slut…_

He woke up pretty groggy, his whole body seemed generally weak and achey but he was sure that the more he moved around and drank water, the better he’d feel. Hunter had texted him just a little bit before his alarm rang.

**How’re you feeling?**

**Great :) I’ll be in at nine!**

The adaptive pool was the only pool in White Water that was unaffected by weather patterns. The park was scheduled to open as normal that day, P-pool was already awash with swimmers, and the lap pool finished a busy morning rush just as Seth was arriving. It was cooler today, but because the adaptive pool was just for special needs guests and specific classes, it was easily the most low-maintenance guard job Seth had ever had. 

Randy ran up to talk him through doing the opening chemical check and using the lift-chair.

“You gotta check the battery on this thing too, see.” Randy pointed out the little display on the side of the lift. “Sometimes you gotta plug it in in the office.”

Seth did the typical daily log stuff, and then was left to guard an empty pool. He paced around a little bit, trying to keep himself occupied, but deflated a little when he looked at the schedule and saw that the first class for the day wasn’t until 10:30. He had about an hour until he could suspect _anyone_ of showing up.

This wasn’t a problem once Seth found the bluetooth speaker and plugged in his phone. The quiet pool was instantly an echo chamber for a pop punk DJ session. He skipped around on the tile, swinging his tube around enthusiastically and moshing all by his lonesome. He calmed down when he started to get sweaty and just a tad light headed, laughing as a track ended.

“What is going on in here?” a voice laughed and Seth immediately sobered, hurrying to turn down the volume as the next track, loud and thrashing started up. Daniel came up the steps, a large gym bag slung over his shoulder.

“Just a little music.” Seth smiled, embarrassed. Daniel grinned.

“It’s boring up here, I understand.” 

Seth sat in the guard chair, feeling foolish while Daniel set about to getting the pool ready for his class. He opened up cabinets and pulled out some pull buoys and flotation belts. They were all in much better condition than the ones in the downstairs pool. Seth hadn’t thought much of Daniel when he’d seen him teach last week with Roman, but seeing him on his own, Seth wasn’t really sure what Roman had seen in him. 

Maybe he was being shallow, sure, but Daniel was definitely a transplant from somewhere else. He didn’t have the Florida glimmer to him, sporting a thick bushy beard and pale skin, significantly shorter than most of the other staff at the pool.

“‘Heard about all that stuff that happened yesterday.” Daniel said gravely, “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Seth shrugged. “Just bad luck I guess,”

“Hey, if you don’t gotta work the park, that’s good right? Most people would pay to have an excuse to get outta there.”

“Well I’d rather be able to work than have heat exhaustion.” Seth sniffed.

“Well, of course. But you get to kick it with me instead, right?” Daniel nodded. “Pretty cool.”

“Is it ever- not dead?” Seth laughed. Daniel shrugged.

“Not usually. Sometimes we get a group of really little kids or developmentally challenged adults though. It’s just open in case someone needs it.”

Daniel’s class was for arthritic adults, some were so old and stiff that they had an assistant or a helpful son or daughter easing them from a walker to the railing of the ramp. Daniel got into the water and went through some very basic resistance movements and stretches to some jazzy old songs the guests could recognize. Seth turned his own music off and did a few laps of the tiny pool, watching carefully as Daniel modeled the movements he was talking about. 

All the while, Seth was preoccupied thinking about what he imagined to be the most unlikely couple. How did someone as hunky and studly as Roman date someone like Daniel for so long? It wasn’t as though Dan was a bridge troll, but Seth couldn’t see them hand in hand walking down the street together. Their size difference made it seem almost comical, but maybe _just maybe_ Roman wasn’t a shallow prick and Daniel was actually a really cool person?

 _Or maybe not? They aren’t together any more anyway…_ Seth wiggled his nose, frowning as Daniel had the class grab the wall and inch their legs apart to stretch. _Had they met at White Water? They’d been dating when the whole horrible drowning thing had happened, was it why they broke up?_

Seth pinched the meat on the inside of his wrist as if to scold himself. What did it matter? He needed to stop thinking about shit that wasn’t his business.  
The class wrapped, but Daniel stayed in the pool, floating around leisurely as the older folks made their way to the locker room, a little more spry than when they had arrived.

“Did you have fun at the party?” Daniel asked him conversationally. 

“Yeah,” Seth smiled, “You?”

“It was alright. Had to teach the next day so I didn’t stay late. I don’t drink anyway.”

His client arrived pretty quickly, a young man with a knee brace. He was large and built, if Seth had to guess he was some some college athlete. They took some time to just stand in the pool and talk, Daniel asked him questions about his mobility and pain and then they worked through a series of movements.  
Dan seemed like a really nice guy. The way he talked and reciprocated eye contact, he always seemed warm and generally inviting. The loud, enthusiastic voice he used for his classes melted into a firm yet comforting tone with his one on ones. 

What was really bugging Seth was that he was trying to figure out who was the top and who was the bottom in the former relationship and there was really no obvious signs to support one or the other.

_They could both be versatile…? But Roman’s…?… No…???_

The jury was still out.

“You doing alright? It’s just going to be another class and then more of the same.” Daniel asked at the end of the forty five minute therapy session. “I could get you a bathroom break if you need it.”

“I’m fine.” Seth drank from his water bottle, running a thumb over the bandaid in place of where the IV had poked him yesterday. 

Daniel’s last client was an older woman who walked with a slight limp. Seth would have guessed it was more knee stuff until Daniel asked her about her hip and she stripped down to her swim suit- she had a grisly looking scar high up on her leg. Daniel seemed more friendly with her, he guessed he must have been working with her for a long time.

“How are things?” She asked him at the end of the class, striking an almost mothering tone. “That class go ok?”

“Oh it was fine.” Daniel waved a hand, “We’re all adults.”

“Still, I couldn’t imagine having to teach a class with _my_ ex-husband.”

“We were never married Jeannie, it’s different.”

They both laughed and Jeannie talked about her kids and the end-of-the-summer plans for her family. Seth tried to look busy untangling some lengths of buoys, not used to guarding this intimately. 

“That’s Seth.” Daniel explained when he saw her eyes wandering. “Still a little new around here.”

“Hey,” Seth said, waving awkwardly. 

“I thought I had seen you downstairs! It’s that blonde streak. Very creative.”

“Thanks,” Seth fought the urge to chuckle. 

Jeannie left after she ran out of interesting stories about her children and Daniel packed up the equipment from his first class, then toweled off, surveying the pool.

“I know for sure that that walkie works,” He smiled, pointing over to the walkie talkie on the charging deck next to the blue tooth speaker. “So if you need anything, Sami will hear ya.”

“Awesome, thanks.” 

“Do you think you’ll be guarding up here more this week?” 

“I’m not really sure, honestly.” Seth frowned, he had been scheduled for the park all week and wouldn’t mind going back in tomorrow to prove himself. He supposed it was whatever Hunter thought was best. “I was given a work excusal but I don’t wanna use it unless I gotta.”

“Very noble of you.” Daniel smiled. “I know we’re stretched a little thin lately. Probably won’t get much better when the park closes either.”

“Are you a guard?” Seth asked, “Or do you just teach?”   
“Just teach.” Daniel shook his head. “I don’t want that kind of responsibility. Kind of a thankless job anyway, yeah?”

“A little, sure. Do you teach the swim lessons too? I think I’m going to be shadowing for those soon.”

“Sometimes.” Dan leaned on the first aid cabinet, toweling off his hair and beard. “I’m not super great with kids though, I’ve got a stranglehold on all the therapy classes. This is sort of my pool.” 

“Not a bad gig.” Seth agreed. Daniel packed his bag up and took a last look around. “It was cool getting to guard for you though dude, maybe I’ll be up here guarding more often, who knows.”

“Don’t let Dean make you his swim lesson’s mule.” Daniel laughed. “It’s a slippery slope.”

Seth’s cheeks burned as Daniel left, waving at him at the door. He sighed angrily, quickly going to turn on his music again and pace around the little pool. He wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be some subtext to his words, if Dan had meant anything beyond a surface level or if he was just paranoid. Why did he think this wasn’t going to happen? What the hell had he expected.

 _That’s it_ Seth thought angrily, the strap of his tube thwacking loudly against the metal frame of the chair lift as he passed it. _I’m not going to fuck my coworkers. Ever. No More._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much goddang dialogue... Seth is a lying piece of shit, don't worry about it.


	14. Deep Trouble [Part : 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth tries his hand at hook up apps, guards the park, gets frustrated with everything.

The rest of the week was considerably cooler and so Seth worked the park in a couple different capacities, eager to show everyone he could jump back on the horse. A couple of new walkie talkies were thrown into rotation and Lana explained the park’s EAP to him in depth, as well as procedures for lost children and weather emergencies. 

It wasn’t a bad time, but Seth definitely felt exhausted after every shift. The combination of noise, the sun, and using his voice and his whistle so much had him taking little afternoon naps as soon as he got home. The worst was the wave pool, as guests were always trying to touch the buoy flags and ignore the posted rules.   
The best part of the whole gig was that he was too busy guarding to be socializing, and Dean and Roman were inside, tucked away where he didn’t have to think about them.

Determined to stick to his word to **never** have sex with any of his coworkers, Seth was currently searching for other avenues to blow off steam. He didn’t really want to spend much money going out to clubs and bars, so the internet seemed like a pretty reasonable option. He snapped a couple of new selfies that showed his blonde streak, then updated some meet-up apps on his phone. This led to plenty of time for him to lay on his bed, tired from guarding, simply swiping through potential partners and messaging them whenever appropriate.

Of course within just a couple of minutes of re-downloading Grindr, he ran into Dean’s profile. Which was pretty bare, all things concerned. Seth sighed, swiping through the photos and looking at some pretty terrible selfies that looked like they’d been taken in dirty basements. He swiped left, on agreement with himself, chuckling at how amusing it was to see Dean with slicked back hair.

But although he was on a more active look-out, Seth really wasn’t sure where he fit into the dating scene. Agreeing not to fuck one person didn’t make another magically appear, and he felt a little disgusted with how shallow and vapid the whole ordeal was.

Seth might think a guy was cute, but it didn’t mean that that guy wanted to talk to him. But then, Seth was objectively shallow as well, ignoring guys that were a little chubbier or less put together than he was. He wasn’t the gym-bro type, nor was he wasn’t a beach guy, an indie kid or an academic ‘sapio-sexual’, whatever it was they called themselves. He liked to think he was a little of everything, you know, like a real person?

But everyone immediately assumed he was a twink, which, he wasn’t really sure how to take.

**What do you sound like? :)))))** Was something that he seemed to hear a lot of, and he wondered what exactly he was _Supposed_ to sound like. Did they think he sounded really… gay? Somehow, this had been a lot easier when he was in Iowa and it all was just yes or no. There hadn’t been a lot of coded ‘masc4masc’, ‘no-camp’ bullshit to wade through.

But still, Seth was just as much of a hypocrite. The pattern now was swiping for a bit, getting upset when someone decent looking stopped talking to him, and then angrily jerking off in the shower. 

His luck broke on Thursday night when he went grocery shopping after work. He hadn’t stopped swiping away on his phone since he had left White Water, determined to be distracted. In between trying to decide between ice-creams, his phone buzzed, notifying him of a message.

Any other time a forty-four year old man with a weird little goatee would have messaged him, Seth wouldn’t have given it much thought. But standing in the frozen food section, uncomfortably aware that he had no approaching weekend plans other than to eat Ben and Jerry’s, Seth sighed, opening up the message.

**Love the hair very cool got anything going on 2nite?**

Seth paid for his groceries, but quickly became immersed in chatting with the guy. He went by Tommy, and despite the age gap, Seth wasn’t terribly put off. Maybe it was desperation kicking in, but the guy actually looked pretty cut, and was quickly trying to sell Seth on some kind of experience.

**I’ve got work tomorrow but my weekend is pretty open :)**

**I wanna buy you a drink. you party?**

**Not really im new in town**

**Yah I haven’t seen you before**

They traded numbers and by the time Seth had made his way home and was putting away his groceries, he was getting over excited. He knew he was being stupid, that this guy could have a family and kids, would probably say anything just to get him to fuck. But he seemed eager to shower Seth with promises and compliments, something he was pretty receptive to.

**Ur really hot, you have a boyfriend?**

**Nah not right now**

**Damn shame, I would treat you right.**

 _And I wonder why people think I’m a twink…_ Seth rolled his eyes, smiling to himself, leaning on the kitchen counter.

**Yeah? Like how? ;)**

They were both painfully obvious. Even though it was dim outside, Seth pulled down the blinds on the windows in his room, then he went into the bathroom to disrobe, his cock fighting against his shorts.

Tommy just sent a picture of his own fat chub. Seth bit his lip, not terribly excited or put off by the attachment.

**I’d fuck you with this**

Jerking off was heavenly. Seth stood, leaning up against the doorway to his bathroom, eyes closed while he worked. A weeks worth of frustrations, both at work and personal were butting up against some kind of release. Seth worked harder. He panted, tweaked a nipple, and gave his balls some friendly attention before turning to the toilet to focus on coming. 

Even if it wasn’t always for meeting up, hookup apps were good for something. 

Friday, Seth was scheduled back on the serpentine slide again, the first time since the heat incident. The day was considerably cooler and this time he had a huge jug of water and a straight-out-of-the package walkie. 

“We are all good?” Seth heard Rusev’s gruff voice over the radio. He was all settled, he’d even borrowed a pair of sunglasses.   
“Just dandy.” Seth sounded off. He was exhausted from working all week, was looking forward to going home and going back to bed, he wouldn’t even bother setting an alarm to wake up since he still wasn’t working the weekend. It might have been lazy, but Seth had felt like he’d fallen into a little rut. His coworkers were more than happy to hang out with him and work-out or chill, but by himself, he wasn’t really sure what to do. He supposed he could maybe go to Game Stop and trade in some games, maybe just go do some Crossfit without Cesaro. A couple weeks out of breaking up with Marek he’d felt this way, that sort of restlessness. But then he’d immediately started planning his move to Florida and that had occupied his mind.

Guarding the slide was tedious, but not so tedious that he couldn’t run his mind in circles, thinking and overthinking. He wished he could walk around a pool, sitting made his ass fall asleep.

“Don’t stand and don’t grab anything.” Seth mumbled to the boy approaching the mouth of the slide. He checked the bottom for the signal, Kofi was his slide partner for today. 

“How are you doing Seth?” Rusev asked him halfway through his shift. 

“Peachy.” Seth sighed into the radio. Everyone was treating him with kids gloves and it was annoying. It was only eighty-five degrees outside, did everyone really think he’d swoon? Xavier and Bo had both made smart comments about water when jugs were passed out. 

He tried his best to put it out of his mind, it was a nice day. Kofi kept giving him the most enthusiastic thumbs up’s and part of him was aggravated he was so insistent on being so self-defeating. Maybe after work he could grab a treat for himself to start the weekend off right.

“Hey! You doing anything?” Cesaro caught him in the break room as he was changing his shoes. “I was thinking of going to workout.” 

“Yeah, actually.” Seth smiled, brightening. “I mean, no I’m not busy, let’s do it.”

It felt good to be invited. Cesaro drove at his usual break-neck pace, weaving in and out of traffic and complaining animatedly about the kids that had been in P-Pool that day.

“Though I suppose it is no water park,” Cesaro admitted, drinking stiffly from his water. “No fainting today?”

“Nope,” Seth rolled his eyes. “Didn’t feel like it.”

“That was scary.”

“It wasn’t great, that’s for sure. It’s fine though. I feel alright, even my sunburn is gone.”

They parked on the street near the box and watched the previous class wrap up while they stretched. There was always a sort of quiet resignment among the group waiting, observing the tail-end of the work out that was about to kick their asses. Today was box jumps and kip ups, Seth was still using an assistance band, but Cesaro had talked about how they’d be offering a seminar soon that Seth could sign up for.

Rowing, handstand walks and some power snatches built up the majority of the hour before the final set. Seth was feeling a lot better, Cesaro’s over-caffeinated energy rubbed off on him and by the time the group had crowded around the trainer with their white boards, they were both bouncing on their heels like goons. He was still tired, sure, but just working on breathing and efficient body movement meant focusing on something other than his anxieties.

It was all good until about fifteen minutes into the AMRAP set and Seth started feeling short of breath and shaky. He supposed he might still just be a little roughed up from his heat exhaustion, but he pushed it. He panted hard, trying to settle down his heart and finish as strong as possible. Once he stated to get more light headed however, he cut himself off after a set of box jumps, collapsing up against the wall and trying to wave off his trainer, who hovered by him awkwardly. Cesaro was way too in-the-zone to notice.

“I… I think… It’s just..” Seth panted, blinking hard. 

“The… the whole…” Cesaro panted back, laughing. They were both beat by the end of the class. Seth just nodded and Cesaro flopped down next to him.

“You… now though? You ok now?”

“Yeah, just needed to sit.”

Cesaro picked up a quest bar from the little make shift store in the corner of the box and Seth just sat with his phone for a few minutes, making a conscious effort to breathe evenly. His head was still foggy, but it had been a good use of his time. He was surprised to see he had a missed call from Jimmy and a text.

**Hey man, I was talking to Marek today and he said something about you having his stuff?**

Seth just sighed, letting his phone drop on the rubber coated floor. _Later_ he thought, blearily.

Later came after just ten minutes of driving in Cesaro’s car. They’d rolled the windows down and were blasting the radio when Jimmy called again, Seth was just recovered enough from the intense workout to frown, Cesaro turned down the music.

“If it’s important, go ahead, I don’t care.”

“It’s not though,” Seth groaned, pressing the green icon to take the call.

“Hey buddy!” Jimmy cackled loudly and Cesaro smiled, Seth was just glad he wasn’t a snob about phones. Hopefully he could make this all pretty quick. “How are you doing? How is the sun?”

“It’s doing good.” Seth said stupidly, trying to gather his thoughts. “Sorry, I was at the gym with a friend, still kind of out of it.”   
“No problem. I just wanted to make sure that you were doing ok, you’ve kinda been a ghost, yeah? Did you get my text?”

“N-yeah.” Seth mumbled. He almost lied, but then he remembered, rather unpleasantly, Marek telling him off about having his read-text notifications turned on. He should really shut those off… “What did he say?”

“Well, he said something like how you weren’t giving him back some of his stuff or something, I dunno.” Jimmy paused awkwardly. There was a horrible moment were Seth almost wondered if Marek was in the room, maybe trying to coach Jimmy on what to ask, but there was distinct silence on the other end. Besides, he didn’t _think_ Jimmy would take part in something so contrived.

“I wouldn’t ask but he asked me to ask.” 

Seth’s good mood floundered, kicking and fighting. Cesaro seemed to sense the change in tone and did his best to focus on the road, like he was pretending he couldn’t hear what was happening.

“Well,” Seth began, wetting his lips. “You can tell him my answer hasn’t changed.” 

More silence. 

“Ok well, maybe you want to give him a call?” Jimmy suggested. “He’s been doing better, he really has been, but I think he wants a little more closure is all. Again, not my business, it’s whatever you want to do, but you do owe him that right?”

“We’ve talked plenty.” Seth said coldly. “Look, Jimmy, I’m sorry about all of this, I’m sorry if he’s complaining to you or putting you on the spot. It’s childish. But I’m down here just trying to get on with my life. I’ve been busy. I got fuckin’ heat exhaustion the other day and I’m still adjusting to all of this-“

“Ok man, I get it, just, just think about it ok? You’re down there soakin’ up the sun and all, well, maybe _too_ much sun, but you get me, yeah?”

Seth bit the inside of his cheek. If he didn’t feel so indebted to Jimmy he would have just hung up. 

“Yeah.” He said plainly. “Ok man, I’m with people right now, I gotta go.”

“Talk to you later Seth,” Jimmy said, just slightly patronizingly, and he hung up.

“Bad stuff?” Cesaro mumbled. “We can go get some coffee if you want.”

“No, it’s fine,” Seth said, fidgeting with his phone in his hands. “If you could just get me back to my car that’d be great.”

He just didn’t feel good. A bunch of complicated emotional bullshit dove-tailing into having a long week could be boiled down to just that- not good. Seth wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be doing, didn’t have some cure-all activity he could partake in. The best he could do was play some music and hum along, trying not to think too much.

He thanked Cesaro once they parked, walking to his car, shaky from the strenuous activity. Seth didn’t want to think about going back to his apartment alone, forcing himself to eat some quick, non-filling meal. It was Friday and everyone at work had been eagerly discussing their weekend plans.

“I’m homesick.” Seth said aloud to himself, putting his hand over the air conditioner as his car started. “I want to be at home.”

But then, that wasn’t entirely true. He wasn’t really thinking of his family, their house or Jimmy or Marek, none of them were pulling at his heart strings currently. He missed wearing hoodies and being able to wear his hair down without it frizzing up into a humid mess. There was a pizza place called Smokey’s he would go to a lot on the weekend that had amazing deep dish with little bacon pieces on it. He bet right now, at this very moment, there was a show setting up outside in the parking lot of the mini mall in Moline. A bunch of punk-skater kids would watch bands later in the evening and there would be food trucks parked around it like a wagon caravan. 

He just didn’t want to feel like an outsider, that was all. Iowa was a different kind of warmth.

His pocket buzzed and Seth pulled out his phone. It was a notification, a message from Tommy.

**U busy tonight?**

Hindsight was always 20/20, in retrospect, the smartest thing to do would have been to completely ignore the message. Why would he bother in such a foul mood? What could be gained?

**I got some friends in town n were at a hotel. Wouldn't mind showing u off n buying u a drink ;)**

But anything was better than nothing right? Seth had no plans and begged to be distracted. Free drinks with a stranger with a decent sized dick? Why not? What was the worst thing that could happen? He didn’t answer that question.

**Let me know what you think I’ll give u the address**

**Im game where at** Seth texted back, buckling his seatbelt and driving like a motherfucker to get out of the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2 (of a multi chapter fic, haha)


	15. Deep Trouble [Part : 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth bites off a little more than he can chew. Warning for more more graphic stuff toward the end.

He went home to change, going a complete 180 from how horrible he’d felt after Jimmy called. Tommy texted him the information, the hotel was about twenty minutes away. He decided it was best to drive, he didn’t want to drink much anyway, so he parked in the unloading zone of the apartment complex. Seth hummed eagerly, rummaging through his closet to find one of his best fitting tank tops and a pair of Chubbies (Tyler had really sold them to everyone at work) determined to at least be best dressed. It occurred to him that he might be the youngest guy in the group, but he really had no idea what he was getting into.

**3634 Osceola Ave Quality Inn**

It wasn’t a five star hotel sure, but Seth wasn’t about to judge too harshly. He drove towards downtown, managing to get a little stuck in some stop-and-go traffic upon reaching the split in the highway. The sun was almost set and everyone northbound was clearly out to start their nights, get food and party. There was competition in the exit lane from busses and vans that were ready to head up the strip, Seth was just enjoying the fact he’d been able to get out instead of being inside by his lonesome.

 **Getting close** Seth texted quickly at a stop light, his eyes peeled for a Quality Inn sign of some sort. Osceola avenue had a lot of thick palms that bloomed tall, against the horizon. Within just a couple of seconds, his phone began to ring.

“Hey!” Seth squeaked, his heart was beating fast. “Is there somewhere I should park?”

“Hey,” Tommy’s voice was higher than Seth had imagined, “There is a ramp I think.”

Seth almost got into a fender bender, realizing the hotel and onsite parking was just a quarter block away. 

“What uh, what were you thinking?” Seth asked, heart racing a little fast as he got his car into a spot close to the entrance. “Were your friends here yet?”

“I’m at the bar right now yeah, they’re getting settled right now.”

Seth had done some blind, internet meet ups a couple of times back in Iowa. The range generally was average to disappointing, the really attractive ones always managed to get called off to something else. Tommy was definitely the oldest guy he’d ever tried to meet up with, but that wasn’t necessarily bad. Older guys typically had more money, right? More interesting conversation? A first glance at Tommy and Seth still wasn’t sure what to expect.

“Hey.” Tommy smiled and waved him down from the tiny little hotel bar. Seth smiled back and walked over, his heart racing. He was glad he hadn’t dressed up too much, Tommy was just wearing jeans and a t-shirt. “Was a little afraid you wouldn’t make it.” he admitted, pulling up a seat. “You didn’t have to go too far, nah?”

“No, it was fine.” Seth sat, looking at the sad little bar. It was Friday, so there were a few people crammed in tight. Mostly low-level business folks that looked resigned to being there, a boxing match was playing on the TV. 

“You’re a lifeguard right?” Tommy grinned, he was raking Seth up and down with an excited stare. 

“Yeah, just got off work.” he nodded. 

Tommy was a long haul trucker and a self-described ‘soldier of fortune’. Seth got a beer and listened raptly to his eager telling of how simultaneously exciting and awful it was to haul freight across the country, as well as how easy it was to rack up lots of points for little dive-hotels. 

“I was originally from Iowa.” Seth explained. “I did a little bit of traveling but I only just recently ended up down here.”

“Where in Iowa?” 

“Quad cities.” 

“I’ve been through there a bunch of times.” Tommy looked thoughtful. “Pretty alright place, real low-key. Shit is cheap up there, shit’s cheap down here too I guess but definitely more low-key.”

Seth wasn’t entirely sure what he meant, but smiled and nodded anyway. He liked Tommy, was putting down his guard a little bit now that he was in the man’s presence and he seemed plenty likable. His leg jittered around quite a bit and his eye’s seemed a little twitchy, but Seth just assumed it was because he was excited or nervous.

“You said you didn’t party though?” Tommy asked cautiously, picking at the label of his beer.

“I don’t _not_ party,” Seth explained, tucking a stray hair behind his ear. “I just don’t have anyone to party with.”

“You party in Iowa ever?”

“Well, no,” Seth shrugged. “I just got out of a relationship and we were both home bodies I guess, why?”

“Me and the boys were going to hit it pretty hard tonight, so I was just wondering if you were down.” Tommy shifted a little awkwardly, not quite meeting Seth’s eyes. 

“Well, I drove here.” Seth admitted. “I didn’t really think I would be going too hard.”

“You can always stay here too.” Tommy said sweetly, smiling like a cheshire cat. “I’m good for it, I swear. You’d prolly have your own bed and everything. I know Terry and them hate sharing a room with me so they almost always just get their own.”

“Well,” Seth giggled, “I dunno, we’ll just see, right? I do have some plans tomorrow. so-“

“What time?”

“What?”

“What time do you have plans?”

Seth paused, he’d lied just to have an out, Tommy looked intense for a moment, but then he spotted someone behind Seth’s back and he waved, losing the thread of the conversation. 

“Hey man,” The stranger came in for a hug and Tommy patted the man on the back while Seth just watched, waiting for an introduction.

“This place cool man?” The guy murmured, drawing away. “Business scrubs are everywhere.” 

“Nah it’s fine, you don’t remember the last time we were here?”

“Nah,” The stranger turned, eyes lighting up when he saw Seth. “How the fuck did an ugly sunnvabitch like you get to sit next to this kid?”

“This is Seth,” Tommy introduced, Seth waved, mumbling a tiny hello. The man was much older than Tommy, his hair tied back in a stringy, greasy ponytail, in lieu of a handshake, the man just rubbed Seth’s shoulder, his eyes twinkling.

“This is Terry,” Tommy explained. “You pick up tonight? You got Tina?”

“Yeah, I got some and then Shane said he’d match too. You throwing in?”

“I got the viagra.” Tommy murmured, just loud enough for them to hear. Seth’s eyes widened, he’d always been sort of morbidly curious about dick drugs. He wasn’t positive he wanted to try them tonight, in such company, but he supposed an older guy might need them.

“Were we, uh,” Seth cut in, looking from Terry to Tommy. “Were we going to go out?”

“Nah,” Terry laughed. “Tommy ain’ told you yet? We’re too old for dancin’ an shit. Hell, we could go upstairs now, fuck Shane, we could just get started.”

Tommy drank the rest of his beer quickly but Seth was ambivalent, worried. Who the hell was this Terry dude and what were they supposed to be doing _instead_ of going out? Maybe these guys were into really kinky shit? Seth had never fucked around with any BDSM sex-dungeon stuff. It was something else he was morbidly curious about, but he knew he didn’t want to get spanked by some old man.

“You into some heavy stuff?” Seth asked Tommy quietly on the way to the elevator, he hoped he didn’t come across as rude, he just wanted to know what he was getting into.

“You?” Tommy asked, grinning maniacally. Seth frowned, if he answered wrong, what would happen? The way that both men were looking at him, Seth was worried he was going to be more of a currency. Suddenly, he was trying to remember if Tommy had ever touched his drink. “Hey, don’t worry about it ok?” Tommy said, putting a bold hand on Seth’s back, massaging tenderly. “You can trust me.”

 _Not really_ , Seth thought, now really wishing he hadn’t bothered. One free beer had been great, wonderful, but he didn’t want to fall into something awful. He hadn’t thought to tell any one he was going out. They reached the fourth floor where Tommy’s room was, and just as Seth was considering to demand an answer or fake a phone call, a third man came jogging down the hallway.

“Hey Shane-man,” Terry said happily. Shane was carrying a plastic bag and looked excited, he had intense blue eyes that immediately fell on Seth.

“How are we doing tonight?” Shane chuckled, “Y’all didn’t see Jack on the way up, did you?”

“What? No, why?”

“I accidentally let it slip that we’d be here,” Shane said awkwardly, “I didn’t mean to, it just sort of came out while I was picking up. I swear I didn’t give him no details, but we’re a bunch of pretty obvious fuckers, right?”

“Shane, I’m going to fuck you up if Jack shows up, I swear man.”

“Hey man, it’s not my fault.”

“Shane, how the fuck is it not your fault?” Tommy laughed, sliding his key-card into the door and whipping it open. Seth, thrown by the presence of a third man, followed dumbly, shivering a little in the heavily air conditioned room.

“Well, did _you_ tell anyone what room we were in?” Shane asked, whipping bottles of water out of the plastic bag and tossing them to each of the men. 

“Yeah!” Tommy laughed, “Of course I did!” Shane tossed Seth a water bottle and he fumbled to catch it. “This here’s Seth, he’s my buddy.”

“Good buddy.” Shane remarked. “Seth, I’ll stick you first to be my buddy.”

They all laughed, except for Seth who was completely lost. Nobody seemed to be on a fast track to taking advantage of him, but the moment they all had gotten into the room and the door had shut, all three of the men had gotten much more excited, louder. 

“Here babe,” Tommy said, pulling out a bottle of pills. “I’ll give you a couple, you want a drink or anything?” 

“The water’s fine,” Seth said, squinting at the bottle in Tommy’s hand. It was the Viagra, he accepted a good couple from Tommy’s hand without question, but quickly pocketed them. There was no way he was going to be tricked into fucking any of these people. He needed an out- some way to get out of the room and away, without arousing too much suspicion.

“Yeah, don’t wanna drink too much.” Terry said, pointing a finger at Seth. “You’re new or whatever, no big deal. But if its your first time, you definitely don’t wanna take the edge off.”

Both Terry and Shane produced bags of similar white substances, they both laughed, fingers poking and prodding the plastic, comparing the grade. Seth’s stomach plummeted, but he tried not to show his disapproval. He’d forgotten (for some reason) that drugs were such a big part of hookup culture, he was in Florida, was this shit just commonplace down here?

“Coke?” Seth asked quietly, watching them eagerly dump little mounds from the bags onto hand-mirrors.

“What?” Terry squinted at him, “Do you have any?” 

“Do I have any coke?” Seth looked at all three men who were now staring at him, confused. Tommy capped the pill bottle after handing pills to his friends.

“Oh,” Terry laughed, “Oh no, _this_ isn’t coke, this is Tina, hunny.”

Seth nodded, trying to look nonchalant, sinking down a little further into the bed and whipping out his phone. Tommy looked at him, something almost akin to worry or sympathy in his eyes. Seth went to google, typing in **Tina** knowing he probably wasn’t going to like what he found. Whatever it was, it was an ambiguous white powder that they were all poking at with straws, it couldn’t be great. 

Google came back, unanimously agreed on the fact that **Tina** was a sort of gay-slang for **Crystal Meth**. 

Seth held back his sigh, feeling sick to his stomach. He’d stumbled his way into a meth orgy. 

_Get out, Get out, Escape_ , his mind was screaming. He wondered if he just broke into a run and ran out of the building, would they chase him? That would sort of blow their cover, right? He’d struck out, once the meth came out, all chances to salvage the night were shot. This was officially a bad time. He couldn’t panic, that would blow his cover. 

“I’m going to go get ice.” Seth said quietly, rising up from the bed and walking to the desk were the complimentary ice-bucket was waiting on a tray.

“We don’t need ice.” Terry laughed, “Got all our ice right here.” 

“I want some ice.” Seth almost whispered, his hands were shaking. Tommy looked up at him anxiously. 

“You need anything Seth?” Tommy asked, putting down his meth-utensils to stand up, putting his hands on his shoulders.

“I want ice.” Seth repeated, his eyes downcast. He could feel Tommy’s eyes looking at him. How many times had he done this? Brought young guys back to his room and shot them full of drugs? Seth had heard plenty about parties like this, where they just stayed up for days fucking each other until their dicks scabbed over. 

“Hey, it’s ok.” Tommy said soothingly, “Nobody is going to make you do anything you don’t wanna do. If you don’t wanna do something you don’t have to.” 

Seth’s hands were shaking harder now, he felt like he was going to hyperventilate if he didn’t leave the room soon. Terry’s eyes were now tracking him, trying to figure out what was going on.

“Kid, you’re fine, just-“

A hard, vicious knocking was heard and Seth felt like he might faint. What the hell was he going to do if the police barged in and arrested him for participating in a meth party? How the hell was he going to explain to his family, to his boss, what he was doing? Why the fuck did he do this?

“Open up the fuckin’ door!” Seth heard. It was not the cops, all of them were frozen, “It’s Jack you cocksuckers.”

“Fuckin’ A’.” Terry muttered. He locked eyes with Shane, pointing to his face and then back in a _You’re dead_ sort of gesture. Shane rolled his eyes, sliding the drugs under the bed, thoughtlessly. 

“The fuck you want Jack? I told you I wasn’t fucking with you no more.” Terry barked through the door. Jack just kept pounding on the door angrily. “Stop fuckin’ pounding, you’re going to get us in trouble.”

“Is Spike there?” Jack asked, muffled through the door. 

“Hell no.” 

Tommy didn’t stop rubbing Seth’s shoulder, but was more intently focused on the door, listening.

“Open the fuckin’ door man!” Jack yelled. “Show me you ain’ hiding his shaggy faggot ass in there.” 

“You got your piece?”

Seth was suddenly aware he was holding his breath and let it out in a kind of choked sigh. 

“Just open the door, man.”

Terry grunted and swung the door open suddenly. Seth, dropped the ice-bin and hastened to pick it up again, praying to god he wasn’t going to be shot. 

“You happy?” Terry asked defiantly. Jack looked furious, his eyes bulging out of his head, which was shaved, adorned with a blue bandana. 

“No.” Jack spat. “I was hoping he was here.” 

“Well he’s not, so step the fuck off.” Terry said, chest close to Jack’s. Tommy and Shane looked on dumbly. Jack’s eyes pierced the room, searching for the man in question, his eyes landing on Seth. 

“Who’s this little gay dude?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Tommy mumbled, “Babe, here,” he sighed, pressing the bin into Seth’s chest. “Go get your ice.” 

“Thank you.” Seth mouthed, slowly inching to the door, Tommy looked upset, but understanding. Seth couldn’t bring himself to look up at Jack but managed to scoot around him and out of the door. 

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Seth cursed, sprinting to the elevator and slamming down about three different buttons before he remembered to breathe. He was sweating profusely, his hair sticking to his forehead as he was forced to press the close-door button on each floor leading down to the lobby. _Goddamn, goddamn…_

He tried to look as casual as possible, fast walking past the hotel desk. Without much thought, he abandoned the bucket at the check-in counter, the clerks were too busy to do much but stare. He ran to his car. His hands were shaking so much it was difficult to put the key in the ignition. 

Seth couldn’t honestly remember getting out of downtown or getting on the highway until he relaxed his knuckles on the steering wheel, sniffed loudly and turned on the radio. Without warning, without preparation, Gloria Gaynor’s _I Will Survive_ came blasting out from some classic station and Seth cackled, caught in the moment, laughing his ass off. That was, until he was crying, tears leaking out of his eyes as he fought sobs wracking his chest. What the fuck was happening? What was his life? 

It was all a lot to process while driving on the highway, but he couldn’t help it. Seth wiped his eyes on his wrist, sniffing hard, but he still couldn’t stop the onslaught of emotion bursting through the seams. He was all alone, all alone in a different state with nobody to go home to, no one to hold him. He’d fucked up and done Marek wrong and even though he’d moved on, or moved away at the very least, he had no comfort. There was no one in Florida that he wanted to call, nobody he wanted to bother. Seth was physically safe, he could get home just fine, he just didn’t want to go home. 

Before going in, he just sat in the car, trying to pull himself together with the little pull down mirror and push-light on the roof column. He retied his hair, he blew his nose. 

At some point Tommy had texted him: 

**That creepy guy is gone!!! You can come back now if you want :)**

Seth blocked and deleted his contact information, without much hesitation, he deleted his profile on grinder and took the app off his phone. 

“I’m never having sex again,” Seth said meekly to himself, flinching at his own weak, croaky voice. “I’m gunna be a monk.” 

He knew it wasn’t true, saying it amused himself though. He sniffed loudly, one last time, before emerging into the stuffy, humid night-time air, making his way for the front door of the complex. There wasn’t any more energy left in him to cry, but Seth lay in bed, unable to sleep, thinking reckless thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so sorry if you were in a good mood and I ruined it. I wanted to actually post this as one big chapter with the next, significantly more upbeat chapter so that way it wasn't a huge bummer... but then this turned into a huge thing and I figured I should post something. School has def kicked up tho so I appreciate how patient y'all are on this.  
> Still kinda takin' requests on anything you want to see or want me to touch on. I only plan out like two or three chapters at a time. Hit that review button!!!


	16. Broken Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth tries his hand at teaching swim lessons and finally steps foot in the White Water Spa!

Seth woke up late, letting the sun rise and stir him into the day slowly. The events from the previous night had him so emotionally drained he didn’t care to do much but curl up in his blanket, unperturbed. When his stomach started grumbling and he was feeling a little restless and bored, he got up, went to the bathroom and took inventory of himself.

 _You’re fine_ , he kept telling himself, and he honestly felt it. Without brooding too much on the horrible incident, crying had felt good. The whole week had been an ass-kicker, but maybe he was just sort of due for one. Getting a good sleep helped a lot, and from looking in the mirror, he looked much better. His hair was in a bunch of sleepy knots and his beard needed a trim, but the grayish tinge that had been hanging on his skin since the hospital seemed to be lifted. Today, he could think clearly, unburdened by anxiety and lifeguard languor. 

Seth checked his phone while he ate his cereal and was surprised to find messages from Dean.

**u busy today we need help with lessons n if u wanna do it i think i can get u out of th park this week**

**u would get paid lg pay but hunter said hed give u another hour pay becuz we need people also next week will suck in the park so u should do it**

And then a third text, just a little after he woke up.

**just a thought let me kno**

Seth really had nothing better to do. What would be the hurt in getting a little extra money? He definitely wasn’t opposed to working inside next week. The park was, well, more or less what everyone had warned him about. If he could get out of it, all the better. Would he be shadowing Dean? Did it really matter?

**I’m game, when u want me to come in?**

Enough time had passed between Hunter’s birthday and the present, most of the butterflies he felt around Dean had gone. This was business anyhow.

**asap**

White Water was a hub of activity on the weekends and Seth was glad they’d neglected to schedule him. The park was a riot, the lap pool and P-pool both had programming scheduled, so all sorts of people were coming and going. It was a struggle to find parking, but once Seth got settled and made his way inside, it was hard to make conversation with any of the employees because they were all so occupied.

“Last time I saw Dean he was actually in Hunter’s office,” Sami said, handing a woman a huge stack of towels. “Scheduling stuff or something, I dunno.”

Seth went to Hunter’s office off of the lap pool, half of the management staff seemed to be crammed inside. Stephanie was out for the weekend, but Hunter, Randy, Dean, Dolph, Nikki and another large guy Seth hadn’t seen before were all leaning up against the wrapping desk, talking.

“Hey Seth,” Hunter said, the little circle opened up, Dean nodded to him. “Thanks for popping in on such short notice.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem.” Seth said, looking around the circle. “Did you want me to clock in?”

“In a sec,” Hunter said, kicking a rubbermaid bin in his direction, gesturing for him to sit on it. “I just wanted to make sure- you said you wanted to do some swim lesson stuff, right?”

“Yeah, for sure.” Seth said, looking at Dean, who smirked. 

“Great, because I think what we’re going to have to do is trade you out of the park for a few days and have you teaching a couple classes in the evenings. Tyson’s going to be out for awhile, he messed up his neck and won’t be able to teach or guard.” Hunter flipped through his clipboard, sighing. “We need to hire more people.”

“We’ve _needed_ to hire more people.” Nikki said dully.  
“Fall’s going to be… interesting.” Hunter had a faraway look in his eye. “Not to complain or anything, but I’ll be on the stand quite a bit next week so hopefully we won’t have to shut down a slide in the park or anything.”

“But, isn’t there going to be more guards since the park is closing?” Seth asked, bewildered. Randy laughed.

“I’m stepping down to do Swim Team with John,” Nikki pointed to the man next to her, “Cesaro’s taking a week to go to some PT conference, some folks are going back to school.” She counted off on her fingers.

“We’re getting Bo.” Randy laughed. “Bo is like, the only person coming back inside.”

“Good ol’ Bo.” Hunter shrugged. “But yeah, really we’re hurting for lessons just because of the shuffle.”

“Well, I’m fine to work more hours,” Seth said, looking around the circle. “I’m not burned out or nothing, I can help.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Hunter said, “We’ll worry about it more after the park closes. I’m just going to focus on getting through this week. Dean’ll show you the whole deal.”

“Yeah lets get the hell out of here, I’m getting claustrophobic.” Dean motioned to the door and Seth waved to everyone, slinging his bag back over his shoulder.

“Is everything ok?” Seth asked, watching Hunter’s exasperated face through the glass as they made their way to the backroom.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine it always is. Here.” He pressed a rash guard into Seth’s hands. “All we got is small, you think you can stuff yourself into this?” 

“Oh hell I guess.” Seth laughed, unfolding the shirt. It was the same as Dean’s, blue with big white lettering on the back that read **WHITE WATER SWIM INSTRUCTOR**

He felt a little like a sausage, the seams were bowing out on the sides but Seth was excited. He’d been wanting to dip his feet into teaching for awhile and now he was getting his opportunity. The shirt just sealed the deal. Surveying himself in the men’s locker room mirror in too-small clothes, he realized what a month’s worth of Crossfit was doing to his body and he liked it. His chest was a little beefier, his arms thicker, the muscles in his thigh had taken such a beating doing so many squats, but had swollen up into something very flattering. 

“You excited?” Dean laughed, watching Seth tie his hair up on top of his head with a big grin on his face. 

“A little, I guess,” he admitted. 

P-pool was transitioning into it’s scheduled lesson block and kids were slowly leaving the pool as their parents came in to gather them. Brie and Paige were guarding, and Seth spotted Roman in the shallow end, taking up a corner to himself and a little boy. He was wearing the same rash guard as Dean, so Seth supposed he was teaching.

“Is he doing a private lesson?” Seth asked, pointing over to Roman.

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Dean dropped a bunch of water equipment in the gutter, standing up straight. “Yeah that’s little JJ, he’s got some autism thing or somethin’. Not diagnosed, but Roman does a kind of blended class with him. You’ve probably seen his dad around in the lap pool, he’s here a lot.”

“Hmm,” Seth watched Roman swim with the little boy, holding him close and miming paddling with his hands. Neither of them were talking, just sort of swimming, moving in tandem.

“Anyways,” Dean sat down by the edge of the pool and Seth did the same, watching him flick through a very soggy sheet of paper strapped into a clipboard. “We got about three hours of lessons today, weekends are always nuts, everyone’s in the damn pool. But you’ll be shadowing me, an’” he squinted, looking down the list. “Roman, probably. But you’ll just wanna watch ’n see what all is going on. None of the big classes are with real little kids so they should all be pretty well behaved and down to be in the water. Mostly you’ll just do whatever the instructor is doing, I mean, you’re a swimmer, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Seth said, restraining a scoff. 

“Yeah, so a lot of this stuff is pretty obvious.” Dean said, tossing the clipboard down on the deck. “But with these classes with older kids, they’re more focused on form, so you can give ‘em little tips for wherever they’re at.”

They both got into the water and Dean took some time explaining the layout of the pool in relation to times that swim lessons took over. For some classes, the students rotated through different areas, practicing certain skills in the deep end. 

“You don’t wanna have more than six kids in a class without an assistant or something.” Dean explained, showing him the rosters for the classes for that day. “It’s just unsafe, sometimes you get kids that will take up your whole attention cause they’re scared or whatever, and then you aren’t watching when kids let go of the wall or are swimming around doing stuff they ain’ supposed to.”

He went through the different pieces of equipment they’d be using throughout the class as well.

“I fuckin’ hate these things.” Dean griped, Seth laughed as Dean struggled with one of the flotation belts. “They’re junk, that’s why I just ordered new ones, you see these straps? They’re so old.”

Roman came by with JJ, swimming toward the wall. His hair was done up like Seth’s with a high bun, he dipped his beard in the water, looking at JJ, trying to get him to blow bubbles.

“I’m gunna go to the spa for a minute and hot tub when I’m done, I’m freezing right now.” Roman muttered to Dean, making sure JJ caught the wall. 

“It is a little cold today,” Dean agreed. “First thing is that Sea Turtle class that half the mom’s don’t even show up to, I don’t care.”

Roman grunted, helping JJ get out of the pool as his father came walking down the deck, engaging him in conversation.

“Right-o.” Dean slid onto the deck. “It’s worth mentioning too, they probably do something similar to this in lifeguard training, but you gotta make sure you know the whole good-touch bad-touch thing with puttin’ your hands on kids in the pool.”

“They don’t even call it that anymore,” Seth laughed, but nodded, Dean just rolled his eyes.

“You know what I mean though,” Dean came closer, smirking. “Most of the time you wanna make sure you only wanna grab right here or so.” He ghosted his hands around the area under Seth’s armpits, wiggling his fingers.

“Oh yeah?” Seth laughed, turning a little pink. He shoved Dean back playfully, tipping him down and underwater for a moment. Dean splashed him and in no time they were laughing and running around the shallow-end like idiots. Seth swam underwater, trying to duck away but Dean followed him. 

“For real you guys?” Brie laughed, Seth came up right under the only lane line in the pool and he choked on water for a moment, trying to free a tangle of his hair from the snagged plastic. Dean roared, taking the opportunity to splash him right in the face. Without much warning, Roman cannonballed in right next to them and they both screamed, effectively soaked.

“B-bh you-b were gone!” Seth spat, trying to distance himself from both of them as Roman gave Dean a look and they advanced on him. Seth screamed and Roman pulled him out by a foot from the other side of the lane, hoisted him up out of the water and threw him back down in a huge splash.

“Guys! Be careful!” Brie scolded, nodding her head at the swarm of families coming out of the locker room, ready for swim lessons. Some of the kids laughed, watching. Seth shook his head like a wet dog, his hair had come out of it’s knot.

“My bad,” Roman mumbled, ruffling both of their heads. “You’re starting trout by the ramp, right?” 

“Mm-yeah.” Dean swept his bangs out of his eyes. “Go warm up, I’ll let ‘em know where you’re at if they show.”

Dean’s class had eight kids, five of which showed up on time. It was later in the session so all of them knew the drill, excitedly tossing their towels to their parents and fast-walking up to Dean’s section of the pool.

“Mister Dean! I want to play the race game again!” One of the first little boys said excitedly, sitting down in the gutter, tugging his goggles over his head.

“‘m’ll do it if we got time at the end.” Dean mumbled, helping the boy with his goggles. “This is Mister Seth,” Dean looked aside to Seth, “Steph makes us say Mister and Miss, it’s weird and I don’t know why and I don’t like it.”

Once the rest of the class showed up, Dean had all of the children introduce themselves quickly and say their favorite sea animal. They all were about seven or eight, likely participating in the swim lessons all the way up from the baby class.

“And this is Mister Seth guys,” Dean explained, a little more loudly and sing-song then he would normally talk. “He’s a mermaid or somethin’ that’s why his hair is like that.”

Seth blushed, waving awkwardly as the kids stared.

“Wha is your favorite sea-nimal Mister Seth?” Lola, the oldest girl asked.

“Uh,” Seth stroked his beard thoughtfully. “A… Sea Lion?”

Dean had the class work on pushing off from the wall and an elementary streamline first. Seth watched as Dean demonstrated exactly what he was looking for the students to do, but he also looked on as Kofi and Roman came onto the pool deck and got their classes started. Kofi looked like he was teaching just a couple levels under competitive swimming, all of his students looked like they were in middle school. But Seth became fully distracted watching Roman clear out the pit area to start a parent-child class. 

“Alright!” Roman said in an overly enthusiastic voice. “Are we all ready? The first thing we want to do is just get used to the water!” 

He happily helped one of the mothers by grabbing her baby so she could use the stairs to get in the pool. 

“Just like me and little Jamie are doing, this is just a nice hold where I’m holding her like this, see? If I have my hand right here, she can see the water!”

“Are we ready?” Dean said to the class, looking to Seth. Seth snapped his attention back, trying not to think about how adorable Roman looked holding babies. 

They worked from the outside in, with both Dean and Seth simultaneously helping the students with their streamlines.

“Really good,” Seth said happily, tapping Jamal on the top of his head after he’d gone several yards. “Just make sure you keep your hands up the whole time, like you’re making a point.”

“This is going to help you guys go faster yeah?” Dean addressed the class, holding his hands up and making the streamline position. “You’re like a knife cutting through… butter… or somethin’, just keep your hands up so you glide longer.”

They moved over to the deeper end and worked on a couple of skills for different strokes. They hadn’t really started doing whip kicks, so Dean and Seth did a modified version of a side stroke and breast with flutter kicks. 

“When you’re using your arms,” Seth pulled Lola aside, “You do this.” He slapped the water hard, mimicking the action he’s watched her doing on her back. “Try doing this instead, keep your arm really close to your ear and pull the water.”

Lola went back to the wall and tried again, following Seth’s words, she elegantly curled her arms, making much less splashes.

“That’s so good!” Seth said excitedly, Lola giggled and Seth’s heart did an excited little flip. “Excellent! Do that all the time!”

They wrapped up by doing a relay race game in the shallow end, without any hesitation, both teams of four were fighting over Seth. 

“We want Mister Seth bee-because b-he can swim really really fast!” Raleigh yelled, splashing the water. Seth cackled, Dean folded his arms.

“I’m failing all of you right now,” Dean barked. “You all think Seth is faster than me?”

“B-yeah!” Almost all the children laughed, bouncing up on the side of the deck. Seth raised his hands up in mock celebration.

“Mister Dean you said he was a mermaid!” 

“Merman!” Seth corrected.

“You’re all going back to turtle class.” Dean threatened. “Seth will referee, get in your lines and make sure you don’t drop the rings, got it?”

Teaching turned out to be a lot of fun. Seth supposed it was probably a lot harder when you had unwilling participants. But, at least with the older kids that seemed to spend all of their time there, they were very happy and excited to learn new things. At the end of the class, the parents came over to swaddle their children in towels and Dean went through the skill sheets for each child, checking off a couple for what they had shown them today and explained what the procedure was for when a student was struggled on a skill. 

“That was really awesome though.” Dean said, wiping wet hair out of his face, Seth could see he was serious. “The more you can get into the class and make the kids like you, the more they’ll listen to you and they won’t be all distracted.”

They went through another session of trout swimmers. This time there was only four and they were considerably less manic then the first group of kids. Seth wasn’t _really_ needed, Dean had all of them listening and following along with the directions. He sat on the wall, mostly reading through the basic literature on Dean’s damp clipboard, a skill check-off list, as well as some information on prices and sessions. Kofi’s second class came by to practice flip-turns, and Roman had another class with small children, but this group was swimming on their own.

“Now we’re going to work on our jumps!” Roman said, patting the deck with his hand, “Lets crawl out on our tummies!”  
Roman had just two girls and a boy in his class, and they watched, shivering a little as he stepped back a little, extending a hand out to help them and motioned for where he wanted them to land.

“B-bI don’t wanna.” the boy shook his head, looking back to where his mom sat watching, her lips curling into a frown. 

“Are you scared? It’s alright!” Roman said, eyes looking soulful and sweet. “You’re just going to hop in and then I’m going to help you grab the wall.”

“I-I don’t wanna!” The boy cried, tears threatening to flow. “b-b-b I don’t b-anna g-get-“

“Do you not want to go underwater?” Roman asked. The boy nodded quickly. “That’s ok! Let’s just jump and I’ll make sure you don’t get your eyes wet.”

The boy agreed with a stern look from mom and Roman pulled him up in time before he could fully submerge. Roman cheered, turning him quickly back to the wall.

“What do we do if we accidentally go under the water though?” he asked, looking at the girls as well, the boy still looked scared.

“Blow bubble.” The little black haired girl said and Roman high-fived her. 

For the last class, Seth rotated to be in Roman’s group, the last lesson of the day. Dean got out to put away the extra equipment.

“We’ll be in the deep end,” Roman mumbled, dropping his ‘happy’ voice once the last of the families from the previous class had left. Seth nodded, easing back into the water and following the bottom of the pool to the other side. They were now competing for space with some open swimmers, but Paige came by to instruct some older boys to give them some room. It was a little weird being the patron and not the guard, Seth thought. 

Roman’s teaching style with the older kids was much more coach-like. The flying fish class was seven kids, mostly girls, each of them grabbed a kick board before sitting down on the deck near where Roman and Seth were treading water.

“This is Mister Seth,” Roman said as Jeff, the last student, sat down. “You were on a swim team, weren’t you?” 

“Yup,” Seth said, “I got some ribbons in my day, are any of you guys planning on doing swimming as a sport?”

A few sluggish hands were raised, Seth shrugged a little.

“Well, you _should_ all do it, cause it’s fun and stuff.”

Older kids were more of a struggle in that they weren’t as easy to fool into having fun. Roman got them warmed up just doing fifty yards of free-choice kicks, but some of the students just glided around aimlessly, determined to do the least amount of work possible.

“Ok guys, for real though,” Roman splashed a couple of girls who were giggling at Seth’s hair. “You all wanted to work on Butterfly, right? We’re going to try and work on our dolphin kicks today.”

Roman admitted he wasn’t amazing at the butterfly stroke, but had all the students watch as he went through the basics of unifying the dolphin kick and the arm movements for pulling the body through the water.

“It’s uh,” Roman panted, “It’s a lot, so we really are just going to do a fifty yards total today. If you don’t think you can do the whole motion, just work on your dolphin kicks with the boards, make it a real put-together motion.”

The kids took off and Roman and Seth paddled lazily after them.

“How you liking it?” Roman asked, Seth nodded, eyes wide.

 “It beats the park for sure,” he laughed. “I didn’t know you taught the parent-child classes!”

Roman sighed, and Seth grinned.

“They’ll make you do ‘em soon, you wait. Dean hates them, that’s why he pawns them off on me.” 

“But you’re so good at it!” Seth exclaimed, locking eyes with Roman. “Seriously, I bet those moms love you more than the old ladies do.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Roman floated on his back. 

The students worked on rotary breathing and flip turns, Seth was a little more invested than Roman, sitting by the wall to give each student a couple tips on turning their body faster to get into a streamline. They were only half listening, more eager to float around and poke each other. At the end of the class, Dean came by the steal Seth while Roman picked up the rest of the gear. 

“So yeah, you’re like, the best.” Dean remarked, “Lets go to the spa, I’m cold.”

They each grabbed towels and flip flops and went to go hot tub, Tyler gave them a silly look as they checked in, but Dean just shook his wet head at him. Seth hadn’t been in the spa area since he’d been hired, following Dean up a short rise of stairs and onto a black tiled floor with a large, inset whirlpool. He hissed as he stepped down, the wonderful warm feeling giving him full-body tingles. 

“Your ponytail break?” Dean asked, Seth flicked his hair over his shoulder.

“I dunno, I think when we were clowning around it just slipped off.” his heart beat a little faster as Dean grunted and pulled his rash guard over his head, shaking out his hair a little bit and exposing his well-cut chest. 

“Well, great job today.” Dean looked at his clipboard. “You’ll have to do the whole certification training to get the pay bump, but part of the cert is that you need to complete shadowing hours, so this’ll all count toward that, then you’ll be getting a little pay boost once you take the quiz.”

“Mmkay.” Seth said, folding his legs up to his chest. He felt a little shy, but he wasn't _too_ nervous. The day had gone so well and despite his initial little apprehensions about Dean and having such a shit night, he was really glad he’d left the house and come to White Water. Sitting in the hot tub after having such a positive experience was invigorating him. Plus, Dean was a good teacher…

“You cool with teaching in the evenings instead of doing the whole park thing next week?” Dean asked, raising his eye brows expectantly. 

“For sure,” Seth said, “I feel good about it, if I could just maybe get a copy of that sheet with all the skills on it, I’ll read through so I know what I’m doing.”

“Sure, and I won’t put you into anything hard.” Dean nodded. “I’ll be here the whole time too so I can help. It’s pretty simple stuff though.”

“Great,” Seth said, sinking a little lower, the jet felt amazing on his back.

“You uh, you been doing alright?” Dean asked awkwardly. “After the whole hospital thing, Roman said you were pretty out of it.”

“Oh yeah, no, I’m 100 percent again.” 

“Oh. Good.”

They sat, the echoing noise of the jets bubbling hard against their bodies. It was awkward, Seth closed his eyes, unapologetically trying to pretend he was the only one there, Dean shifted, sighing.

“I uh, I’m sorry if I came off a little strong that night.” Dean mumbled, tugging at his hair anxiously, Seth snapped his eyes open, sinking down to his nose in the water. “It’s kind of a shitty thing to do when someone’s drunk and all-“

“B-b-oh, no.” Seth said. “No, man, hey, I was into it.”

“Still though-“

“No,” Seth said sternly, turning to face him. “No, bro, I’m sorry if I came off like I wasn’t into it after and all. I just, I dunno, I’m a little concerned about-“ he struggled with the words, Dean’s eyes were wide. “Professionalism? In the work place?”

“Oh,” Dean snorted. “That.”

“Yeah.” Seth blushed, it was hard to figure out exactly what his argument was while he was there, staring at the man. Dean had really nice shoulders, a chest that made him want to splay his hands all over it…

“Well,” Dean shrugged. “I guess that’s a good reason.” 

“Yeah?” Seth scoffed, a little thrown by the thinly veiled sarcasm in his voice.

“Nah, I mean,” Dean scratched his head. “I don’t wanna sound like I’m saying this to like, excuse what… what _we_ did, but everybody around here is in everyone’s pants. It’s just funny is all.”

“So I’ve heard.” Seth muttered.

“Right, so,” Dean raised an eyebrow. “Right.”

“Look,” Seth sat up straight, folding his legs and putting his hands in his lap. “It’s not you or anything, believe me. I don’t want to make you feel weird or anything, you’re great! I’m really happy you wanted to pull me into teaching, cause, seriously, I don’t care much for the park. Plus, well, you’re-“ Seth bit his lip, faltering, he gestured uselessly at Dean, not quiet meeting his eye.

“What,” Dean laughed.

Seth rolled his eyes, blushing hard.

“You are such a damn slut, Rollins,” Dean sniggered.

“No I’m not!” Seth said defensively, splashing Dean, who was belly-laughing, splashing him back.

“Ok, you’re not, you are, but you’re not, you know?”

“Shut up.” Seth pouted. 

“Hey, man,” Dean did a quick check to make sure nobody was looking, he pulled himself closer to Seth, his chest butting up against his arm just a little. “I’m not the kinda guy that’s really all about bothering ya’ and checkin’ up on ya and… remembering stuff. I don’t take like, anything that serious.”

Seth reluctantly looked up in Dean’s eyes, trying to ignore how nice if felt to have him draped up against his frame.

“You seem like the type of guy that takes things pretty seriously though, correct me if I’m wrong.”

“Where are you going with this?” Seth mumbled. 

“Where I’m going with this is…” Dean squinted. “Where am I going with this? Where I’m going with this is that, this doesn’t have to be a big deal. We’re all adults here, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Seth sniffed, Dean was edging just a little closer with each exhale of breath, like he was finding ways to fill in gaps, push away the water between them.

“Yeah, so,” Dean smiled, “You had fun that night, right?”

Seth’s heart beat fast, he blinked, fear and excitement fighting within him in equal measure.  
“Yeah,” he breathed, “Yeah I had fun.”   “Right,” Dean said, “And I’m-“ he gestured lamely as Seth had done moments ago, Seth threw his head back on Dean’s arm, exasperated. “I’m me. And well, you’re a pretty sweet piece yourself.”

“You’re-“ Seth laughed, “You’re really bad at this.”

“You have, a great ass.” Dean mumbled, tickling a little under Seth’s arm. He jolted from the feeling, but Dean grabbed him and pulled him closer, stealing a kiss from his mouth. 

Seth didn’t stop it, the wonderful warmth of the hot tub and Dean’s roving hand had him stuck on the spot. His heart was beating furiously and he was trembling a little, but he kissed back, longing for touch.

It wasn’t until the jets suddenly turned off that Dean jerked back, grinning. Seth just sat, dick throbbing dully, panting a little. 

“Well,” Dean rose to his feet, looking around the corner to make sure they were still alone, he looked back at Seth. “You got my number man, make this easy on yourself, yeah?” He drummed his fingers on the tile wall. “They got some rule about fuckin’ in this thing, I’m sure.”

Seth snorted, rubbing his eyes. He felt a little dizzy, overwhelmed.

“I’ve been in and outta the pool all day, I gotta get.” Dean said plainly. “Don’t be a stranger now.”

“Mm-ok.” Seth said weakly, Dean winked, turning the jets back on for Seth on his way out. Which was a good thing, he needed to sit and stay and wait for his dick to go soft again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't just update with two sad chapters! All of you were very sweet with your reviews. I hope this feels a little better. I'm going to shoot for doing a chapter a week.


	17. Rubber Ducky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A whole month in Florida and Seth's over the moon about it. Gratuitous amounts of rubber ducks.

The new week marked a month of Seth’s resettlement in Orlando and he could hardly believe it, it had just gone by so fast. 

He was feeling considerably better since the “Tommy” incident, far less damning of his relocation. It seemed that he had just hit a rough patch and once he got a good cry out, he felt a lot better. It helped of course that he wasn’t nearly as drained working the park, teaching was something that came fairly naturally. The only real drawback of working the new shifts was that he was working much later in the day.

“We should workout in the afternoon.” Cesaro offered. “I get off at noon, we could go hit the box. I’ve got so much training to do before I go to Chicago.”

Cesaro was leaving on Friday, right before the big park-closing party to go to some personal trainer’s conference in Illinois. He was planning to train hours past what Seth would be capable of, but he tagged along anyway. It was just enough time to get an insane workout in, eat a good meal, and shower before going to work.

“Let’s do it!” Seth grinned, “I think I’m ready to put the clean and jerk together with some weight. You’ll need to spot me for form.”

Seth dragged himself out of bed and got in a full breakfast before meeting Cesaro. They’d go through the class, collapse on the floor for awhile until they caught their breath, and then Seth did a few form related skills with weights. Cesaro helped, coaching him on little things he noticed about his form, and encouraging him where he struggled.

“You think a lot about stuff.” Cesaro observed, chuckling a little as Seth lay supine on the floor, breathing hard again and staring at the ceiling. He’d been working step-by-step on a power snatch with an empty bar.

“Yeah?” Seth panted, sitting up and dusting off his hands. 

“You make a face.” Cesaro squinted, sucking in his lips. “Like you are taking a shit or something.”

Seth laughed, not quite meeting his eye. It wasn’t really news to him, it was just how his brain worked. The olympic lifts he was practicing still required a lot of thought, a lot of checking to make sure he was doing the right thing at the right time, to make sure he was situated in space correctly. He wasn’t sure when it would come natural, but knew he needed to be safe, so maybe he was holding himself back?

This was sort of the case for everything in his life right now. He’d been in Florida for a month, everything was unpacked and more or less settled, but there was still some tentativeness. 

Seth had dated Marek for a really long time, it was really the only serious boyfriend he’d ever had since he’d come out of the closet. Even though his options were varied, seemingly infinite, he found that he was still rather shy.

“I thought, hell, we should probably order in some new shirts, but you look so damn good stuffed into that I can’t imagine why I’d wanna.” Dean joked when he spotted Seth in the back room, gathering belts for his class. Seth just blushed, looking at the ground while Dean leaned in the door way, sucking on a soda cup from McDonalds. “…Don’t worry though… I did…”

He walked away and Seth felt stupid. Dean wasn’t flirting with him in front of anyone, assuring Seth didn’t feel alienated by un-professionalism. So why couldn’t he stop turning pink and mumbling every time Dean made a smart comment?  
He couldn’t decide what made him more nervous, Dean’s minor flirtations or Roman’s annoying little smirk any time Seth lingered by Dean a moment longer than it took him to ask a question about lessons.

“What?” Seth snapped back after Dean had made his way into the office, well out of ear shot. Roman had been snickering, probably meeting eyes with Dean over Seth’s shoulder. He just shrugged and Seth splashed him half heartedly. It was nice that Roman had softened up to him a bit, but now it seemed that his go-to activity when he was bored was pushing Seth’s buttons.

Dean helped him through teaching two Starfish classes each night. The first few days Dean combined their classes together, giving him a better idea of the structure and flow of the lesson. However, it was difficult to hold the attention of a big bunch of six year olds, so once Seth felt confident, they split up and he took the reigns.

“Alright!” Seth always had to remember to speak up and vary his voice a little. “What color noodle do we want?”

He spent the majority of the time trying to get the boys and girls to combine arm and leg movements, preparing them for learning a stroke later on. The hardest part of the whole thing was making sure the kids were paying attention and putting some effort into what they were doing.

“Mmkay-“ Seth sighed, leaning down so his beard was dipping into the pool and looking at Maddie, the oldest girl in his class. Her mom obviously had to drag her there each week, she never wanted to look him in the eye. “I can’t move your noodle for you! You’re gunna have to kick and use your swimming arms.”

Maddie just huffed, rolling her eyes a little, she kicked lazily and paddled with short arms.

“Much better!” Seth said, trying not to sound too sarcastic, he pushed her noodle along behind her so she met the wall faster. 

It was also hard just balancing all of the classes being in the pool at the same time. Weekday evenings, there was even more classes than the weekends. Dean taught opposite him in the shallow, keeping an eye on him. Roman, Kofi, Nikki and E were all leading groups in the lap lanes and the deep end, trying not to bump into each other.

Hunter had made good on his offer to guard if the need arose, sitting on the stand and scanning through all the groups at regular intervals. Consciously or not, Seth was trying really hard to appear knowledgable and impressive.

“I can’t go in the deep!” Edi squeaked, just as Seth had started to explain what they were going to do next.

“Why not!” Seth smiled at her. “We’re not even going in the really deep part, just on the other side of the lifeguard chair.”

Edi just screwed up her face and shook her head, Seth had to stop himself from making a slightly exasperated noise.

“I c-n’t do it where I can’ touch.” Edi murmured. 

“Well,” Seth bit his lip, “Lets just go over there and we’ll see? You might be scared but you’ll see that it’s all ok.”

Edi just followed the other students mutely, the group was weirdly quiet. Dean was still cycling his kids away from the spot Seth was planning to use, picking up his students and chucking them back into the shallow end, they were all laughing.

“Heyyyyy Eeeeeeediiiiiiii,” Dean jeered goofily as Seth’s group came closer. “Baby girl, I know you’ll jump for me. You can’t just tell Mister Seth you can’t!”

Edi blushed and wouldn’t look at either of them, Dean winked at Seth before following the wake of his students.

Sure enough, Edi and all of the other students finished their class with their jumps, successfully turning underwater and coming back to grab the wall.

“Excellent!” Seth said happily. “Great job everyone.”

“I wanna go again!” Armand yelled, tugging his goggles back over his face.

“Uh-ok.” Seth laughed, a couple of parents had started to stroll over, waiting with siblings and towels. Armand grinned and swung his arms preparing before jumping as far as he could, nearly kicking Seth in the head. “No karate stuff ya’ dork!” He said, spitting a little water out of his mouth as Armand laughed and paddled to the wall.

“You are doing a great job, Seth,” Hunter mumbled as he got out of the pool, dripping water all over the gutter.

“Oh, hey, thanks!” Seth pulled a hair back out of his face, smiling. Randy came out from the office, carrying the swim lesson master-list. 

“You think you can close the pool on Saturday?” he asked gruffly, scratching at the white deck-manager polo he was wearing, contrasting strangely with his tattoos. “We got a lot of holes we gotta fill, you hadn’t worked a weekend yet so-“

“I worked a little this last one.” Seth corrected. “But yeah, no, It’s no problem.”

Randy nodded, jotting something down on the clipboard while Hunter nodded approvingly. Maybe he was a little bit of a suck up, but then, if he could help out, why not? Besides, if it meant he could ask a few favors later, he might as well.

“Randy you got that list?” Roman pulled himself out of the pool, dripping even more water all over the deck. 

“Nah, Steph’s got it in the office.”

“You cool for a sec?” Roman asked, looking to Seth. He nodded, the last lesson of the night, Seth stuck around to shadow Roman’s Pike class. “They’re going to be coming in right by the ramp.”

He popped into the office, grabbing his black beach towel that hung off the pull bar of the door, through the glass, a couple people could be seen sitting and talking. Seth wouldn’t have paid it any mind, but he could make out through the glare of the lights, Roman faltering, looking confused. 

Without trying to appear too obvious, Seth walked toward the office casually, making to grab his own towel. There was still a few minutes before the next class started and he was going to make a big stink if Roman was just going to go chat up Dean. After all, he’d made fun of Seth for doing the exact same thing. As he drew closer however, he realized that Stephanie was talking to Daniel, sitting low in his seat. The conversation seemed… somber.

_Nope! Fuck that!_ Seth thought, immediately turning on his heel and striding away from the office, toward the ramp where one family had already arrived. As interested as he might be in the inter-personal relationships of his pool mates, he didn’t want to _look_ interested, at all. The last time he’d asked questions he’d seen some god-awful video of a drowned child, he wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

“I’m sorry,” Seth said, flicking his wrist to make sure it wasn’t wet anymore, approaching the family, “I’m shadowing this next class and I don’t have the roster.”

“Oh-“ The mother looked a little grey faced, looking to her daughter. “But, but Roman is teaching, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Seth licked his lips, the way she sounded, it was almost like she was afraid. _What, I didn’t look qualified?_ “He’s grabbing the class list right now, but what was your name?” Seth crouched a little lower, looking at her daughter sweetly.

The little girl didn’t answer, looking up at Seth with the same sort of anxious expression her mother was wearing. 

“This is Holly-Anne.” 

Roman came out of the office looking uncharacteristically gaunt and empty, but smiled a little as he saw Holly-Anne and her family. 

“Hey Maggie,” Roman said quietly. “We’ve just got a couple other kids today, one of them uh, called in sick.” 

The woman ignored Seth, looking up at Roman warmly. Knowing he was superfluous anyway, Seth just stepped back to let the two talk, sliding into the pool again. He winced at the cold, having just dried off and warmed up. 

“You want to dip those feet in?” Seth smiled, looking at Holly, she seemed determined to ignore Seth however, clinging to her mother’s dress pants and swinging back and forth.

When the rest of the class arrived, just two other boys, he drew back to murmur to Seth.

“So, Holly just kind of sits on the ramp most of the time, she’s got to adjust to the water and she’s really scared, so if you just want to sit with her and entertain her for a bit, it might be the best use of our time.”

“She uh-“ Seth gave Holly a quick sidelong glance, she had already parked herself right at the top of the ramp, just sitting with her toes pointed out. “Like, special?”

“She isn’t special needs, no.” Roman bit his lip, “I’ll tell you later, it’s complicated.”

Seth half nodded, looking back at Holly. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do for forty five minutes with a little girl. Roman had already begun putting flotation belts on the boys so Seth just went ahead and grabbed a handful of toys out of the bin, and swam up the ramp on his belly, smiling.

“Do you have a favorite toy?” Seth asked quietly. “I got a whole bunch here!”

Holly looked up at him, swinging her feet around a little and wringing her hands.

“I don- wan swim.” She said plainly. 

“No?” Seth fanned the assortment of rubber ducks out, letting them float around. “That’s ok, I don’t really wanna swim either, I’ve been in the pool all night. Why don’t you wanna swim?”

Holly just grabbed one of the ducks that came up to her feet, poking at it. The whole time, she didn’t want to look at Seth at all, but it wasn’t as though she was really bashful. She seemed strangely wise beyond her years, unwilling to answer questions that weren’t immediately important.  
Seth watched Roman for a moment, peering between the railing of the ramp. Roman was having them pour cups of water on their heads to get them used to the temperature. One of the boys poured water on Roman’s chest, giggling.

“Do you ever swim?” Seth tried, talking a little more casually, quieter. He knew some kids got a little tired of being ‘babied’. Holly just shrugged, leaning over to grab another duck.

“Doctor Duck,” She smiled, holding out the duck she had grabbed. Even though most of the paint had faded, Seth could make out the iconic doctors garb that had been printed on it. 

“And what’s that other one?” Seth pointed at the other one in her hand and she held it up. 

“Space Duck.” She muttered, showing him an astronaut ducky. 

Many of the ducks had floated around and so Seth encouraged her to walk down the ramp and collect all the ducks, he sat cross legged, letting her bring them back to him. He smiled as she went deeper and deeper, hastening to grab the ducks that had fanned out away from the ramp, giggling excitedly. 

“Reg-lar duck,” She laughed, squeezing all the water out of it with her hands.

“How many ducks do we have.” Seth asked. “We’re missing some.”

“They swam” 

“Well,” Seth hummed, Holly poked her head around the railing, reaching in vain for a duck that had made it’s way toward the middle of the pool. “What should we do? I think the ducks need to stay together.”

Holly made a sad face again and looked downcast, clearly not wanting to follow Seth’s train of thought, he sat with her for a moment, watching her trace the grout line of the tile with her little hand.

“How about,” he offered, setting one of the ducks in her lap. “How about I go get that duck-“ he pointed to a duck that had made it’s way very far out, bumping up against the lap lane. “And then we can go get _that_ duck together.”

Holly didn’t say anything, but Seth handed her all the ducks they’d collected and pushed his way down the ramp again like a seal, holding his breath to swim the length of the pool to where the little toy had been pushed. Holly stood up to watch him surface and grab the duck and she grinned when he returned, offering her the duck.

“Here,” Seth said, pulling his hair to the front so it wasn’t clinging to his shirt. “You can hold onto my back, it’ll be fine.”

“I don’t-“ Holly briefly met his eyes and then began wringing her hands again. “I don’t wanna go underwater.”

“No, no, you won’t” Seth assured her, “I will, but you won’t. We’ll just go grab the duck and then we’ll go back, ok?” 

Tentatively, Holly walked down the ramp and put her small hands on the fabric of Seth’s rash guard. It was a little strange, to be encouraging a child to touch him, but Seth knew that Roman’d flag him down if he was going out of line. He was watching Seth out of the corner of his eye and he seemed to approve. 

“Whoa ok, that’s my throat,” Seth coughed, easing her hands to grasp onto his shoulders. Her legs hiked up his sides and he felt like a koala bear or a sloth or some weird marsupial. “Alright, let’s go get 'em.”

He submerged just deep enough for Holly to simulate the depth of swimming, he could feel her trembling just a little bit, but it was good, it was important to push just enough for kids to face their fears and realize they were safe. Seth wondered if maybe Holly had just never attended swim lessons before or was just pathologically fearful. 

“Grab it!” Seth urged her, coming up for air. “Save the duck!”   Holly clung closer to him, one arm holding onto his shoulder tight enough to bruise while the other arm shook, reaching out wildly. A few tries in and Holly grabbed the duck, almost instantly, Roman came up to her side with both of the boys and was clapping.

“Great job Holly! That was so good!”

Holly’s mom came flying down the deck, phone in hand taking video excitedly, tears threatening to pour down her face.

“Good girl! Oh Holly you’re such a good girl! Look at you go!”

“Cool duck.” Holly grinned, showing the duck she had grabbed, one with sunglasses painted on it’s face. Everyone laughed and she set it on the deck by where her mother was crouching.

“I wan get off here.” she mumbled in Seth’s ear, respectfully, Seth backed up, letting her grab the wall so she could hoist herself out. Holly’s mom hugged her, toweling her off and cooing praise as Roman finished up with the boys.

“That was-“ Roman smiled, really smiled from ear to ear. Seth’s eyes widened, he honestly couldn’t remember a time where Roman had been this happy with him, not at his expense. “Well, I think that’s the only time she’s been in the pool and hasn’t cried.”

“That was so great gentleman, I can’t thank you enough.” Maggie, Holly’s mom looked on the brink of tears herself. “Roman, it’s just been so much better lately, it really has been.”

“That’s so good.” Roman smiled again, turning a little pink himself. “I’m feeling good about it, she really is coming along, we were right, you know? Things just take time, that’s all.”

“And you!” Maggie dabbed at her eyes, turning to Seth. His heart beat fast, swelling up with pride. “You were amazing! I’m so sorry! I don’t think I got your name earlier!”

“Seth Rollins,” he tried waving in lieu of a handshake, but Maggie grabbed him ecstatically, clearly battling with herself not to pull him in for a hug.

“Momma he’s tired.” Holly mumbled from under her towel. “‘m cold.”

Roman laughed and Seth bit his lip, this was turning into his best day at work yet.

“Of course dear, of course. Seth-” Maggie looked serious, “This means so much to my family,”

“It’s all good!” Seth laughed, trying his best to appear humble. “We just collected ducks.”

“No but really,” Maggie nodded, “That’s what she needed, I just appreciate it so much. I’ll be telling Hunter how great you guys have been doing, honestly.”

“Thank you so much Maggie,” Roman smiled. “And goodbye Miss Holly!”

A little hand came out from under the towel and waved limply and Maggie took her daughter off to go get changed. The moment the door to the family locker room swung shut, Seth looked at Roman inquisitively.

“That was so good.” Roman reiterated, picking up the toys and belts that littered the deck. He paused for a moment, clearing his throat, 

“Has she been that way for a long time or something?” Seth tousled his hair back. They were now the only two left in the pool, Cody was guarding, pacing.

“Yeah, well,” Roman, turned to him, serious again. “You know why I don’t guard anymore? Dean tell you?”

“Y-yeah,” Seth lied, swallowing hard. The warm fuzzies he’d been feeling suddenly evaporated.

“Yeah, well,” Roman repeated, “That kid that I uh- the kid that drowned? That’s his sister.” 

Seth’s eyes widened.

“That family and I are pretty close, you can imagine. It was a really hard time, for awhile, they had a lot of grief and they weren’t really sure how to process things. Once they kinda... came around to the fact I wasn’t part of the machine that let their kid… die….” Roman struggled for a moment. “Well, Hunter actually reached out to them, there is a swimmer's scholarship here that’s in their name. Holly’s pretty young and all but she’s smart as hell man, she doesn’t want anything to do with water.”

“Of course,” Seth mumbled, his heart was doing flips. Roman kept blinking, and part of Seth didn’t want him to continue, he didn’t _need_ this information. It was nice, but watching Roman try to fight off tears was pulling at his own heart strings.

“Well,” Roman breathed. “We should pick all this shit up, yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Seth agreed. There wasn’t anything he could say, any comfort he could give would just sound stupid. Seth hadn’t experienced any death in his life, extended relatives, sure, but nothing that was comparable to what Roman had dealt with, was still dealing with. 

“Did you uh…” Seth flinched, the words falling out of his mouth. “Did you _stop_ guarding? Or…?”

“They stripped me of it.” Roman said quietly. He didn’t look upset that Seth had asked, “My first responder certs technically, which you can’t not have to guard.”

“That’s so fucked,” Seth breathed, “Sorry,”

“It just happened,” Roman sighed. “If you see something fucked up though, you gotta speak up. That’s the takeaway.” He eased himself out of the pool. “There were plenty of days I came in and that pool was a mess but I never said nothing cause I just wanted to do my job and get out. That’s not how liability works though.”

Seth nodded stupidly. Dean came out of the office with Randy, still wearing his rash guard and speedo. 

“How was Holly today?” Dean asked. “I thought I saw her in the pool but I didn’t want to come out here ’n jinx it.”

“Uce got her to swim.” Roman grinned. Dean’s eyes widened, Seth’s heart fluttered at the use of the nickname. 

“Oh man, bet Mags loved that.” 

“She was like, crying dude, you should have seen it. If we can do a repeat performance, you gotta take photos. That’s the stuff Hunter wants for the Facebook page.”

All through cleaning up handfuls of rubber ducks to his hasty shower, Seth didn’t stop smiling. He loved the pool, he loved teaching. He’d gotten little Holly-Anne Shippley to swim and Roman called him his friend! Or brother, he honestly wasn’t sure where ‘Uce’ came from, he just heard Roman and Dean saying it all the time, so he just assumed it was a term of endearment.

A great week, the park was closing on Friday and they’d have a huge party to celebrate. What else could he ask for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda fluffy I guess, I'm sleepy, R n' R.


	18. To Everything, There is a Season

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The park closes for the year, is someone leaving..?
> 
> Sendendo made more fanart !!! Follow them for hella sick drawings !!!
> 
> http://sendendo.tumblr.com/post/139572577026/more-fanart-for-arguably-the-best-regularly

Friday’s end to the season meant that the park was the busiest it had been all month and Seth was so glad he’d escaped the responsibility of guarding outside. Despite the long lines and the hot sun, nobody on staff was in a foul mood. Even Hunter, who’d been guarding all week and was behind on his paperwork, gladly put on a tube and helped by rotating the park guards through breaks on their last day. Sami posted notices on all the indoor locker rooms that the facility would be closing early, and throughout the day catering companies dropped off food and equipment for the party.

“Well that’s alright now ain’ it!” Wendy, one of the regulars, nodded at Seth. She was looking through the glass to the observation area where some tables and chairs were being unloaded. “I oughta work here!”

Seth grinned, sipping from his water bottle. He’d never been this excited for a work function.

At the end of his shift, he stopped by home quick just to put away his work things and grab a light snack. There wasn’t much need to change out of his swim trunks since the party was going to be _in_ the park, but he put on his favorite pair of speedo trunks with lifeguard crosses printed on the legs. He didn’t know how much swimming he really wanted to do, he wasn’t sure if anyone actually swam, but it would be hot enough for shorts anyway.

“You see everyone outside?” Sami asked when he came back through the front door. He pointed to the park gates and Seth craned his neck. “Ru always kicks everyone out until the party starts.”

The sun was setting and the parking lot was mostly vacant except for employee cars. Some of the guard staff was sitting on the curb, playing music off their cellphones. Randy had a six pack of beer already cracked into and was smoking a cigarette, still in his polo shirt. 

“You clocked in?” Randy raised his hand like he wanted a high five, “We’re getting paid to party tonight.”

“Nah, really?” Seth’s eyes gleamed, it was too good to be true.

“Yeah, but it’s whatever, you can just fill out a time edit slip later.” Randy tossed him a can. “Feels so good, every year.”

“I’m sure,” Seth spotted Sasha and smiled, she had been wrangled into working the park the last day, but had made it home in time to get ready for the party. “You good Sash? Didn’t have to get in the water?”

“I was just telling Paige,” Sasha huffed. “I got reaaaal close. Someone decided to stop parenting a toddler for a whole five minutes, well, it’s over.” She laughed sarcastically, looking to the sky as if addressing god. “It’s all over!”

The gates swung open at six and even though only half of the staff was there, they filled in. String lights were hung along the pathway to the main area, leading to where several tables had been constructed next to the zero entry pool. Music was playing, and Seth could spot huge, goofy inflatable palm trees.

“Wait- wait!” Lana called, jogging over with clip boards. “Remember! Tonight is at your own risk!” She shoved pens and forms into each of their hands. Seth stopped, squinting to read the print. 

“Basically, it’s saying you won’t get too drunk and drown.” Dolph mumbled, quickly checking off each of the boxes with initials and handing the clipboard back to Lana. Seth smiled, scanning the sheet. He supposed it would have been rather unfair if a couple of people had to guard for the party.  
It was a little eerie, being at a private party at a waterpark. Seth hadn’t been in the area when it wasn’t full of excited children and pool-goers, but now it had been scrubbed up a little and lit for the evening, it was a mock paradise. Huge heating tables had been wheeled in with food and every few feet a little inflatable palm tree pool of ice was stocked with beer and soda. Hunter and Stephanie were in the pool with a few people he supposed were close friends of theirs, resting inside of the inner tubes for the lazy river ride.

“Welcome! Welcome!” Hunter raised his diet coke, he was grinning eagerly, a little sunburned from working outside all day. “Grab a drink and your goody bags! Dinner’ll be pretty soon!” 

“What do we get this year Hunter?” Sasha ran over to a table filled with bags and envelopes, Seth followed her with the slowly growing group of people.

“Last year we got those underwater cameras, you remember?” Dolph grinned, nudging Randy. “I used up all the film that night I think.”

“Yeah, but then you tried to push me off the slide so I threw it off the top of the stairs.” Cody laughed. “You were so mad.”

“Guys look!” Paige opened up her bag and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. 

“They’re all different colors!” Sasha cried, putting on a rosy-pink pair. 

Seth found his own bag in the stack, _Seth Rollins_ written in swooping calligraphy, attached with a tag to the front. Inside was a card with a visa gift certificate and a pair of gold sunglasses.

 **Seth Rollins** The card was written out in the same flowing handwriting **We are so glad to have you in the White Water family! You are a real catch!** Seth had to hold back a groan at the little, quickly drawn fish scrawled into the margin **We hope you are finding yourself right at home in Florida. We appreciate you very much! Love, The White Water team.**

“Stephanie definitely made yours.” Sasha laughed, holding up her own, which was in a different handwriting. 

“Sasha.” Seth read laughing, grabbing her card, “We are so glad to have you in the White Water Family. You always make everyone smile and the kids really like your hair. Please never stop working here.” Every laughed at that and Hunter, who was making his way out of the pool, turned red.

“It was one in the morning!” Hunter pointed in mock anger. “It was one in the morning and you know I appreciate all of you!”

“Yes, boss.” Dolph cackled, sporting a pair of violet glasses. 

Another season’s end tradition was a photo spread that Lana and Rusev put together of guards in the park, it was a collection of many years of polaroids showing off the staff at work. Despite probably seeing many of the photos year after year, the group cycled through them as soon as soon as they were done showing off their new sunglasses.

“We didn’t miss the food did we?” Dean came running into the crowd, looking around at the decor and tiki torches. He was carrying a couple of cardboard boxes. 

“Ooh, let’s bring those over here.” Steph came to the edge of the pool and patted the deck where she wanted them. “We’ll mess with that stuff later.”

“That log is still up front, Sami wasn’t sure if if was a surprise or not.” Roman waved, both he and Dean were still in their work clothes.

“It’s not, it’s fine,” Steph shrugged, “We probably don’t need it here tonight though, might be a little too much fun.”

“No such thing,” Dean sniffed. “Aye hey, we got the photos out.”

“Classic Dean” Sasha laughed, holding up one of the polaroids and handing it to Seth, who had predictably gone a little shy the moment Dean arrived. He smiled, glancing over the photo of a long haired, gangly Dean, guarding the park shirtless.

“That’s old.” Dean snorted, inching right up next to Seth. “My hair was longer than yours, damn.”

“How long did that last?” Seth chuckled, handing him the photo. 

“Not long, it was dumb, But this here-“ Dean shuffled through the stack from the same year, looking, “This here is my favorite.”

Seth’s eyes widened, getting a weird sense of deja vu. It was a photo of Roman, guarding the serpentine slide. His hair was short and he had no tattoos, but was giving the thumbs up with a goofy grin. 

“This years crop is pretty good.” Sasha laughed, holding up a great snap they’d captured of Kofi and Big E tossing Xavier into the pool. 

“We’ll re-enact it tonight.” Big E roared, handing the picture to Kofi.

“Oh- and,” Sasha bit her lip, clearly trying not to laugh. “Ok, this one is bad, guys-“

Everyone looked at Seth, almost guilty, Seth looked over Sasha’s shoulder and he sighed. It was Rusev carrying his unconscious body. 

“Well I’m really glad I didn’t die.” Seth scoffed. “‘Cause if that was at my funeral I’d haunt all your asses.”

Everyone laughed, Seth restrained himself from grabbing the picture to destroy it. 

“Food’s coming out, photos gotta go away.” Hunter smiled, “Are we all here?”

“Just about,” Dolph looked around. A few people were still walking up the pathway to the front of the park. The catering staff was taking the covers off of the buffet food, the generalized aroma of Mexican food began to waft and suddenly, Seth was aware of how hungry he was. 

“Ok, don’t wander too far 'cause we are gunna talk,” Hunter waved his arms getting everyone’s attention. “Go ahead and get a plate.”

Seth was privately wondering how he could make off with as much seasoned ground beef and chicken as possible. He hadn’t eaten much all day so he stacked his plate full of tacos and plopped down between Randy and Dean at one of the covered tables. He’d promised he’d eat a taco for Cesaro too, but he thought it would be most appropriate to show him what he was missing over snapchat. 

**Fuk y’all** Cesaro snapped back with a picture of a bunch of balled up Wendy’s wrappers. Seth laughed, showing Randy and Dean.

“Oh that’s right he’s at the airport ain’ he?” Dean laughed, Seth held up the camera and they posed quickly, mouths full of tacos.

“Yeah and the way he sounded he was really mad he couldn’t be here.” Seth smirked, sending the snap.

Once they’d all gotten food and drink, Hunter and his friends went through and grabbed their plates. The ‘front of the house’ staff of Sami and a few others milled around, eating happily. Seth spotted Daniel talking to Steph and laughing about something, Roman looked nervous again.

“Alright, we all good?” Hunter looked around, still dripping wet from the pool. The music stopped and Steph procured a microphone. “Oh, here we go. You hear me from the back?”

“YEAHHHH!” Xavier screamed from the front, everyone laughed. 

“Ok, alright, well.” Hunter swallowed. “I’m gunna let Ru talk first since this is sort of his thing.”

“Lana!” Ru yelled from the buffet, “Lana will talk!”

“Yes!” Lana laughed, jogging up to grab the mic, “Alright, I want to, on behalf of the water park, thank everyone who had to guard today and help us close the park on such a good note. We say every year we have such a good staff and how thankful we are to have such good reliable guards. Me and Rusev have very hard job and we try very hard to make sure that thing go smoothly, but you all have hard job as well and I would not want trade working here for any where.”

Some applause, Lana smiled.

“As with every year some people will go and some people will stay. I have been working since before the park open this year on putting together plans for renovation this winter and so I will be working offsite mostly, but I will be in from time to time. Ru-“

Rusev came up to the front and gestured for the mic, Lana paused, smiling.

“I will be work with John and I will be doing Swim Team.” 

“Yes, Ru will be helping with Swim Team.”

“We will go to state.”

“Yes,”

Nervous applause and mixed laughter. Rusev went back to where he had been standing near Sheamus and the Buffet line.

“I want to thank Sheamus and Alberto,” Lana continued, everyone began clapping again, “Our senior staff who did such a good job this summer, helping us manage every little thing that come up. As well as Wade-“ Wade pumped his fist in the air and everyone cheered louder, a couple of the park guards even stood up. “Wade, we all love you so much and we hope you have a great time at your job back home.”

“He’s leaving?” Seth mumbled mid clap, Dean nodded.

“Thank you all,” Lana handed the mic back to Hunter, who was still clapping. 

“Yes, thanks Wade, and, I guess now is a good time to hear from Daniel-“ Hunter moved back, giving Daniel the floor, everyone stopped clapping, slightly confused. Roman took a long drink from his beer.

“Yes, well.” Daniel said, biting his lip, shifting awkwardly as the center of attention. “I don’t want to make this a big thing, but-“ he looked at the floor and the crowd was quiet. “Well, it’s kind of hard for me to say and I didn’t think I’d really be saying it this way.”

Dean did a double take, looking from Daniel to Roman, suddenly confused.

“I’m leaving.” Daniel said sadly, “I’ve accepted a position as a physical therapist back in Aberdeen, where I’m from. It’s been in the works for awhile, I’ve been talking to Steph and Hunter for some time now about it and Steph actually helped me find a place I’m really excited about.” He faltered for a moment, everyone was very somber, hanging on his every word. “Most of you guys know how long I’ve been working here and I’ve seen a lot of people come and go, I’ve loved being here, I’ve loved having this opportunity to get to know all of you and I loved coming into work every day and seeing people really enthused about doing what they do and working in a community and really helping others.” 

The sniff Seth heard behind him, Roman, made him want to claw his eyes out. Dean had extended a hand and was rubbing his knee comfortingly. How long had Daniel worked there?

“So I’m really, really sorry I had to do this now.” Daniel laughed, everyone laughed, choking a little. “I’m so sorry I had to do this tonight and everything but this is for real, I’m leaving on Sunday and, goddamn Hunter-” Daniel laughed, pointing a finger, “He’s making me do it like this so be mad at him!”  
Seth laughed, feeling tears welling up he didn’t know where there. Daniel seemed like a really cool guy, he’d thought it before and now he was a little mad he hadn’t been able to get to know him better. Hunter was laughing too, shrugging, and Daniel smiled. He couldn’t tell what Roman was thinking, it was probably just a lot to think about.

“But yeah, my replacement is a really cool guy, He’s a really smart dude and I’m sure you guys will be welcoming him in. I don’t think I’m ever going to have a job like this again, I can’t imagine going anywhere else and finding any people as fun and crazy and energetic like you guys. So I just want to say thanks.” Daniel smiled sadly, handing the mic back to Hunter, they both hugged, Steph pulled him in as well and everyone stood up to applaud. 

“Thanks so much Daniel,” Hunter said gruffly into the mic, “Stephanie wrote your card, don’t worry.” Everyone laughed.

“Oh Roman,” Randy sighed, handing him some napkins for him to blow his nose. 

“You good dude?” Seth asked quietly, Dean was at his side in a show of support. Roman just nodded, dabbing at his eye.

“Yeah, yeah, I knew and all.” He sniffed again. “Just, yeah, we were uh-“ 

“Really, really good pals.” Randy laughed, Dean gave him a cold look.

“Sure,” Seth said awkwardly.

“Alright, alright,” Hunter said, once again trying to reign in the crowd. “Just a few more things, We’ve got lots of stuff to do this weekend with putting the park away for the winter, so if you’re at all interested, feel free to come by and grab a couple extra hours. But we got a lot of really cool stuff going on this winter that Steph’ll tell you about.”

“That’s right!” Stephanie said excitedly, grabbing the microphone from Hunter. The nervous energy that had been fluctuating since Daniel’s announcement morphed back into curiosity. “I’ve written up so many grants this year and they’ve all come to a head just in the last few weeks. But what that means for all of you, is that we’ve got some really cool programming coming up in addition to all of the regularly scheduled fall season classes.” 

“This is great,” Dean mumbled, Seth watched a couple of Hunter’s friends tearing open the boxes that Dean and Roman had brought down.

“In a couple weeks when we have our inservice, we’ll be going over exactly how all of this works, but we’re going to be starting a log rolling class and mermaid classes.” The reaction was warm to confused, most of guards were turning to each other, wondering what exactly a mermaid class was. Stephanie grabbed a long piece of garment out from one of the boxes and held it up for everyone to see- a shining silvery mermaid tail.

“Are you for real?” Sasha screamed ecstatically. Stephanie just smiled and nodded.

“Yes, so we’ve got these for you guys to play with tonight if you’d like, just make sure that you know what you’re doing so you don’t break any of them, they’re very expensive. Shawn here-“ Stephanie pointed him out of the crowd, he was talking to Hunter and giggling but jumped when he heard his name called. “Shawn’s facility has been using these for awhile, so he knows how these work. He’ll be teaching a seminar at the next inservice as well, so if you’re interested in teaching a mermaid class-“

“Roman would make a good mermaid.” Randy ribbed, poking him with his elbow. “Anyone want a beer?”

“Yes,” all three men said.

The emotions and thank you's over, the party was now more or less a free for all. People were chatting, laughing, and talking about swimming. The mermaid tails were in high demand though so Seth didn’t want to bother with them right away. 

“I still haven’t actually been on any of the slides here.” He admitted to Dean when the music came back on and the catering staff started doling out ice-cream cake.

“Serious? Well, I guess if you’ve been on one slide you’ve probably been on most of them.” He shrugged, “Everything but the wave pool is runnin’ though, you should go for it.”

“I’m not gunna go alone.” Seth said before he realized what he was saying. He’d meant it as an honest excuse, not wanting to wander away from all the fun just to go down some dumb slide. Dean’s eyes immediately lit up however and he bounced up ready to go.

“Anyone else wanna-“ Seth offered, Roman and Randy just waved them off however, Dean was practically skipping and tugging him away. 

“You could try to conquer the slide that tried to kill you.” Dean pointed up toward the top of the serpentine slide, taking a swig of his beer. “We gotta abandon these though, I don’t think Hunter wanted us to bring glasses away from the party.”

“It didn’t try to kill me,” Seth snorted, they each quickly finished off their drinks and put them in the recycling bin. His heart raced a little, “But yeah, sure.”

They jogged up the stairs, from this height, Seth could see the party happening from a bird’s eye view. People had started to fan out, swimming with the mermaid tails, talking and floating down the lazy river. 

“It’s a good night.” Dean muttered, hanging over the railing. “Sucks about Dan though, I never thought he’d actually quit.”

“Bigger and better things, right?” Seth offered. Dean shrugged. 

“Whatever,” He shook his head, then jogged up to the mouth of the slide, peering over to the exit point where a guard would be standing if the park was open, surveying the water. “Looking good.” 

“You go first.” Seth smiled. Dean sat at the mouth, grinning expectantly. “What?”

“Come with?” Dean patted his lap and Seth blushed a little, curling his toes on the wooded platform.

“Bad guard.” Seth laughed, there was only ever supposed to be one person going down the slide.

“Hey,” Dean grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him closer, Seth’s heart raced again. “C’mon now, don’t leave me hanging.” Seth followed his lead, cramming himself up between Dean’s legs. “I still say you think too much.”

“It’s for lil’ kids!” Seth scoffed, “There’s barely any room! The way we’re gonna come out, we’re gunna-“ But before he could finish his thought, Dean had pushed off, throwing them mercilessly down into the dark of the tube and Seth couldn’t help but yell, grabbing Dean’s knees. Dean snaked his arms around his front, clutching them close. Screaming turned to laughter and they rocked through the tube like a cannonball, meeting the pool at top speed and slapping the water.

“Oh my god,” Seth laughed, splashing Dean. “Warn me next time!”

“Nah,” Dean chuckled. “What’s the fun in that?”

“Such a bad lifeguard.”

“I’m a great guard.” Dean mumbled, Seth re-wet his hair for a moment and in an instant Dean was on him, he jumped.

“Am I just a scary guy?” Dean laughed, threading his hands on Seth’s hips, sighing.

“No, it’s just.” Seth looked around, as though he was expecting someone to jump out of the bushes. Dean frowned, rubbing his sides back and forth. 

“I’m gunna start calling you bambi if you keep giving me that doe eyed look.”

They went down a couple of the racing slides, running into Bo and Cody who had also wandered away to use the park. Seth didn’t care as much for the straight-down fast slide, his trunks bunched up in his ass on the way down. The only other ride that wasn’t the lazy river and was open was the rapid ride that used an inner tube, Dean grabbed one out from the station next to the stairs and they climbed up, awkwardly quiet.

“Alright.” Dean said, plopping down in the front end of the tube. “I’m holding you hostage.” 

“What?” Seth paused, he had been about to sit down.

“You’re not a closet case, are you?” Dean asked, “Sorry I guess if it’s blunt, but I gotta know now.”

“What?” Seth’s eyes widened. “No, I’m not.” Dean raised an eyebrow. “I’m not!”

“Mmk,” Dean said simply, making like he was going to let go of the railing and let them sail down the slide.

“Just cause I’m not making out with you at work all the time doesn’t make me a closet case.” Seth huffed. Emboldened by beer and a desire to prove himself, he crawled up to the front where Dean was sitting. 

“Who’s at work?” Dean said softly, smirking under wet hair, Seth threaded himself between his legs. “I ‘uhnno, not everyone’s sure of what they are and all.”

“I like guys,” Seth muttered, simpering through his beard. Both of them were wet and dripping, the space closing between them. This close, Seth could smell Dean’s shampoo, see all the little ginger highlights in his beard stubble. He smiled up against his lips and they kissed, both of their eyes half-lidded, relaxed.

“This is cool,” Dean chuckled after a few moments, he drummed his fingers on the bar, “But my arm’sre tired.”

They went down the slide, rocking back and forth on the dips and turns of the slide. Seth drew apart just so he could grab onto the handles of the raft, but Dean sat at the front and was in his eye-line the whole time. Maybe it was the moonlight or the kinetic energy, but Seth’s chest was swelling up with some excitable feeling. Dean looked back at him, wiggling his eye brows, his hard-cut chest and stomach were tantalizing in half light. As twitchy and absentminded as he often appeared, Dean was secretly a hottie.

They skipped on the surface of the water coming off the slide and if it wasn’t for the fact that they came out next to the populated lazy river, Seth would have tugged Dean into the middle of the raft and started kneading his cock on his leg. Maybe they could leave a little early? 

“Don’t worry babe,” Dean said hoarsely, pushing the raft up the zero-depth ramp with his foot. “We won’t have to stay here much longer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't you just wish you worked at White Water? Review if you wanna read about Roman Reigns being a mermaid and doing mermaid stuff.


	19. Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the night... Special appearance by Scott Hall (!)

Dean and Seth returned to the party dripping wet and rosy-cheeked. They were maybe walking a little close, but this late in the night, people had evidently stopped caring. The food had been pilfered through, and the beer that had been flowing previously had been replaced with bottles. 

“We got all these little plastic cups!” One of Hunters friends said joyously, pouring Cuervo across a lineup of little shot glasses. “They’re mobile!” 

“More tequila.” Seth sighed, groaning as Dean thrust one into his hand.

“Scott is a clinic on how to party.” Dean explained, watching the tall man laugh and pass out shots to Paige and Charlotte. “We have much to learn from him.”

“How’re our mermaid friends doing?” Scott kneeled down by the pool, offering more glasses. “You want another Shasta, Shawn?”

Shawn, who was sitting in one of the inner tubes, florescent orange mermaid tail draped over the side, rolled his eyes at Scott. 

“It’s La Croix, and no.” he huffed. 

“I gotta cup.” Roman’s large hand slammed down one of the plastic shooters at Scott’s feet. He pulled himself out of the pit of the pool, resting on his elbows, grinning.

“Rome’ are you a mermaid?” Dean laughed, running forward. Roman grinned, kicking his leg up so they could see the leviathan black tail breaking the surface of the water.

“This is the only one that’d fit so I guess it’s gunna be mine.” He smiled, his hair was sticking to his face in thick strands. “Why, you jealous?”

“N-no.” Dean sniggered. Roman splashed both of them and Seth squawked. 

“There you go Shark boy.” Scott plopped another shot glass into Roman’s hand and he downed it eagerly. 

“No work tomorrow, huh?” Dean’s already wide smile broadened. 

“Nnnnnahhhhh,” Roman flopped back into the water, spreading out his arms, the tail glimmered with some effervescent detailing, some sort of fabric paint to imitate scales. Roman was never so carefree, his downturned eyes looked almost droopy, relaxed. “Sasha’s got Tabata. I’m home-freeeeee…”

“Well shoot.” Dean yanked another drink out of Scott’s loose grip. “Have we _ever_ had a consecutive day off before?” Roman just shrugged, sinking a little deeper into the water. 

“I guess it’s a good thing we can all just keep our cars in the lot.” Seth laughed. He surely didn’t want to be as hungover as he was the last time they’d all drank. He hadn’t hung out with Dean since then anyway, would it be improper to establish what they were doing as some drunken fly-by-night sex? 

“You like vodka, kid?” Scott dangled a shot in front of his nose. “I just ran out of Tequila.”

The truthful answer was no, but Seth drank it down just the same.

They went down the lazy river a few times, Roman was mostly just showing off how quickly he’d figured out how to use the tail and swam circles around them. Dean sat in an inner tube, un-phased by the mermaid business.

“You guys look like dorks,” Dean jeered as Sasha and Xavier looped them for a third time, Roman broke the surface, distressed.

“Not you Rome, you got a cool color.” Dean admitted, waving at his friend. “Everyone else though? Major nerd.”

“You’re just jealous,” Roman chuckled, swimming on his back for a few yards to look up at Dean. Seth followed at a modified side stroke, he’d started feeling a little vodka burn in his throat from craning his neck up so much. 

“Of what?” Dean laughed, “Who is even going to sign up for these classes? You’re teachin’ all of them. The day I gotta put one of those on-“

They did a couple passes, letting the current jettison them along. Seth laid on his back, feeling warm and tingly. Dean and Roman talked a little, mostly just to fill the silence, but occasionally passing by the party gave them moments to check up on everything.

“I gotta take this off.” Roman eventually grabbed the railing leading back up the main area and gingerly worked his fingers around the ribbing on the waist, sliding it down. Seth sank deeper into the pool, laying flat and letting his hair spider-web out across the water. His eyes widened when Roman’s roving hand had unknowingly snagged his speedo as well, exposing the bulge of his ass.

“Dude,” Dean mumbled, both of them lost in the moment. He shook his head sharply, “Uce, your pan- trunks.”

“Oh shit,” Roman lowered himself right back into the pool, fumbling. Seth grinned, it was just as nice as he had imagined.

“Free show, sorry.” Roman was blushing harder then Seth had ever seen him, he whipped his hair out of his face, wobbling a little on his legs. “I’m cold, you guys cold?”

“Nah,” Seth mumbled, floating over toward the steps. “Prune-y though.”

A stack of towels had conveniently been placed by the stairs and they each grabbed one, bundling up. Seth was having a hard time not staring at Roman’s chest and back. Anytime he was working in the pool, he’d been wearing a rash guard, covering every fun little detail. He wasn’t as cut as Dean was, but Roman was huge, bulky and tattooed, pretty much everything Seth liked.

“Your place still a construction zone?” Dean asked, they plopped back down where they’d eaten dinner. All the catering had been wrapped up, which was a shame since Seth was hungry again from swimming.

“Not too bad,” Roman lulled his head back, squinting. “What’re you thinking?”

“Well,” Dean steepled his fingers under his chin. “You got that game, that card game? What’s it-“ 

“Cards Against Humanity?”   
“Yeah, that.” 

“You got Cards Against Humanity?” Seth’s interest piqued. Dean smiled.

“Yeah, let’s like, go play that a bunch and order pizzas or something.”

“I should,” Roman raised his head up, sighing. “I should probably catch Dan before we bounce.”

“Uce-“ 

“A bunch of his shit is still at my house, man.”

“Is he packing up Crispy?” 

Seth watched back and forth like a tennis match. He had no idea what was going on but being mildly drunk just made it entertaining. 

“Nah,” Roman looked up again, squinting.

“How toasted are you?” Dean laughed.

“A bit,” Roman snorted. “Why d’I look dumb or something? Ugh, I was totally crying earlier.”

“Yeah you were.” 

“Yeah.” Roman sat up straighter in his seat, looking at the ground, tapping his foot lightly. Seth recognized the expression, someone trying to reign it all in and figure out how drunk they were. “Ah fuck it, I’ll call him tomorrow, see what we can’t get sorted out.”

“What do you think Seth?” Dean asked, draping an arm over his shoulders and pulling him into the crook of his armpit. Seth made an indistinct little squeak, but didn’t object.

“What’d I think about what?” he said stupidly. 

“Just, in general.”

Roman grinned, rubbing his eye a little.

“I’m good.” Seth whimpered, not sure what Dean had meant or what he was supposed to say. He guessed it was just because he was being quiet, but he had no opinion, really. He felt good, he was down for whatever. He was _privately_ hoping that Dean would whisk him away so they could touch each other and make out, but going to Roman’s didn’t mean that _wouldn’t_ happen, necessarily.

“Well that’s good,” Dean said, soothing his shoulder a little with his hand. “We beat? I can call a cab.”

“You’re leaving already?” 

Scott’s voice boomed from a couple tables away, looking disappointed as they all got to their feet. 

“Scott, my man-”

“A parting drink,” Scott offered, stirring a huge punch bowl menacingly with a plastic ladle. “I just mixed it up.”

“How much skunk booze-“ 

“It’s mid-level at _worst_ ” Scott coughed, swaying a little. “Go ahead and call your cab but drink this guy down.” He handed them each a solo cup full of the mysterious pink liquid. 

“Scott,” Dean said, staring daggers at the man as he sniffed the cup, “How do you keep getting into these things? How are you friends with Hunter? You’re too damn cool!”

Scott slammed his hand on the table, laughing, Seth took a sip off the cup and was pleasantly surprised. It was something fruity, impossibly smooth.

“Hunter’s a great guy!” Scott shrugged, “Nerds keep you out of jail Dean, remember that.”

They worked on gathering up all their clothes and gift bags. Dean frowned at his drink, still smelling it, curiously.

“I detect,” Roman sipped cautiously, “Shit, I dunno, theres so much grenadine I can’t tell.”

“It’s good!” Seth laughed, his glass already half empty. “Why worry ‘bout it? It tastes like pineapples.” 

“It’s a Scott ‘k’-coc-” Roman huffed, “concoction.”

“What about Scott cock?” Dean giggled, looking at his phone. He’d put in an order for a cab and was now watching the map, tracing where the little blip of the car was shuttling toward them. “What was that Roman?”

“Man,” Roman rolled his eyes, turning to Seth. “This guy, this guy here, think’s is’ the funniest thing in the world when’ I get tipsy cause he’s fuckin’ immune to liquor or some bullshit.”

Seth laughed, Roman sighed dramatically.

“I’m not immune.” Dean laughed, “You just slur your words so bad Uce, it’s funny. Who cares anyway? Seth does it too.”

“Whatever!” Seth whined. “I’m no worse than ‘nybody else!” 

“Yeah, you’re the weird one.”

The cab pulled up and Seth almost brought his drink in, but Dean put a hand to his chest.

“No cups babe,”

Without much thought, he chugged the later half of his drink before spiking it on the ground. Roman and Dean had abandoned theirs on the sidewalk.

“No regrets, alright.” Dean rubbed his hands together, cramming into the middle. “Ro’ your address-“

“406 Grant.” Roman muttered, he shifted over, crossing his legs a little. “We all fit?”

“We got this,” Seth shut his door, it was a tight squeeze, but Seth wasn’t complaining. Dean had found his knee with his hand and was rubbing it tenderly.

“Y’all can have the couch .” Roman sniffed, shaking his head a little. “I just washed all the sheets in the guest bedroom.” Seth looked out the window, shyly. Dean snorted.

“I ain’ bringing any cooties.” 

“One… big cootie.” Roman laughed. “One big candy assed cootie.”

Seth frowned, he almost thought Roman was talking about him until he and Dean began play fighting, giggling. Dean withdrew the warm hand from his knee to start pinching Roman’s side.

“Guys,” Seth murmured, unsure how effective he could actually be. “Hey, lets-“ Dean drew back sharply, accidentally ribbing him hard in the side.

“Oh shit, oh-“ Dean stopped, immediately apologetic. Seth flinched, grating his teeth a little, he softened instantly as Dean’s hands found his face, cradling his head. “Damnit, babe-“

“You ok?” Roman grunted. Seth sighed, nodding. Hands were wrapping around him, comfortingly.

“‘m m’fine.” Seth mumbled. 

“I’m sorry, hey, are you sure? You’re all quiet ’n stuff.” Dean mumbled. Seth straightened up, blinking. He knew he’d been a little quiet since the park. 

“Oh, no I’m fine, ‘m just havin’ lots of fun.” Seth smiled, rubbing the spot where Dean had poked him. “I’m ok.”

“Hey,” Roman said seriously, “I jus’ wanna say, I’m really sorry if you thought I treated you like a dick or something when you first started working.” Roman gestured for emphasis, turning as much as he could, crammed into his seat. “Like, a month ago, right? Daniel had talked to me about how he was trying to find a job somewhere else ’n shit.”

“Hey, hey.” Dean interrupted. “But isn’t this so much better now? Right? I dunno what you were worried about earlier. Now everyone’s doing what they want and everyone’s happy, yeah?” 

“Whatever,” Roman waved his hand again, his eyes shining. “Point is, you’re a cool dude Seth. You’re super good at work and like, I think I thought you were just some country kid or somethin’, I dunno.”

“No problem,” Seth hiccuped, leaning on Dean a little bit. “You’re cool too, that’s why I didn’t take it personally or ‘nothin’.” 

“I’m gunna throw up from all these feelings,” Dean joked, clapping Seth on the leg. “You leave your light on Uce?”

They had pulled up to a little rambler house, the porch light illuminated. Seth sat up, following the awkward shuffle out of the vehicle. Dean tipped the driver and they walked up the well-kept lawn to the front of the house, which had a row of flowers and plants lining the trim. He could hear frogs and crickets chirping and croaking away in the bushes. 

“You garden?” Seth asked, Roman turned his key in the door and swung it open to let them in.

“A little.” Roman shrugged. “It was more of Daniel’s thing.”

Roman’s house was one of the nicest living spaces Seth had been in since he had moved. The whole place was like a store catalog, well furnished, with a design sense that Seth wouldn’t have attributed to the man. The lighting was warm and comforting, the carpet was incredibly clean and soft. Everything was clean and logically organized, Seth had expected more of a bachelor pad.

“It’s so nice!” Seth slipped out of his shoes, shivering a little from the air conditioning. Dean nodded.

“Uce gets tons of cool stuff from his family.” 

Pizza was ordered hastily, all three men ravenous and craving junk food. Roman produced some beer from the refrigerator and they all refused the plush furniture for sitting around the coffee table on the living room floor.

“I’m a little too fucked to be playing cards,” Roman admitted, rubbing his eyes and sinking into the table. Seth smiled stupidly, he felt the same, had passed up on beer for fear of puking.

“I never get to play this game unless I’m here though!” Dean argued, shuffling through the decks of white cards and snorting as he read through a couple. “Where’re the ones I made?”

“’n the deck,” Roman said flatly. 

Overzealous, Dean was determined to get everyone to play and dealt cards, despite how difficult it was. They played a couple of rounds, having real difficulty getting through the two and three card sets where Dean ruined each round by complaining when the dealer read his out of order. Seth just couldn’t stopped giggling whenever he drew another card.

“My ex had a set of these,” he laughed, drawing **Crumbs all over the damn carpet** “But we never had ‘ny of these.” 

“It’s an expansion,” Roman burped, squinting. Dean’s phone lit up, signaling pizza had arrived and he bolted, throwing his hand in the air. “Thank god.”

Two large, glistening supreme pizzas landed on the table and like animals, the three of them huddled over the box, stuffing it into their mouths. Roman grabbed napkins after the second box, still a little unsteady on his feet. 

“Flippers is the shit,” Dean moaned, grabbing an offered towel from Roman and dabbing at his mouth. “You remember when they used to have one by work and we could order from them all the time?”

“’N We all got fat for months because of that crazy bread.” Roman laughed into his piece. “They kept just dropping off pies ‘cause they knew Hunter’r somethin’” 

“Shoulda’ got some.” Seth muttered, the food was reviving him a little bit, Scott’s drink had him a little more drunk than he’d have preferred.

“I’s a good thing ‘m drunk cause I can barely eat this normally.” Roman laughed, scratching his side. “Not since all the bullshit with the hernia.”

“Hernia?” Seth screwed up his face. 

“Yeah, that was a little while ago,” Roman fidgeted with the same spot at his side. “But I was bein’ real healthy with food and all during and after f’r awhile.”

“Gross.” Dean muttered. Seth wasn’t sure if he was talking about the hernia or the health stuff. “Yeah, that time sucked,” 

“Yeah,” Roman laughed dryly. Seth got another piece of pizza, looking between both of them. Roman looked absolutely wiped, but Dean was lively, wide awake. He could have been imagining it, but he was sure that he was shooting Seth little playful glances. He’d been really obviously flirting in the car, but then, he was pretty sure Roman knew about the last time they’d hooked up.

“Hell,” Roman sat up, running his hand through his goatee, “I need nap or something, wearing that tail was exhausting.”

“Yeah you look beat.” Dean mumbled. “But then maybe you’re just looking for an excuse to not play cards.”

“Play with Seth,” Roman yawned, standing up and stretching. 

“You can’t play Cards Against Humanity with only one other person.”   
Roman rolled his eyes, shrugging.

“I’ll go g’ the blankets from the closet, y’all can pull out the couch.” He ducked down the hall, “Unless one of you _needs_ the other bed.”

“‘m good,” Seth smirked, standing to help Dean toss the cushions off the couch and pull out the bed frame underneath. 

“You need-“

“Nah Uce we got this.” Dean waved, Roman just stood by the hallway, hands on his hips, watching. It looked as though he wanted to say some smart remark about how clearly the two were gearing up up so fastidiously to _not_ go to sleep. But he was loosing timing, thinking, but too drunk and tired to come up with much.

“Clean up your mess.” Roman mumbled, before turning on his heel and making his way back down the hall to his bedroom. Dean chuckled, airing out the fat comforter Roman had left them while Seth moved the coffee table, still laden with pizza boxes and cards, back a couple more inches. The mattress pad was surprisingly thick, it was more comfortable than most couch-beds.

“You and, uh,” Seth hiccuped a little, sitting down on the bed, watching Dean pull his socks off. “Have you and Rome’ ever…?”

“Uh, not really.” Dean pursed his lips. Seth blinked, not really sure how Dean had meant that to sound. Judging by the look on his face though, he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to press the matter. That and the guy in question was just a few doors down.

Dean slipped out of his shirt and went to turn on Roman’s big flatscreen TV, flicking through the channels with ease. His level of comfort with Roman’s things made it seem like he’d been over plenty of times, was used to Roman’s house. He knew where all the light switches were and went about locking up the house for his friend before flopping down onto the couch next to Seth. He drew his hand around Seth’s shoulder pulling him in close so they could cuddle. He could hear Dean breathing deep, could smell the pool and alcohol on him. Still pretty drunk himself, Seth just nuzzled up to his friend, not much caring about what was on the television, content to stuff his face against his breast and sigh.

“Sleepy?” Dean asked, twining a hand through Seth’s starchy blonde locks. Seth snapped his eyes open, smiling pleasantly, he didn’t want to seem too out of it.

“‘m just happy.” Seth hummed. “I feel good,” he added on, not wanting to seem too dopey and clingy. 

“Good.” Dean grunted, Seth’s eyes were only partially focusing, but he blinked and looked up and blushed to see Dean watching him fondly.

“Let’s go to bed,” he mumbled devilishly, grabbing the remote and turing off the tv, extinguishing all the light left in the room. Seth smiled in the darkness, letting Dean cocoon him in the blanket and envelope him into a big-spoon little-spoon situation. His hands came fumbling through the blankets and found his sides, feeling graciously up his front and under his shirt. His heart raced, hearing every little excited breath, every suck of air as his fingers found his chest. 

“That nice?” Dean tweaked his nipple very lightly and Seth gasped, nodding in the darkness. He continued, playfully pulling and turning the little buds over in his hand. Seth’s legs were shaking a bit, the fire in his stomach burning hard while his dick tingled.

“’n like it.” Seth sighed lazily, scooting his head toward where Dean lay, his beard bumping up against his head as they drew together. He wanted to, no, _had_ to show Dean he cared, that he wasn’t a chicken or a closet case. Seth just wasn’t sure, didn’t know what he wanted half the time, wasn’t sure how to ask. But drunk, in that moment, laid out side by side, it was clear. He kissed hard, his tongue dipping out of his mouth to work up against Dean’s in a way he hadn’t before. It was sloppy and wet, but the more he did it, the more natural it felt. Dean’s massaging had him twitching and gasping between breaths. 

“Yeah?” Dean breathed, getting even closer. Seth could barely see the outline of his head over him in the semi darkness. They locked lips again, Dean matching his energy, wet and domineering, he flattened under him. 

“I wanna get hard,” Seth moaned, jerking Dean’s hand to his crotch. “‘m wanna get hard but ‘m always too drunk to-“

“Nnnahhh,” Dean went down, jerking up his shirt and thumbing the waistband of his pants. He pressed little ticklish kisses on Seth’s belly and his treasure trail, inching his way south until his interested, yet soft dick sprang forth. “I ain’ care.” He pulled Seth into his mouth and Seth sighed, hands twining Dean’s hair in his fingers while he sucked him down. It was lovely and sweet, and even though Seth was drunk and hardly capable of getting it all the way up, Dean seemed to enjoy it. His hips rolled up and down with the motion of his tongue, and Dean rubbed his balls and grabbed his ass from the side moaning happily.

“You been workin’ out.” Dean purred, cupping hard at Seth’s behind and kissing his thighs. “Getting that booty even bigger.” 

“Mmm,” Seth clamped his knees down around Dean’s head. It sounded goofy coming out of his mouth but it was still nice to hear.

“What do you want shy boy?” Dean mumbled, pulsing the hands cupping his behind. It was difficult to think with lips kissing him up and down, his head swimming.

“What’d you think?” Seth slurred, rolling onto his stomach and arching his back. 

“I wanna hear you say it.”

“Pffft,” Seth pouted, pulling hair out of his face. He was sure Dean knew that it didn’t come naturally to him, talking flippantly about this sort of stuff. He was consenting well enough, wasn’t he? Wasn’t it enough that he had his ass stuck up in his face? He was fairly certain that Roman was asleep and wouldn’t hear them but it didn’t stop him from being cautious. Dean couldn’t keep his hands away for too long however, drawing them over the swell of his backside to tease.

“I want-“ Seth breathed, glad it was dark. “I want you t’ fill me up. I wanna feel you in there.”

“Yeah?” Dean groaned, Seth squirmed, feeling hot breath on his cheek. Dean’s tongue was going in and once again, he was at the mercy of his mouth.

“n feels, oh-“ Seth panted, wanting nothing more than to just bury his head in the blankets and l let Dean have at him. “n’ feels so good.”

“Yeah,” Dean insisted, he got a finger up beside his tongue and worked a rhythm to soften him up. Seth hummed, rolling his hips back and forth, he had to be fucked tonight, but then-

“B’do you have lube?” Seth asked, concerned, turning his head around in the darkness. Dean slowed for a moment, not answering. Seth’s heart beat fast, nerves firing up, sure that neither of them had the foresight to imagine they’d have fucked. Dean sighed, pulling back to massage Seth’s behind, thinking hard.

“Spit’se ok too I guess,” Seth whimpered, his legs sagging a little. He just wanted to be fucked, even if he was walking a little crooked tomorrow, at present he didn’t really care.

“Nahhhh,” Dean groaned, “Wouldn’ want you to tear.” He playfully patted Seth’s butt, “I think someone here’s got some though.” And without any further elaboration, he leapt up from where he’d been kneeling and trotted down the hall to where Roman’s room was. Seth sat up, pulling the blanket around him a little closer, swaying a little.

The hall light flicked on and he could hear Dean’s shuffling gait and the door catching the carpet as it was pulled open. He squinted a little from the light, but stayed obediently put- taking a moment to paw at his own slightly-hard dick, feeling the little tingling numbness from the alcohol. He couldn’t really make out any voices coming from down the hall, the air conditioning was blowing hard and it was possible Dean was just rummaging around through Roman’s room. He’d been pretty drunk, hadn’t he? Had passed out pretty quickly? Seth got the sense that Roman probably slept hard and snored loudly, but maybe that was just a big-guy stereotype.

After several minutes passed, Seth flopped back down on the bed, feeling sleepy. It would be a just revenge for taking so long, if he could just camp right out before Dean got back. Drunken frustration grew to a sort of indirect anger.

“Dean!” Seth hissed in the darkness. He wasn’t sure if he was heard or not. “Dean!”

No answer. Seth huffed, rolling around on the fold out. He began to feel a little shaky, like he’d been abandoned or forgotten. It felt like it had been almost fifteen minutes now, but he wasn’t sure because he was tired and inebriated.   
Determined, he threw back the sheets and followed Dean’s trail to the bedroom, not bothering to cover himself. His stomach dropped when he saw what was happening.

Roman, awake, standing up by the foot of the bed. Dean, right up next to him, hand clutched by his chest, grinning lazily. They both looked to Seth as soon as he’d intruded, unabashed. 

“M’m oh,” Seth looked away immediately, heart sinking fast, he was blinking hard. He wasn’t sure what he was looking at but his distress at being left alone was being compounded with the sudden awkwardness of the situation. He couldn’t look them in the eyes, but rather, gripped the trim on the door and sluggishly turned away, like he didn’t want to be seen. Then, rather horribly, Dean laughed, and Seth felt like he’d been punched in the chest.

“Oh no, babe, i’s ok.” Dean came to his side, pulling him back up again as he’d nearly sunk to his knees outside the door. Seth sniffed, looking around wildly. 

“’m drunk,” Seth coughed, breathing hard, “Wha’? Wha’s going-“

Roman appeared at the doorway and Seth could now register that he was down to just his underwear, black briefs that clung tight to his frame. He swallowed, looking past Dean to meet his eyes, dark and half-lidded. Roman looked down, and Seth suddenly remembered he was naked, sweaty, his cock soft and useless, his stomach heaving a little to breathe. He swayed on the spot, but couldn’t move, even Roman’s drunken gaze was piercing. 

“What’re you-“ Seth mumbled, Dean and Roman both were looking at him now, softly. He was unnerved, there was no talking, nothing. Dean, who was normally a twitchy mess, was still and quiet, drinking them both in. Roman finally took a step forward, and reached out his hand to Seth. He swallowed again, his heart continued to beat fast but his confusion and anxiety had lessened, it was very strange. He took the offered hand and his palm trembled from the warmth. 

Roman pulled him closer and Dean stuck out his tongue playfully, his own hand going down to Seth’s side, fully engulfing him, all entwined. He giggled nervously and Roman squeezed his hand, guiding him from the hallway to the bedroom. Dean shut the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok! *rubs hands together* so you'll see in my chapter notes that I have this handy little link for a little coffee-donation-tip thing. If you really like this fic, consider spotting me some coffee? I mean, you don't _have_ to. But there is a definite correlation between caffeine and writing, at least for me. 
> 
> Seth and Dean are gross because they totally didn't shower and they were totally in a pool like not even hours ago. This chapter was weird to write, I think the next ones will be weird to write too but w/e. I'm getting into midterms now but I think I'm still fine to pump out 5k of fic each week. 
> 
> As always, let me know your thoughts if you want to share them. Deuces.


	20. Double Jeopardy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth wakes up in the middle of his coworkers. There's a chicken?

Roman’s bed was a huge California King with a thick memory foam pad. The sheets were soft and thin, so if it wasn’t for the tangle of warm bodies plastered over the surface, it wouldn’t have been so sweaty. Seth woke in the middle, Dean’s chest facing him while Roman had passed out on his stomach, snoring. It would have been a very pleasant experience, waking up slowly and softly between the two, if the hangover hadn’t been so bad.  
He stirred, grimacing, trying to ease himself onto his back comfortably and not disturb his bed-mates, but after a couple minutes of trying to ease himself back to reality, he felt ill. He went through the natural process of denial, kneading his forehead, trying to soothe his head and breathing deep. Despite his efforts, it couldn’t be helped.

“M-hhnng!” he moaned angrily, barreling off the bed when he felt his throat kicking up. He scrambled out of the bedroom, trying to remember where the bathroom could have been, throwing open doors until he found cold tile and a toilet. 

Puking was never fun, but he was at least thankful for the fact that he’d hadn’t waited a moment longer. He heaved, trying his best to pull his hair out of the line of fire, reliving vodka and pizza and a little bit of ice-cream cake, all at once.

“M-‘m ok,” Seth moaned, kneeling down and coughing over the toilet. He’d heard footsteps following his wake. He didn’t want to seem dramatic, but Roman would at least be thankful he hadn’t puked on his stuff, right?

“M-m not,” a voice grumbled, and with a sickening cough and gag, Roman was puking into the bathtub, getting Seth started back up again as well. It would have been amusing if his head wasn’t pounding so hard, making every strangled burp and cough feel like he was being pounded upside the head. He dry heaved for awhile, wincing hard as his belly and his throat agonized over whatever scraps they could find, before Dean came in to find them.

“Amateurs,” he snorted, standing in the doorway. Seth peered up miserably, trying to steady himself and take deep breaths. Dean had stolen a huge plush black bathrobe, easily too large for him.

“Get us some water,” Roman grunted, easing down to rest against the wall, wiping his mouth. He nodded at Seth, “You good?” 

Seth just shrugged, still struggling a little to breathe, then laughed weakly. 

It had been a pretty wild night, all things considered. For having made a promise with himself to not mess around with his coworkers, Seth had managed to double down on breaking it and had navigated himself through a sloppy, stop-and-go three-way between both men. Some parts were clearer than others, he didn’t really remember going to sleep at all- but it was still one for the books.

“There you go, atta boy.” Dean pressed huge glasses of ice-cold water into their hands, surveying each of them carefully. “Should I call out for some breakfast?”

“Put some coffee on.” Roman rasped filling his cup again in the sink after he’d finished. “I need to shower.”

“We’re all pretty gross.” Dean mumbled, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “Yeah?”

“Go order food, I want the hot water.” Roman began the process of cleaning out he bottom of the shower. Dean and Seth shuffled out awkwardly, getting the distinct impression that he didn’t want any company.

“You want a cigarette?” Dean offered, walking back into the bedroom to grab one for his pack in the pocket of his jeans. 

“Some pants would be nice.” Seth mumbled, going to the living room to try and figure out where his clothes had ended up. He was walking around naked, taking little steps, covered in goose bumps.

“Here,” Dean tossed him a pair of sweatpants that had been curled up in a ball at the bottom of the bed. “I wanna go check on Crispy.”

Mutely, Seth tugged on the sweats and followed Dean through the kitchen and out the sliding glass door to the backyard. He flinched at the hard light, Dean had put on the sunglasses from his goody bag at the party. 

“Who-“ Seth looked around, expecting a dog. Roman had a modest sized, fenced in backyard, but like the interior of his house, it was very organized and purposeful. The concrete landing had a little patio area with a grill and yard games, but the grassy back had several square garden patches separated with rail-road ties and little wire fencing. Despite his headache, Seth followed Dean’s barefoot jaunt into the grass and looked curiously into the little gardens.

“Crispy!” Dean barked, making his way over to a tiny little house. Seth looked up when he heard a soft clucking noise. Dean opened a little trap door on the structure and snorted. “Good-for-nothing idiot.”

“Does Roman-“ Seth couldn’t help smiling. “Is that a chicken?”

“Yeah, it’s Crispy.” Dean went to the gate of the little chicken run and opened the door. A huge golden hen came flying out, feathers flapping, eager to socialize. “He never told ya?”

“No!” Seth said excitedly, childlike enthusiasm welling up in his chest as Crispy happily bobbed around, pecking the ground.

“Well, watch your feet, there’s chicken shit everywhere.” Dean lit his cigarette. “Crispy is kinda lame now though, she doesn’t lay any more. More of a stew chicken.” Casually, Dean snatched the bird from the ground and held her in the crook of his arm. “Aren’t yuh?” Crispy clucked nervously, regarding Seth with her strange pre-historic eyes. Seth laughed, reaching out a finger to touch the little floppy red comb.

“That’s hilarious, I just never pegged Rome’ for a chicken guy.” Seth laughed, Dean cursed as Crispy scratched his chest with her talon through the V of the robe, exploding from his arms in a burst of feathers and landing on the ground. “He’s got all this gardening stuff, it’s so cool!”

“Yeah, it was more Daniel’s thing.” Dean shrugged. “He used to have three birds, I named Crispy. We got ‘em all a couple years ago once they finally decided on getting some egg-birds. Well, Roman’s bird turned out to be a rooster so they had to return it or something, and then Daniel’s hen got eaten by a critter.”

“Oh,” Seth said, too focused on watching the chicken make it’s way around the yard, looking for worms. “Just chickens though?” 

“They tried some ducks for awhile, but they sucked. Just a lot of work and no pay off.” Dean took a pull from his cigarette and trotted over to a stack of boxes near the back fence. “This crap was supposed to be a bee box but I dunno if they ever got the o-k from the city to do that.” 

Dean smoked two cigs while Seth followed after Crispy and looked through the garden. Almost everything in the back was some kind of fruit or vegetable, something that could be eaten and used for seasoning. Things were a little weeded over, a little messy, some labels had been washed out of the ground and were laying in the dirt outside of the patch. Dean had found a raspberry bush near the back and was going to town. 

“Shit is so good.” Dean popped the berries in his mouth in between drags off his cigarette. “All ripe right now too.”

They heard the glass door slide open and they both perked their heads.

“Uce, I want my robe.” Roman called to them. “You guys let Crispy out?”

“Yeah she’s wanderin’” Dean replied, tapping off his cigarette and making his way over to the door. “I didn’t call for food yet I didn’t know what you wanted.”

“I always get the same thing,” Roman sighed, dusting chicken feathers off his robe before going back into the house. 

“You don’t think he’s mad, do you?” Seth mumbled, rising to his feet again and wincing a little as his head pounded. 

“I ‘unno.” Dean sighed. “Whatever. Did you want seconds on the shower?”

Seth made his way back into the house and tried his best to stay clear of Roman, who was puttering around drinking coffee and rummaging through his cupboards in the kitchen. He hoped they weren’t over staying their welcome too much, he was just following Dean’s lead.  
Returning to the bathroom on less urgent circumstances, Seth noticed that it was in a state of being refinished. The walls had been stripped and primed, but unpainted. In the corner, several cans and rollers were resting on a balled up tarp. Even in this state of disarray, he thought it was a nicer bathroom than the one in his own apartment. 

The shower was heavenly, Roman’s tub was superb, with a spray nozzle the offered alternating water pressures. The available shampoo was a brand Seth had never seen before, so he tried to use as little as possible because it seemed expensive. Just a tiny dab of conditioner turned his hair as soft as it had ever been, even the colored bits. He moaned, getting tingles from how lovely it felt.   
It was difficult not to feel vacant and disassociated, being that he was so hungover. His mind still felt a little drunk and things were more difficult to process. He stood under the tap for an extra ten minutes with his eyes closed, just enjoying the sensation before he elected to get out. By the time he had toweled off his hair and slipped back into the sweat pants, Dean had left to get food. Roman sat at the little kitchen island, scooping some white chunky substance into a bowl.

“Much better,” Seth sighed, smiling. Roman caught his eye but didn’t say anything, sipping on his coffee. He sat at the stool most removed, suddenly not sure if he was allowed to get a cup. A few minutes passed before Roman stopped spooning out the chalky white substance and sat back, thinking hard.

“So,” Roman rubbed his eye, “Last night,” 

“Y-yeah,” Seth mumbled, Roman crossed his arms. “You alright?”

“I’m fine,” 

“It was pretty sudden,” Seth looked down at the marble-top of the table, thinking back to the party and Daniel’s farewell speech. “Plus, like… all the other shit going on in your life…”

“Yeah…”

Roman looked confused, the anger, or perceived anger Seth had felt off him early had dissipated. He kept rolling his lips under his teeth, thinking hard.

“I dunno,” Seth admitted, trying to keep him communicative. “It’s not something that, something that you _didn’t_ want, right?”

“Uh,” Roman smiled, despite himself. “I guess not.” 

“Well good,” Seth smiled back. “It kinda threw me off guard, but, uh… I definitely don’t _regret_ it.”

“Dean just got us good, man.” Roman relaxed, laughing. “He’d been trying to pull some shit like that on me for awhile.” 

“You think so?” Seth tucked some hair behind his ear, blushing a little. “Coffee?”

“Go ahead, he made a bunch,”

Seth helped himself to a glass, pulling down a mug with some college football team logo on it. He refilled Roman’s glass with the jug and sat closer, peering quizzically into the bowl of white stuff.

“It’s coconut oil.” Roman mumbled, running a hand through his long dark mane, “Chlorine had my hair all jacked, I need to fix it.”

“You put that stuff in it?” Seth smiled, tilting the bowl so he could look closer. Roman nodded.

‘Yeah you gotta melt it a bit and leave it in forever.”

The sliding door eased open and Dean was stumbling in, arms carrying several to-go bags of food, grinning under his sunglasses.

“Oh thank god,” Seth moaned dramatically. The smell of breakfast food had his insides burning, far from nauseous, he was starving. “What’d I get?”

“Everyone gets steak and eggs.” Dean handed them each little to-go carriers. “I didn’t remember what anyone wanted but that’s what I wanted I got a lot of it. Oh, and these pies too.” he pulled out some smaller carriers and dumped them on the table. “Lemon Meringue.”

They sat in a comfortable silence, each of them likely too hungry and hungover to try to entertain. Seth ate graciously, a little surprised neither of them had asked him for any money despite having fed him twice in a row now. The steak and eggs was decent, serviceable. 

“You text Dan?” Dean asked once he had finished, clipping his box shut and grabbing one of the pie slices. 

“Not yet.” Roman wiped his mouth. “I was gunna call him later, figure it out.” 

“I wanna say goodbye to him too,” Dean said thoughtfully. “He’s probably really busy right now though.” 

“We’ll see.” 

“How long where you guys together?” Seth asked, trying his best to sound curious as opposed to rude. He was getting a little tired of these conversations where he couldn’t really give any input. 

“Too long.” Roman said matter of factly. “About five years.”

“Y’all had a good run.” Dean mumbled into his pie. “You were cute for longer than you were annoying.”

“Thanks,” Roman snorted. 

“What about you?” Dean asked Seth, “Didn’t you have some ex in Indiana?” 

“Iowa.” Seth corrected, grabbing some pie for himself, “But yeah.”

“How long?” Roman asked. Seth fiddled with the strings on his sweatpants awkwardly. He supposed all of this stuff was going to come up eventually, but it didn’t mean he was prepared for it.

“I don’t even know.” Seth sighed, thinking. “He was like, my first. We met in high school and everything, so I knew him forever.”

“Dang,” Dean mumbled.

“Yeah, it was a big deal when it ended.” 

“Well at least you’re here now, right?” Roman said over his coffee. 

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve been telling myself. It’s been great, I’ve, well, I’ve made friends.” He blushed a little. “I only really got homesick once since I moved.”

“Getting away is good.” Roman looked thoughtful for a moment. “I went up North to see my fam for a week once me and Dan were done, really helped me out. But then, I was dealing with a ton of other shit too.”

“Yeah, jeez, lets tally that up.” Dean held up his hand, “A year ago, yeah? The lawsuit, the car accident, the hernia-“ he raised a finger for each thing he named off. “Josie got eaten-“

“Yup.” Roman sighed. 

“I still think you’re lucky to be alive mate,”

“You got into a car accident too?” Seth asked, disbelieving.

“Nah that was Dan.” Roman sighed, “Basically the whole thing fell apart because both of our lives sucked. The lawsuit wrapped up and I was sure I was gunna lose my certs-“ his face darkened, “Dan got in a car accident and screwed up his neck and head really bad, so then we were worried he wasn’t going to be able to work anymore. I’d started doing those-“ He laughed in spite of himself.

“Yeah, you were gunna be an EMT for a minute,” Dean grit his teeth.

“I failed out of EMT school cause I got a goddamn stress hernia.” Roman continued. “That’s right, **that** was the other thing. I think we just thought we were both bad luck, right? Like nothing worse could happen and then it did.” 

“Then you woke up to an exploded chicken all over your yard.”

“Then I woke up to an exploded chicken all over my yard.” He finished his coffee. “Yeah, we were both just tired. I think we thought we needed to stay for each other but damn, I dunno. I’m a mess when I’m mad.”

“Rough.” Seth said stupidly, not sure what to make of it all. His own experience had been completely painless in comparison. “But wait, how were you gunna be an EMT if you couldn’t be a first responder?” 

“Fuck if I know.” Roman shrugged. “I just didn’t know what I was gunna do with my life.” He half-rolled his eyes, sighing again. “Still don’t know.”

“Well,” Seth mumbled. “At least you’re _still_ here right? I can’t imagine dealing with any of that, in a relationship or not.”

“Well, you dated someone since high school, so.” Dean giggled, Seth shot him a look.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he sounded hurt, he felt it a little. He didn’t think Dean and Roman were _that_ much older than him, weren’t _that_ much wiser and mature. 

“Sorry, no, that was dumb.” Dean admitted, waving his hand. “I’m an asshole that doesn’t believe in love.”

“I’d imagine you’ve got more exes than both of us.” he sniffed. 

“Hmm, maybe.” Dean’s eyes narrowed, thinking. “Certainly more than you.” 

“Well you play for both teams.” Roman muttered. “You don’t not believe in love, you’re just a fidgety mess.”

“True.” Dean snorted. “I go through phases too, I guess.” 

They sat in silence for a few moments. Seth was still feeling a little raw from the comment Dean had made, it had come completely out of left field. Who was he to judge? His head pounded hard again, so instead of refilling his cup with coffee, he went to the fridge and got a glass of water from the dispenser before sitting back down again.

“Are you gay then, Rome’?” Seth asked politely. “Uh, straight up?” 

“Straight up gay,” He smiled, nodding. “Never wanted for anything else.”

“Well, me too,” Seth sipped from his cup. “If it wasn’t uh, really obvious. I think my ex was bi though, secretly or something.”

“What was his name, anyway?” Dean asked. “Tryin’ to picture this guy.”

“Marek.” Seth said. It felt strange to say out loud, like he was manifesting him into the room. He hadn't said it in awhile though, which did something funny to his mind.

“You think he didn’t like you or something?” 

“No, nothing like that.” Seth strained, trying to find the right words. “It’s complicated, I dunno.”

“Well now I’m just interested.” Dean chuckled. “Did you want to marry him or something?”

“What?” Seth sputtered. “No! No it wasn’t like that at all.” 

“I dunno, just sounded serious.” 

“Well-“ Seth huffed. “It’s weird,” he bit his lip, the words welling up uncomfortably in his throat. “But basically, it all ended ‘cause I cheated on him.”

A stunned silence followed and Seth immediately wished he hadn’t said it, he chewed his tongue uncomfortably. Dean blinked a few times, eyebrows disappearing into his bangs, Roman cleared his throat, not really meeting Seth’s eyes. Seth continued fidgeting with the band on his sweats, feeling a little cold. He hadn’t really _told_ anyone yet, was it ever going to get easier?  
Without warning a strange crowing noise came from the backyard, easily heard through the sealed glass door. They all looked up, confused.

“Is that-“

“Goddamn chicken.” Roman muttered, getting up and walking to the back. Dean chuckled, following. Seth felt a little weak, but got up just the same.

Crispy was pacing on top of the patio table, looking upset and crowing harshly. Roman shooed her away and she glided back down to the ground in a crumpled mess, clucking loudly. 

“I thought only roosters did that.” Seth smiled, watching the chicken bob it’s head and regard Roman cautiously. 

“She’s a diva.” Roman grunted, making his way back inside.

Seth wasn’t made to elaborate any further on the subject of Marek, though part of him wished he was. He didn’t know what to make of his friends reactions to the news, but as soon as they all crowded into Roman’s jeep to get to White Water and get to their cars- he knew that something was off. Nobody really talked, Deans fidgeting increased. Seth wished that Roman would just turn the radio on if they were resolved to be silent, but then both of them still had such terrible headaches that they were forced to endure to awkwardness. 

The worst part of it all was when Seth got out of the car and suddenly remembered his obligation to close that night.

“Oh hell.” Seth pressed on his eyes, wanting nothing more than to just crawl into his own bed and pass out.

“What?” Dean mumbled. 

“Randy-“ Seth groaned, “Randy asked me if I could close and I said yes, I completely forgot until just now.” 

“Have you even closed before?” Dean chuckled. Roman had already started pulling away from the curb, ready to head back home, Dean waved.

“Not here.” Seth said, defeated. “Fuck, my head is fuckin’ killin’ me.”

“Well shit,” Dean looked around the parking lot, it was around 4:30, there were still plenty of people coming and going even though the park was closed. “I could stay and help. It’s pretty simple but I could just show you what ya gotta do.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Seth mumbled. Part of him seriously considered calling Randy and telling him he couldn’t, but it would have run against the grain of being a reliable employee. Seth didn’t want to go back on his promises to other people.

“It’s no prob,” Dean came up behind him resting his chin on his shoulder. “I smell like dog shit right now, I’ll go in, take a shower and then I’ll help the park folks with some of their park stuff. Then I’ll be on the clock, yeah? So I’ll just swing by and help you out when the pool is wrappin’ up.” 

Seth sighed, unable to think of anything better. 

“I guess.” 

“You guess?” Dean nuzzled against his shoulder. 

“Why you care so much all of a sudden?” Seth said lowly, trying to pretend like he was apathetic to his advances. 

“I dunno, just do.”

Completely unprepared but lacking for time, Seth grabbed an extra guard shirt and a pair of shorts out of the lost and found that would work. Randy himself was the guard on duty in the lap pool, watching over a couple of older women who were sharing a lane. Seth thought about just asking Randy what the closing procedure was, but as soon as he'd pulled off his tube, Randy was practically racing out the door.

“Been here since ten,” he grunted, throwing off his fanny pack. “My head feels like it’s gunna fuckin' split open.”

“Do tell,” Seth mumbled, blinking under the harsh fluorescent lighting. The smell of the pool wasn’t helping much either. 

Luckily, the lap pool was fairly desolate. There weren’t any screaming children or any of the extra variables that P-Pool would have provided. Occasionally Dean or Hunter popped in, mostly to transfer boxes of files from the park to the office. At around 8:30 at night, Seth was exhausted, pacing around the pool just to keep himself awake and alert, guarding a single determined lap-swimmer that couldn’t take a hint. Kevin came by to do a lap with the power cleaner before Dean showed up.

“How you holdin’ up?” Dean asked, wiping sweat off his brow. “I ain’ helped with any of that stuff in years. They made me clean out their damn refrigerator.”

“I’m good, let’s close this down.” Seth mumbled, kneading his temples.

With the front doors locked, Dean helped Seth pull the lap lanes out and roll them up onto the spool. Seth completed the safety check while Kevin put in the pool vacuum, then Dean pulled out the chemical test.

“I actually haven’t done this in forever, but there are instructions in here somewhere.” Dean flicked through the chemical log, “Yeah, ok, here we go, PH…”

Seth tested the water with tablets, having to blink hard to see the reading next to the color chart for the water. Everything appeared to be in range, the temperatures were fine. Dean was bouncing on his heels, jotting down the read outs, but otherwise keeping quiet. Seth hoped he realized how tired he was, how it was nothing personal.

“Super easy,” Dean mumbled, clapping the log shut and putting away the testing kit. “That’s really about it. We used to have to go and test each other’s chemicals and stuff, thank god we stopped.” 

“Mm,” Seth grunted, slipping his street shoes back on. Dean turned off the main lights as they made their way out through the locker room, coming out into the lobby where Kevin was now vacuuming and talking to Sami as he folded towels.

“Goodnight gentlemen,” Sami cooed at them. Dean stuck out his tongue, sneaking his sunglasses onto his face. 

“Thanks,” Seth mumbled as they made their way down the concrete stairs. It was a little cooler than it had been earlier, the sun had mostly set. 

“No prob.” Dean pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Goin’ home?”

“Yup.”

“M’alright,”

Dean didn’t need any other hints, just turned on his heel and made his way over to his car, waving back as he stuffed his bag into the backseat before wrenching open the front door. Seth took a deep breath, making his way across the lot to the opposite side where he’d parked yesterday. His car would be about a thousand degrees on the inside, baking all day in the hot sun. 

“Ugh,” he moaned, putting the key in the ignition and rolling down his windows the moment his car came to life. Seth examined himself in the mirror, his face grey and tired, his dark eyes ringed red with fatigue. He blinked a couple of times, not really sure why he cared or what he was doing.

_Whatever_ he thought, blearily. And that was the long and the short of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We got an explosion of people making art for this fic and I have no idea what happened. If you want to draw some fanart, tag it #strykelass and I'll feature it here! I feel weird saying it, but honestly people have just been so on it, I have no idea what to say other then thanks! It's a huge compliment!
> 
> From Pigeoness on Tumblr:
> 
> http://pigeoness.tumblr.com/post/140257148512/so-ive-been-reading-to-the-rescue-on-ao3-and-oh
> 
> http://pigeoness.tumblr.com/post/140329132817/more-to-the-rescue-sketches-bc-im-slightly
> 
> Also sorry the sex scene didn't immediately come up, I'm sure y'all wanted to read it. Don't worry, It'll _come_.


	21. The Ex-Files

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth gets his hair 'did and ponders the men in his life.

As if to commit to to routine, Seth texted Sasha on Sunday morning to see if she was free. He saw some vague mentions on her snapchat story about being bored and needing to go out, so they connected. It wasn’t as though he wanted to make a habit of venting his sexual anxieties to her, but despite her flirtatious nature, she didn’t tell anyone about it. As it turned out, she had made an appointment with Tamina at her shop later in the day and since Seth’s own roots had started to show, he obliged to tag along and see if she couldn’t fit him in.

“You got both!?” She exclaimed angrily (in reference to Roman and Dean) as they made their way through the Starbucks drive thru. “I can’t believe you!”

“Where you ready to order?” the voice at the other end of the line asked, bored. Sasha looked at Seth sternly over her huge sunglasses, he chuckled.

“An iced mocha, no whip.” she recited, Seth mouthed his own order. “And an iced hazelnut latte.”

There was still an hour before her appointment, but Sasha parked her car in the galleria and they walked around, not paying much attention to the attractions and the shops. 

“Me and Xavier made out a little bit, it wasn’t anything crazy.” Sasha put her phone in her purse, looking back at Seth. “What’s a three-way like?” 

Seth frowned, sighing. He really couldn’t tell her, not because he’d die of embarrassment, though that was still a pretty likely outcome, but the whole ordeal had been so blurry that he couldn’t remember it all in the right order.

“It was private.” Seth mumbled, settling for some form of honesty. “Besides, did you drink what Scott was handing out? Brown-out in a cup.”

“I love his drinks.” Sasha laughed. “Did you hear? Hunter was actually really upset that he was handing them out, he’s always telling him not to bring booze but he always sneaks it in. He’s got this great party reputation now so even if Hunter wanted to toss him out, the whole staff loves him so much that they wouldn’t let him.”

“He’s gotta look out for his staff.” Seth shrugged. “Wouldn’t want anyone to drunk drive, as short staffed as we are.”

“That’s morbid.” Sasha rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m glad you had fun. You just get to pick ‘em, don’t ya?”

“I don’t try.” Seth admitted, staring over Sasha’s shoulder to the water fountain in the center of the strip. 

“I think-“ She said, sipping thoughtfully, “You just have this naturally flirtatious charisma about you. Like, you’re always challenging in what you say and do- not in a mean way!” She fumbled, seeing Seth’s eye’s narrow. “No! No, like you’re confident, but in this sort of showy way where you want to see other people get on your level.”

“What are you talking about?” He laughed. 

“It’s the way you walk!” She strutted a few feet in front of them, her chest puffed out. “It’s sort of like the dude fuck-me pumps walk.”

“I beg your pardon?” Seth snorted, he hoped to god he didn’t walk like that.

“It’s not bad.” Sasha reiterated. “But, I think if I were a gay dude, I would think you were flirting.”

“Good… to know…” he snickered, finishing off his coffee and tossing the cup in the nearest bin. 

Sasha’s ridiculous insight gave him more to think about through sitting and waiting at _Envi Cuts_ where Tamina was working. The place was busy, mostly women and chic business types who where getting their appointments in before the week started. The receptionist eagerly greeted Sasha before taking down Seth’s information.

“I think I can get you in.” Tamina wandered over to look alongside the receptionists at her schedule, “If not though, maybe after my four o’ clock.”

Seth fiddled with his phone while Sasha got her hair touched up. He wasn’t really sure what to make of her comments, but thinking about the critique, he guessed she wasn’t _wrong_. There had been plenty of times he’d felt as though he’d rubbed people the wrong way. Sometimes it was at work, a lot of the time it was just in things that came up in casual conversation. Seth didn’t try to talk about things he didn’t understand or have any ground on, but when he was sure of something, he was confident. Even if he felt neurotic in his mind, he liked to believe he was sure of himself because everything he did was so thought out.

His focus drifted momentarily over Marek, remembering, ruefully, the conversation he’d had yesterday with Roman and Dean. He’d only wished he’d elaborated more on the context, the circumstances for the whole thing. Did they both think he was some cheating scumbag now? They’d each just gone so quiet and hadn’t mentioned it since…

He and Marek had been growing apart for a long time, they’d moved in together and been trying to sort through a lot of things Seth hadn’t been ready to tackle. Sharing money and expenses for some common good hadn’t been anything he’d anticipated. Marek had always wanted to nest and was always dropping hints about needing a new this or that, while Seth had been perfectly fine to sack out on their grungy, old couch. There were petty little fights over chores and obligations, so eventually Seth had just stopped giving a shit about trying to appear happy and sociable when he came home after a long day at work. But all the while, Marek was talking about the future- when they’d move into a bigger place, when they’d get a nicer car. It had been maddening.

Of course Seth knew that cheating was wrong and that the better thing to do would have been to talk to Marek and break it off properly. But then, Seth didn’t know what he wanted. They had been together so long that neither of them really knew whose stuff was whose any more. What were they supposed to do without each other? It wasn’t as though he’d cheated because he’d wanted the whole thing to shatter around him, but he didn’t know what to do, which is why he’d done it.

“Are you reading this?” 

Seth snapped back to reality. A women to his left was making to grab the magazine off the chair next to him. He shook his head.

Part of him wondered if he’d ever want the spouse, home, and 2.5 kids that he was supposed to be striving for. He’d fallen into it with Marek because that had been what Marek wanted, because everyone around him seemed to want that too and any time they’d taken cutesy photos together, been seen together at events and parties, people affirmed what they were doing was _correct_. 

_What do I really want?_ Seth thought loudly in his head. Without preamble, Dean and Roman seemed to come to the forefront, eager to make themselves seen. He frowned, trying to go beyond the presence of others, thinking hard.

He liked lifeguarding because it was a job, it wasn’t too difficult, he liked to swim, and it gave him a good excuse to be outside and in shape. The pay wasn’t amazing, he’d probably be expected to ‘grow up’ and get a ‘real job’ if he wanted to support someone other than himself. But at present, given where he was now, he didn’t care.   
He liked just having a little bit of extra cash enough to buy nice foods, the occasional new video game, a gym membership. Seth had never been the type to want for much more than the bare minimum, didn’t want nice clothes and fancy stuff. Maybe it was his modest, midwestern upbringing, but he just never saw the appeal.

His mind raced until Tamina ushered him over to the chair, insisting that she could get him in, but they had to be quick. Sasha stood by the mirror, checking her dye job and trim to her ends.

“I liked-“ he cleared his throat, his voice had gone hoarse for some reason. “I liked the color last time, that was good.”

“Right,” Tamina said, leaning in close. “Ix-nay on the ‘last time-aye’. You’re a _new_ customer.” she winked and Seth frowned, confused.

“She’s not supposed to work outside of work,” Sasha mouthed, “Don’t blow my good deal.”

Tamina quickly foiled his roots and Seth tried to follow along with their conversation and distract himself from the weird, existential thoughts that kept trying to make their way to the surface. She was able to work much faster this time, knowing just how thick and difficult his hair would be. In all of about forty-five minutes, his blonde patch had lightened up and gone back up to his scalp, which was still a little irritated from the dye. 

“Sixty-five.” Tamina told the receptionist, Seth frowned. He liked getting his hair done in his apartment better.

“We’ll get drink next weekend Ti!” Sasha waved at her, flicking her sunglasses back on. “You ready?”

“Yup.” Seth pulled his own back on. “Not to run off, but I gotta do some laundry and stuff.”

She drove him back home, and saw him off with a kind of sympathetic wave. It felt something like _Good luck getting your sex life in order!_ But then maybe he was reading into it too much. 

Seth felt like he hadn’t been home in days, and it was kind of true. There was some definite laundry to do and he really needed to run to the grocery store and re-up before the week really started. But rather than getting some headway on chores, he went to his closet and pulled out one of the larger cardboard boxes he’d kept from the move and went to his living room, piling in all the movies and games that he felt belonged to Marek.   
He got liberal with it, throwing in some things that weren’t in contention, but were things Seth knew that Marek missed. Some books, some CD’s, things that he had originally packed just to be spiteful. In fact, none of this junk was really anything he would miss, he’d felt guilty. 

Before he sealed it up with packing tape, he sat down on the couch with some notebook paper and thought carefully, staring out the balcony door and trying to put all of his thoughts in order. He should have done this sooner, should’ve waited until Jimmy of all people had called him and tried to figure out what was happening. 

**Marek**

He felt dumb already, but he sighed and pressed on-

**Writing this out is weird and hard, but I wanted to tell you sorry, for real. I don’t think I ever said it really well when everything hit the fan, but I want to make sure that you know how bad I feel about it all. You didn’t deserve anything that happened to you and even though I think it’s better this way, it shouldn’t have happened like that.**

He sighed, listening to the humming of the refrigerator and the air conditioner.

**I hope you’ve more or less gotten used to not dealing with my presence in your life and that you’re doing a lot better. Florida is really different, I’m fitting in somehow, but it’s no Davenport. Maybe sometime soon I’ll come and vis-**

He erased the last sentence. Not wanting to get his own hopes up. 

**I knew when I stopped being an asshole that you should have all this stuff back. It’s not mine, and even if it was, it just reminded me of you and how much you’d appreciate it more than me. I still don’t know why I took it, but I hope you didn’t miss it all for too long. I really hope you’re doing alright and you can find someone that makes you happy.**

He paused again, thinking hard. He wanted to say more, to tell Marek how he’d realized just how different they were and how it was just fine. How happy he was to finally be working on himself and trying to figure out who he was- it probably would have sounded selfish though. Seth wasn’t sure how to say it all, he hoped this was good enough.

**Love and Respect,**

**Seth**

He slipped it into the box and set it by the door. He’d pass it off at the post office on his way to work in the morning. For a few moments, Seth just stared at it, feeling like a little weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His fingers felt a little tingly and without any forewarning, his eyes were wet, his nose just a little runny.  
“Ahh!” he groaned angrily, dabbing his tears. As if to disprove to his body that he was in any way upset, he stomped into the kitchen and pulled out the last remaining bits of Cherry Garcia Ben & Jerry’s he had left and began viciously eating it. He laughed, sniffing angrily, trying to put the box out of his mind. The day before he had flown to Orlando he’d been emotional and a little weepy, but had promised himself that once he had touched down in Florida that he was done crying about Marek.

The night came in and Seth was too lazy to leave. He played some video games, he ate a frugal supper, did the dishes and folded laundry. It felt silly to be sleepy by 8:30, but he was starting to yawn and rub his eyes so he plopped down into his bed pretty quickly. After a few moments of staring at the wall, bored, he remembered that jerking off was pretty much the best way to get ready for bed and quickly pulled out his fun-time bag of toys. 

Seth’s selection wasn’t too diverse, but he felt he covered his bases. Feeling especially horny, he spread them all out, wanting to do more than just come quickly. Marek had somehow walked off with the couple of dildos they’d accumulated over the years, but Seth had a handy little bullet vibrator with a few different settings, some socks, a plug, and a stroker that he didn’t use very often. A handful of jelly cock rings and were at the bottom of the bag, intermingling with some smaller test bottles of lube that warmed and desensitized. His favorite, a big bottle of Swiss Navy, was pretty much essential to him. He picked it out with the bullet, feeling particularly empty after his big Friday night.

He’d been so wasted, but thinking back on it now- it had been a dream, the fantasy he’d been having since he realized he was working with a huge samoan and his small flirtatious best friend. How were they going to navigate this friendship now? He’d worry about it later, his dick was already fattening up remembering how he’d walked in, finding Roman awake again, his bottle of lube in Dean’s hand. As drunk as he’d been, he just thought that Dean had ditched him to fuck Roman, but that was only _half_ true.

_Roman’s hand that had been circling his waist pushed him down on the bed once Dean had shut the door. The only light was Roman’s little bedside lamp and Seth yelped on contact with the bed, he shifted onto his back, eager to see as Roman came down right over top of him._

_“Fuck ‘em Rome,” Dean had mumbled by the door, slowly pumping his dick with one hand and using the other to support himself from the wall._

_“I’s gunna.” Roman mumbled, dipping his chin down to deliver delicate kisses all over his neck. Seth whimpered at the sensation of his goatee fuzz and drew back. “That sound good?”_

_“Yeah.” Seth said, dazed, looking effortlessly up at Roman, still in disbelief that this was happening. Roman smiled, his face was flushed and he looked reasonably trashed as well, but began easing down his trunks as he came close again. His mouth tracing back and forth, creeping up into his beard until Seth couldn’t take it and forced their mouths together._

_‘Please fuck me,’ Seth kept thinking, over and over. ‘God I want you, please just fuck me.’ He kissed him as hard and as sloppily as he’s probably ever kissed before, too drunk to do it right anyway, he just went for enthusiasm. Roman grinned against his mouth and reciprocated, pressing him deep into the mattress._

_Seth could hear Dean beating off from the corner, swearing. They drew apart and Seth gasped, forgetting to breathe, and Dean flopped down beside him, eager to be included._

_“You think he’s re-al pretty, don’t cha?” Dean mumbled, twining Seth’s hair._

_“M-yeah.” Seth breathed, not really sure what the right answer was, but it was the truth._

_“You want him to fuck you.”_

_“Yeah.”_

_Dean pulled him into his own mouth now, a thousand times more wet and sloppy._

“Mmm,” Seth mumbled, getting a nice rhythm going. It was easier to close his eyes and remember sensations, the feeling. The events all came to him in a cluster, but the energy had been electric. 

_Dean had laid out in his lap, his head resting against his chest while Roman was quickly slicking on a condom in front of him. His leg’s spread, ready to go, Seth could see Roman’s dick was practically ideal. Tan, thick, a vein parting along the top to the uncut head. His eye’s crossed, staring drunk down the length of his body where Roman was about to split him open, his mouth was watering just looking at the thing. Ever the fidgety talker, Dean kept mumbling, asking questions._

_“How nice is that?” Dean twined his hair in his hands. “Isn’t that just the nicest thing yuh’ver saw?”_

_“Mmm.”_

_“You think you can take all that at’d once?”_

_“Mmgh.”_

_Roman pressed well slicked fingers up against the backside he’d worked on preparing and Seth whimpered again, forcing himself not to shut his eyes. He wanted to burn it into his memory, Roman, thick sweet fingers, right up against his ass. He’d gotten right back up to three again and Roman was purring back, considering._

_“He fucks good.” Dean nodded to Roman, worming one of his own fingers down to Seth’s mouth and tracing over his lips and chin._

_“He loud?” Roman looked right at him and he looked away, suddenly shy._

_“Mmm, not really.” Dean laughed as Seth peeked his tongue out at his finger, quickly he popped it into Seth’s open mouth and forced him to suck._

_“Hmm,” Roman licked his lips a little, raising one of Seth’s legs in his hand to get leverage. “We’ll see.” He pushed in slowly, exhaling loudly at how tight the fit was._

_“O-oh,” Seth panted, his hand jarring up to grab Roman’s thigh- anything to stabilize himself. Dean caught it and firmly grasped it, letting him grip his fingers hard. Roman worked up a nice even pace, plenty hard and tenacious despite the liquor. He was growling low, his hair a wild mess, pouring out all over the place. One tattooed arm wrenched him in closer and so Seth was laying on Dean’s belly, bumping around with the beat. Dean just cooed, his dick hard and poking against Seth’s shoulder._

_“F-fuckin’, god.” Roman grunted, thrusting for longer, testing speed back and forth, quickly pulling his own hair out of his way._

_“So tight.” Dean agreed._

_Roman nodded, biting his lip as he picked up the pace a little. Seth just flourished in the effort, jerking around excitedly and drooling on Dean’s leg a little as he panted._

_“Still so quiet.”_

_Dean reached out and began to stroke at Seth’s cock, massaging the area playfully and ripping little whimpers and grunts out of his throat. Roman was absolved in his own rhythm, but Seth could see him watching carefully, his dark eyes following his body as it bounced around on his cock, occasionally meeting his eyes._

Seth fumbled, lubing the bullet vibe up in his hands and without much prep, raised his legs up and quickly put it up his ass. He groaned loudly, the little pill shaped gadget pulsing fast.

_”He’s sensitive.” Dean hissed, drawing his fingers back up to his chest and making for his nipples again. “He loves this.” Teasing, hands roved over his chest, making him gasp sharply._

_“Aw,” Roman laughed, slowing down to stroke in deep rolls. “Suck ‘em then.”_

_“Nngh!” Seth whined as Dean whisked him out of his lap and went to his side eagerly, propping him up with pillows, his mouth instantly went to his chest and began to tease him with his tongue. Soft kisses, passes with his tongue, hard and light, Seth breathed hard, erratically. His face was screwed up, biting his lip as Dean hovered close and latched on strong, making him wail._

_“’s better.” Roman said, almost relieved, working up to a fast pounding rhythm again._

“F-fuck,” Seth muttered, turning the vibe up on the bullet higher, beating faster.

_Roman flipped him on his belly and Dean stood over him on the bed, leaning on the wall, watching eagerly as they resituated._

_“Race you there, yeah?” Dean huffed, motioning at his cock. Roman laughed hard and Seth whimpered, feeling the effort of his laugh shaking him at his core._

_“Fuck, man, I guess.” Roman grabbed Seth’s hips carefully, looking at his ass lovingly. He paused for a moment as Dean crept closer, unsure at first, but locking his gaze with his friend to draw him into a kiss. Roman softened, withdrawing a hand to ghost over Dean’s face. Seth could just hear the smacking and the sudden stillness- and with patience effectively banished from his dictionary, he rutted hard against Roman, throwing back his hips and shaking the bed hard enough to topple them all._

_“Oh well now,” Dean coughed. “Oh well now!”_

_Roman caught him as he tried to buck again, firm hands pinning him on the spot. Seth giggled, hiccuping lightly._

_“Trouble.” Roman tutted, patting Seth’s behind in anticipation for a sharp slap. Seth yelped, unprepared._

_“That nice?” Dean laughed, scratching Seth’s head. Seth moaned and Roman patted the spot, amused with the perky shake of his ass. He grabbed hard, pulling him in deeper to begin working up to a fast rhythm again while Dean masturbated in tandem._

_“Fuckin’ A’” Dean swore, the slapping noise echoing around the room sharply. Roman twitched, growling again as he pumped hard._

_“Wanna hear you yell,” he croaked, digging Seth deeper into the bed with each hit. “You like that?”_

_“Yeah,” Seth cried, letting his backside go as soft as possible for the onslaught on the man behind him. “M-yeah,”_

_“He’s pretty.” Dean breathed, “Fuck, Rome’ ‘m gunna-“_

_Roman seized, pounding faster, the competitiveness reaching a boiling point. Dean couldn’t be contained much longer as he let out a high pitched yell, doubling over to crouch over Seth’s back, pigeon-toed and coming in white threads. Roman swore, doubling his efforts and finally making Seth howl, screwing up his face and shuddering at the warm come on his back._

“Motherfucker,” Seth cried, shaking as he beat hard, his ass bucking as he twitched. He panted, feeling the overwhelming waves crash over him as come shot out fast over his chest and stomach, he let out unrestrained little yells, jerking quickly even after he’d finished and relishing in the shudders. 

It wouldn’t be the last time he revisited that night, and he hoped beyond hope it wouldn’t be his last night with both men. Even though he wasn’t sure exactly what that meant to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole week was like, school trying to assassinate me and I'm just running through the underbrush crying with no clothes on. I dunno. I finally got a decent meal and a beer in me so I wrote this, hope you like it.


	22. Dead reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth's going to run a 5K? Who is the new guy? Is Holly-Ann ever going to be comfortable around water? Do Dean and Roman think Seth's a cheater?

The next week had Seth guarding the lap pool during the day and teaching a couple swim lessons in the evening. Since the park had shut down and was locked up for the winter, things seemed to have chilled-out on a day-to-day basis. There were significantly less cars in the lot, less sulky teens loitering around, and all of the staff were more relaxed. Hunter was mostly back to doing office work, but occasionally came out to teach a lesson or two.

“This is a good time.” Cesaro sighed, handing off his tube to Seth, ready to get off his shift. “No park, and the fall rush of folks hasn’t started. No swim team.”

“How was that Chicago thing?” Seth asked him, it was the first time he had seen him all week. 

“Very good, I got certified.” He grinned, grabbing his phone and coffee thermos. “So I will probably go down hours here and start doing more training with clients. That reminds me though-“

He scrolled through his phone for a moment, bringing up an email.

“I do this every year, just for fun.” He held his phone out for Seth to glance at. “Fun-run.”

“A 5k?” Seth didn’t want to spend too much time looking at it while he was guarding, but Cesaro nodded. 

“It’s downtown at night, it’s a color run.” Cesar explained. “Not for a few weeks, but I always get free passes so if you want to do it-“

“Sure!” Seth nodded, flattered that he was being invited to something. “I haven’t run one before but I’m sure it would be fun.”

“We should race then.” Cesaro’s eyes glinted and Seth grinned, back.

“You’re on man, I’m way smaller than you. I got speed on my side.” 

“If you’re as fast as you are in the pool, then I _might_ be in trouble.” He waved, sliding on his sunglasses. “Start training for it!”

The pool got a little busier after lunch time, but predictably slowed down around two. Seth fiddled with the strap on his tube, tying it into a daisy chain and pulling it slack again several times. The afternoon shift always dragged on, seeming to take up much more time than it actually did. Around a quarter-to, only a few people were swimming and Hunter came in with someone Seth didn’t know.

“-Occasionally you’ll be down here co-teaching. There are a few classes that are large enough where they have to take place down here. More aerobic based than therapeutic.”

The man just nodded, following along with everything that Hunter was saying. He had longish brown hair and patchy beard fuzz.

“Those were mostly on weekends, yeah?”   
“Yup.” Hunter nodded. Seth watched them in his periphery, the guy had a pretty distinct southern accent. “We try to make the coffee a little stronger on Saturdays.” They caught each other’s eye and the stranger gave a half smile, waving.

“And this is Seth,” Hunter gestured. “Seth this is AJ, he’ll be taking over Daniel’s old teaching position.”

“Hey,” Seth waved dumbly, AJ was kind of cute. Hunter ushered him into his office pretty quickly and they sat down, likely to deal with some hiring stuff. Forty-Five more minutes of pacing and Charlotte came in to relieve him so he could teach.

His heart jittered a little in his chest when Dean and Roman came in to start their classes. Seth had finally gotten a shirt that fit him properly and was putting out belts and noodles for his class when Roman came in, wetted down from the shower. Seth smiled widely at him, maybe just a little bashfully, but Roman barely waved. He seemed more focused on putting his gym bag in the office and Seth chewed his lip, annoyed.

Maybe this was just something he was going to have to accept- people thinking he was un-trustworthy for cheating on his boyfriend. Seth couldn’t really be upset with anyone but himself about it, but the awkwardness of it all made it a lot harder to be honest.

“What’s up?” 

Seth blinked and shook his head, Dean had appeared practically out of thin air- had been watching him looking sullen.

“Nothing, why?”

Dean just shrugged, going over to the office door to hang up his towel. Seth pressed his eyes shut-tight, the chlorine irritating him.   
Lessons were a wash at the start, the kids weren’t listening and for whatever reason, the pool just seemed too full, of water or children Seth wasn’t sure. The classes were competing for space, and noise was bouncing off the walls. Any time he set a toy or a noodle down in the gutter, it almost made it around the pool, floating along in the accumulated water that washed over into the drains. Too make it all worse, Randy seemed extra grouchy with his managing duties, kneading his temples with the heel of his hand and mixing up names on the rosters. 

“Hey!” Seth barked, catching Armand by the hand. He’d been letting go of the wall and bobbing around dangerously, it was the third time he’d done it. Seth caught his breath, talking quietly, “Bud, if you can’t hold onto the wall I’m gunna make you sit out.”

Luckily, the kids seemed to get tired of giggling and breaking rules so Seth had them collect sinking toys in the shallow end, giving him some time to collect himself. Roman’s and Kofi’s advanced classes were doing races off of the diving blocks, Dean’s Eel class swamped into the shallows and joined Seth’s kids in the activity.

“They’re rowdy today, huh?” Dean was holding his clipboard on top of his head, shifting to the other side of the pool. Seth just waved his hand, not really wanting to work himself into a mood, besides, it seemed in poor taste to trash-talk the kids while they were still swimming.

“Just a couple more sessions,” Dean said in a sing-song voice, checking a few of his kids off on some skills. “Then we got… more sessions…”

“Was there another class?” Seth asked, throwing out a couple more rings, he knew there probably was, but he was sort of hoping he didn’t have to teach any.

“Just Roman’s Pike you can shadow.” 

It was the class with Holly-Anne, he sighed, maybe a little too dramatically as Dean shot him a strange look.

“You getting sick?”

“Nah, no it’s fine. I’m just kinda tired.”

Seth checked off a couple of essential skills for Edi and Jaennie, wondering if Maddie would ever care enough about swimming to graduate from Fish class. Once the kids had made their way to the locker rooms, he collected the extra toys in time for Roman to hop into the shallows and Dean to vacate.

“Did you just want me to be with Holly again?” Seth mumbled, kneeling on the bottom of the pool. If he was in a better mood he might have gotten his frustration buzzing into a sort of confident, challenging attitude. Then he could let Roman know that he wasn’t plagued with regret from oversharing about Marek. That wasn’t the case though.

“Yeah,” Roman said lowly, “Just do whatever you can, don’t stress about it.”

Roman’s boys arrived a little early and so he got them started while Seth helped Kofi and Dean put the rest of kickboards away. When Holly-Anne and her mother arrived, Seth had already grabbed some toys and distractions that he thought might tempt her into getting in the pool.

“Lifejackets.” Seth tried hopefully, grabbing one of the adult life vests that were hanging up with the youth sizes. “Have you worn one of those before?”

“Remember when we went to Pennekamp?” Maggie Shippley encouraged, rubbing her daughters shoulder. “Like when we went on the boat?”

“No,” Holly said, looking cautiously at the little red lifejacket. Seth crouched, offering the arm holes to her, she didn’t move.

“We’ll just put them on and see,” Seth said softly, helping her ease into the vest and buckling up the sides. 

Swimming with or without a life jacket was about the last thing that Holly wanted to do, but he knew that if they just sat on the ramp the whole time, she wouldn’t be learning anything. It was frustrating for everyone involved, but Seth remembered how well he’d done last time and really wanted a repeat performance. If he could get Holly to paddle around a little bit, maybe even feel confident about it, he could at least leave White Water that day knowing that he’d accomplished something, and he’d be able to stop thinking about Dean and Roman and Marek for a couple hours.

“Hey, hey,” Seth murmured, he’d gotten into the water and Holly was sitting on the edge, screwing up her face a little. She was so different from other little girls- she wasn’t making a scene or vehemently denying she would swim, it was entirely nerves.

“I c-c-n’t-“ She cried, tears starting to flow down her cheeks. Instinctively, Seth offered his large hand to hold her small one.

“It’s scary, right?” He said flatly, not wanting her to think he was poking fun, he just nodded. “But you know why we want you to do it right?”

She sobbed, but nodded, letting go of Seth’s hand to wipe her eyes. Kids crying normally just annoyed him, he knew how to deal with it just fine, but most of the time it was always over dumb reasons. He’d gotten his fill of it working as a lifeguard for summer camps- kids who threw sand, kids who cried any time someone said something mean. Most of the time, you couldn’t really do anything more than address the safety concern. Seth could see Maggie rising from her seat on the deck-bench, craning her neck to see what was happening. He didn’t want her to come over yet, he could handle this.

“You’ve swam in a life jacket before though, right?” Seth asked, “You can just nod or shake your head.” Holly nodded, sniffing hard. “Did you do it at a pool?”

“Outside,” she sniffed again, wiping snot on her hand.

“Well,” Seth drummed his palms on the deck, “I’m touching right here, see? You could too if you were standing up, but lifejackets make you float, right?” He dipped down, showing her that he remained buoyant on the surface of the water. 

“I-I-“ Holly took a deep breath, screwing up her face again, “I-“

“It’s alright,” Seth said, standing on his feet again, coming closer to her and hovering right at her eye level where she couldn’t ignore him. “It’s ok to be scared, but we just have to take a deep breath and try, ok?”

With much coercion, Holly agreed to let Seth hold her in the pool. Maggie finally sat down in her seat as Seth held her on his hip and walked around the shallow end until she calmed down a little. For awhile, Seth just talked with her, asking her questions about the times she had been in boats and swam in lakes to make her feel a little at-ease. He could tell she hated it, she was trembling hard and biting her lip white, but after enough time just pacing around she seemed to calm.

“I want to try one thing today, just one.” Seth proposed, setting her back down on the deck to watch him. “We’re just going to float, and we’re just going to do it with the lifejacket on, ok?”

Holly watched, fidgeting with her swim suit for a moment while Seth demonstrated floating on his back, arms out wide. 

“I can’t do it without a lifejacket either, really. But I just want you to relax, ok? I’m going to be right here and I’ll have my hands under you the whole time.”

Seth plucked her off the wall again and eased her down into the water, letting his touch become much less directed as Holly looked around nervously, trying to lay back.

“Head back, head back.” Seth muttered, she looked up at him anxiously, but followed his instruction until she was level with the water, flat.

“-m I floating?” She asked, Seth grinned.

“Yeah.”

True to his word, they just played with ducks on the ramp for the last few minutes of the class, Maggie was, again, thrilled beyond words. She didn’t move beyond her spot, choosing instead to take pictures from the bench while Holly handed ducks to Seth, categorizing them.

“Hey! Holly!” Dean crooned, both she and Seth looked over, between the railings of the ramp and Dean snapped a few photos with a little digital camera, he felt smug.

“This is-“ Holly squeezed all the water out of one of the toys, giggling. “Mister-Seth duck.” She handed him a duck that, if he had to guess, was supposed to be a rock star or a musician. All of the paint on the duck’s black hair had rubbed off on one side, making it look similarly two-toned. Seth cackled and Holly smiled, giddy.

“Alright big girl,” Maggie came over with a towel once Roman had started sending off the two boys. Holly looked tentative for a moment, as though she was sad to leave, but allowed herself to be pulled away. 

“We might just want to try private lessons.” Seth offered, picking up the rest of the toys. “It would make it easier for her to get that one on one time.”  “Roman had mentioned that,” she nodded, “Yes, it’s been so lovely what you’ve been able to do with her, I would hope that you could teach her. I was wondering if it wasn’t maybe some sort of thing where she might do better with a female teacher, but, well, this is just going _fantastic_.”

“You cool with us posting this online?” Dean jiggled the camera in his hand. “Advertise the scholarship, and stuff?”

“Absolutely,” She beamed, “You gentlemen have a wonderful day.”

With another good lesson under his belt, Seth couldn’t help but smile fondly. He packed up his things, and showered quickly, doing his best to thoroughly clean out his blonde streak. He wondered if it wasn’t worth asking Roman how he maintained his hair, being in the pool as often as he was.  
On the way out, he stopped by the break room quickly, thinking it would be worth checking to see if there were any snacks. Dean seemed to have similar ideas, poking through the fridge, checking for names.

“Roman leave?” Seth asked innocently, setting down his bag. 

“Yeah, he had stuff to do I guess.” Dean found a hot pocket in the freezer and went to microwave it. “He’s just been kinda out of it since Dan left, he’ll bounce back in a couple days.”

“Hmm,” Seth frowned at the lackluster selection. “So long as it wasn’t anything that I said.”

“What do you mean?”

Seth shrugged, he wasn’t sure if Dean was kidding or not. 

“Well, I dunno,” Seth watched Dean, just inches away from the microwave, staring at the little rotating plate. He dared himself. “You guys both just seemed kinda, well... _affected_ when I told you about Marek.”

“Eh?” 

“My ex.” Seth sniffed. Was Dean really that forgetful?

“Oh, Oh yeah.” Dean blinked hard, “Huh, I dunno, maybe Uce was bugged by that, come to think of it, 'seems like the sort of dumb thing that would bother him.”

The microwave dinged and without giving it any time to cool, Dean was biting into it, chewing fast, Seth just stared.

“Me per-thanally? I dunhn gib ab fuckb.” Dean fanned his mouth a little, coughing. Seth just watched perplexed as he ate, talked and thought at the same time. “Shib I’b probably don theth thame thing Id I were’b you.” 

“Well,” Seth watched as Dean seemed to have bitten a particularly hot piece and coughed hard, fanning his tongue. “So long as you guys aren’t disgusted with me, I guess that’s… alright.”

“Nah,” Dean choked. “Oh that’s hot, ugh, no. I haven’t talked to him about it at all, hell, we’re too busy to talk.” Dean grinned perversely.

“Roman-“ Seth snorted. “He said you had been ‘trying to pull that shit on him’ for awhile?”

“He’s probably right.” Dean laughed, Seth couldn’t help but see the way he twitched, not quiet meeting his eyes. It wasn’t a normal Dean twitch, something like longing lingered just under the surface. “Anyways, we should hang out some time, maybe when we’re both not wasted as hell? Unless you got to be wasted, I understand that I guess. I knew some dudes who were like that-“

“What?” Seth spluttered. “No! No I’m not like that.”

“No offense if you were.” Dean raised his hands defensively.

“No, It’s just not like that.” Seth sighed. “Seriously man, do I really seem like some closet case?”

“You’re just so finicky is all.” Dean laughed and Seth glared. “I meant no offense!” 

I’m not ‘finicky’,” Seth insisted, picking up his bag. 

“Look, sweet-heart, I didn’t mean it like that.” Dean assured. A hand caught Seth’s wrist and rooted him to the spot, forcing him to stay put. Dean cleared his throat, frowning, searching for the right words.

“What?”

“Seth, you are-“ Dean inhaled, squinting. “You’re a really great, handsome, sweet guy. Yeah?”

“T-thanks,” Seth swallowed.

“You’re like, probably all jumbled up from the Marek dude though, right? Like you’re not sure of stuff and you’ve…” Dean bit off the end of the sentence, “You just feel like you’re out of your element or something right? And I’m some weird guy.”

“Yeah.” Seth laughed, watching Dean trying to mash thoughts together. “Definitely.”

“This is dumb or whatever, but I wouldn’t be bothering if I didn’t think you were worth a damn. I’m not like really hot, or-“ Seth knew he was talking in reference to Roman, and instantly he felt guilty.

“Hey, man,” Seth quickly grabbed Dean’s hand back, assuringly. “You’re hot, I mean it! I think so, did I look like I was way more into Roman when we-“ 

“Yes,” Dean smiled, “I don’t care though, listen, when I say you’re finicky, I mean it in a good way. Like, when you get food or buy stuff, you really think about it. You got your whole-“ Dean pointed to his blonde streak. “You’re unique.” 

Seth felt bubbles bursting in his chest, looking into Dean’s downturned blue eyes, he wasn’t sure _exactly_ what he was feeling. 

“Thanks,” he said softly, letting go of Dean’s hand, his eyes relaxing. “I don’t need to be drunk to fuck you.”

Dean’s own eyes widened a little bit, his shoulders relaxed. They stood, close together for a moment, not really sure what was happening. Seth felt vindicated when Dean nervously finished his snack, not quite sure what to make of the situation.

“Let’s go out.” Seth offered, “Not right now, but later in the week?”

“Yeah,” Dean said, Seth was a little startled by his tone, it was more gruff than he’d yet heard it. “I know some spots. Can I-“ Dean wiped the edges of his mouth. “Can I kiss you?” 

“I dunno,” Seth laughed, “What flavor hot pocket was that?”

“A good kind,” Dean grinned and pulled in, giving him a quick, chaste kiss. Seth’s eyelids fluttered a little. “Let me know, uh, what you wanna eat i guess.”

Dean left, leaving Seth to himself and the little break room table and steel chairs, his head pleasantly buzzing. What had just happened? Was he going on a date now? His stomach gurgled angrily and he slung his bag up higher on his shoulder, pacing a little to give Dean some grace time to leave before he did, saving himself an awkward parking-lot wave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey someone sweet bought me coffee! I really appreciate it. I'm glad you're enjoying this and I hope you liked the update! Pro tip: Do not try to explain matters of the heart between bites of hot pocket. Dean's an expert, that's why he did it.


	23. No way out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nature bares down on White Water, do plans change if you barely make them?

As soon as Seth and Dean texted a tentative meet up time for Friday, forces outside of their control began bearing down on them.

Just the next day as Seth was leaving his complex, he saw a notice posted by the mailboxes and frowned. 

**HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS, Sigmund Partners LLC**

**September 6th,**

**Please be advised of extreme weather conditions in your area. We are asking as of September 8th, that all windows and outside doors are to be kept shut. If your unit has a balcony, please remove any property that may be affected by heavy wind and rain.**

**Be aware of the coverage provided by your renters insurance and use caution when planning your travel! Sub level parking may put your vehicle at risk during a flood.**

The posting went over a list of addresses for sheltering areas and additional phone numbers for off the clock emergency maintenance. It was perhaps naive on his part, but Seth had completely forgotten that tropical storms were a factor where he was living. 

“It’s probably nothing.” Sasha waved off the news that Seth relayed to her, wondering what exactly his responsibilities were. “It’s your first storm, yeah? Most of the time it’s just a bunch of rain that they are legally obligated to scare you about. It’s when they start talking about evacuations and stuff like that- then is when you gotta worry.”

“But, do I need to get special insurance or something?” Seth asked, looking grimly through the outside windows where the sky was a murky grey. When he’d moved in, they’d only suggested he get renters insurance, he hadn’t signed for anything yet.

“I don’t have any.” Sasha said. “But then, I live in a tiered complex on the 10th floor. If a hurricane wants to blow the whole building down there isn’t too much I can do about it.” 

By Wednesday, everyone was talking about the storm. In the office, Hunter kept a tab on his computer open, monitoring the weather channels to get live reports. Right around noon when Seth arrived, Randy appeared on the deck, smirking.

“Hurricane Shane.” He nodded to Cesaro and Seth, “That’s what it’s going to be.”

“Cute.” Cesaro grumbled. “I had a really expensive client on Saturday too, I probably won’t be able to meet them out in Alamonte.”

Seth just bit his lip, he hadn’t told anyone about his agreement to meet with Dean, but now it was looking less and less possible. 

Originally, they had decided to go to a park downtown that had a nice little lake area with some shops and restaurants around it. Seth still hadn’t gone downtown since the disastrous online-dating experience and so he wanted to see the sites on better terms. He’d figured they could walk around and do things at their leisure… but…

**Hurricanes make it so you can’t really be outside, right?**

Seth texted Dean once he got off. He hadn’t seen him all day, unsure if he was going to be teaching that night. He came walking in the door about five minutes later however, hands full of Taco Bell. 

“Hey,” Seth smiled at him, sticking his phone and his hands in his pocket. “You- need a hand?”

“Nah,” Dean flopped the bag down that he kept his suit and towel in. “I got you churros.”

They sat for a few minutes on the bench on the pool deck, Dean went over the teaching roster quietly, chewing his food. Seth didn’t mention the text or his thoughts, but he was sure Dean must have known about the weather already.

“’S’all dark outside already, man.” Dean squinted out the window. “This week’s gunna be bonkers.”

“Do they ever-“ Seth bit his lip, resigned to asking in one way or another, “Do they ever close down the pool for weather stuff like this?”

“Oh yeah,” Dean mumbled. “If it’s bad enough.”

Seth munched on his churro, wondering dismally if Dean had forgotten the agreement all together. Once Roman arrived, he stole all of his attention away and so Seth went about teaching a little sourly, wondering if it was best to just ask if they could reschedule to a nicer day.

He didn’t want to be the bad guy though, after Dean’s comments about how Seth’s attention had been monopolized on Roman throughout the night of the party, he was feeling guilty about it. Roman had an undeniable charisma, some energy around him that created intrigue. Dean of course had something similar, but it was maybe more concerning than fascinating. Seth had to keep reminding himself though that men who didn’t seem to pay him any attention weren’t worth his time, and Roman seemed determined to ignore him.

“Big storm coming, yeah?” Seth mentioned to him as they were clearing out of the pool for the night. “But I guess you’ve probably seen a bunch of them by now.”

“Yup,” Roman grunted, effectively killing the conversation.

It made Seth want to tear his hair out in the shower.

Thursday came through and Hunter posted notices on all the doors and by the front desk. 

**WHITE WATER FAMILY FUN-CENTER will be CLOSED at 2PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9th in accordance with predicted weather conditions.**

**We will reopen, weather permitting, on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11th, following our regularly scheduled hours.**

**We apologize for any inconvenience,**

**WHITE WATER STAFF**   
“I’m closing the pool then?” Seth asked of Hunter, gesturing to the notice on the door.

“Yes, and I’ll be here as well to help in case we have any problems.” Hunter turned in his chair. “It’ll probably be dead all day though honestly, I suspecting most of the city will be shut down around noon.”

It was a little exciting, Hunter showed Seth where the emergency flash lights were, and brought out headlamps they could use in the event of a power outage. Protocol called for immediate evacuation of the premises, but the staff on duty would have to do extensive sweeping to make sure nobody was just caught in the dark, stuck. 

When Seth arrived home, he thought about calling Dean up, perhaps a little angrily. He settled to text him about getting a ride, wondering if Dean would remember and apologize for having forgotten about the whole thing and ignoring his message. After staring at his phone for a little while, waiting for a response, he realized he needed to go grocery shopping and might as well occupy himself with something other than frustrated thoughts. 

It had started to drizzle a little and Seth surveyed the sky cautiously as he drove to Publix. The clouds had been hanging dark all week, threatening a deluge from the east or south, Seth wasn’t sure. There were hardly any people outside walking around, everyone seemed in a hurry to get to where they needed to be and weren’t messing around. 

“Damn,” Seth groaned, turning onto the street that held the grocery store in a strip of businesses. The parking lot was packed full, horns honking and people running inside and out quickly. How had he not thought to do this earlier?

His first Hurricane grocery-store panic was hellish. There were no carts at the front, all were in use or outside, but just by looking around, Seth wasn’t sure if any more would fit into the packed aisles. He wiped the fog off his glasses and grabbed for a little basket, resigned.   
There was hardly any food left, most of the name brands had been snatched up. The things that were left over were specialty items, random things Seth couldn’t imagine eating, gross stuff like pigs feet and oyster sauces. He was grateful for some of the higher brow, over priced organic snack foods that some people were passing up. But he had to navigate other angry shoppers in order to grab them, trying not to make his intentions evident as he approached a shelf.

“Hey!” Seth barked, seizing his basket to his chest when he felt the hand of an older, red-faced man try to sneak off with the gelato he’d grabbed. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

The man just sulked away, not bothering to apologize. Seth felt like he was going crazy, clutching his food to his chest, he quickly did another round, trying to make sure he’d grabbed whatever he could so he could leave. 

About halfway through check out, he could feel his phone going off in his pants pocket. Not wanting to be rude, he allowed it to continue buzzing. He wasn’t about to try to take any calls in the check out line, especially since the noise and confusion was pretty much deafening anyway. The check-out lady didn’t even speak as she passed him his receipt, already ringing up the next customer in line.   
He loaded his groceries into the car and then, went to look at his phone, his stomach plummeting a bit as he realized he had a slew of unread texts. His fingers trembling, his mind racing as he instantly expected one of his parents had passed or something- he hadn’t ever gotten so many messages on his phone at once, but then- Seth looked at the service bar that was in the top right of the screen and saw two wavering dots. He blinked, had his phone been out of service for awhile?

**Heh not if u can help it**

**Yea Eola might b a little hard to do on friday did u have any other plans?**

**i dont really go out much but i wouldn't mind going some place where they make u wear a shirt and a tie or something like that**

**maybe even those places will be closed**

**…well?**

“Agh!” Seth huffed, how had he not noticed that his phone hadn’t been working? He hadn’t gotten any notifications in the last few days, but nobody was _usually_ clambering to contact him. How had he not seen the little **NO SERVICE** icon?

**If your not into it, I understand, we can do it some other time**

**Just let me know I guess**

And then one, from Roman of all people.

**Text Dean if you get a chance**    
Seth stomped angrily on the ground. Fuck, he’d fucked up and now Roman thought he was double-dog shit. He dialed quickly, leaning on the trunk of his car, not caring that he was getting rained on. His heart was pounding hard and he listened intently at the dial tone, hoping-

“‘ello?”

“Dean!” Seth said, relieved. “Hey I just got like, ALL of your messages and I’m really sorry. I think the storm is screwing with my service because I was just at Publix and I got them all at once and I don’t even know how well or how long you’ll be able to hear me. I had-“ Seth heaved a breath, swallowing. “I sent you something that probably sounded kinda bitchy about a ride, I don’t even know if you got it, I don’t know if my phone’s been working at all-“

“O-oh.” Dean said, laughing a little bit. Seth closed his eyes, relieved. “Ok, yeah that’s cool.”

“I’m really sorry though.” Seth repeated, hoping Dean understood. “Is this something that happens? This is the phone I had in Iowa, maybe the service is just like-“

“Hey, hey, man, it’s ok.” Dean interrupted, Seth could hear some shuffling. “Look, can I call you back? Or, hmm, well. If your phones not working-“   
With a sort of generalized horror, Seth could hear a familiar rumbling from the other end of the line, like Roman was sitting right by Dean, no, laying, talking opposite him.  
Seth chewed the inside of his lip, heart slowing down. 

“Well hey, I’m not gunna be at work tomorrow. You want me to come over to your place in the evening and we can see if we can’t find some place that’s open?” 

“Sure,” Seth mumbled. “Yeah,”

“Yeah?” Dean paused. “You sound… sad… or something…”

“N-no, it’s fine.” Seth lied, “I was just freaking over my phone.” He wasn’t sure why he was so bothered by the fact that Roman was _possibly_ there. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The rain remained constant through the drive home and through the night. Seth put away his groceries and watched the downpour from his living room, glad he had thought to take down his string lights.

Would he ever be able to entertain going on little dates with Roman? Was Dean doing the same thing behind his back? It didn’t bother Seth as much as he thought it would, but he didn’t know what to make of it, so it bothered him.

“Can I have two boyfriends?” Seth asked the empty room, laughing a little to himself. It was something he’d never thought he’d ask before. Perhaps it was a good problem to have, but then again, Seth wasn’t sure if Roman ever wanted to talk to him again. “I suppose I should just be happy with what I can get.”

He wished he had someone to talk to, preferably someone outside of work.

Friday was a torrential downpour before Seth had even left his apartment. The wind had yet to pick up, but it was very difficult to see with such a heavy amount of water falling. He drove half the speed limit, squinting through what his wind shield wipers could make out.

“We’ll probably just shut down at one.” Sami informed him as he came in, shaking his head like a wet dog, trying to dry himself off. “There hasn’t been anyone here for an hour.”

Taking the stand, the pool was eerily quiet. The distant sounds of thunder and the thumping beat of the rain on the roof were plenty relaxing, but Seth paced anxiously. There was no way he could go out later, not with conditions steadily worsening as the storm made landfall. He was still damp and shaky, trying to imagine exactly how the night would go, how he should just call it off.

“We’ll wrap this up it in a moment here,” Triple H said grimly, looking out the window. “We only had a handful of swimmers in the morning. The roads are probably terrible right now.”

“Can I use the office phone?” Seth asked, bundling up the excess strap from his tube. “Mine’s been, uh, finicky with the weather.”

Seth dialed Dean’s number, heart racing as he imagined the conversation in his head. _Hey, Dean, I really don’t want to be responsible for you crashing your car… maybe some other time…_  
The phone rang endlessly until a nice voice at the end of the line stated there was no available voicemail inbox. Seth sighed, hanging up the phone. He still couldn’t say he knew Dean well enough to know what to expect. Part of him just supposed Dean would drop it, take one look outside and know that it was clearly too dangerous to be driving, but then, it also seemed just as likely that he would ride a flood wave with his beat up old Jetta, all the way to Seth’s apartment. 

He drove back at a turtles pace, it was easily the scariest drive of his life and it took him an hour to get home. Hunter was glad to pay him all the way up until four o’clock, but he would have gladly just stayed home if he could have avoided the whole white knuckle affair. Twice he saw people skid out, passing one car that appeared to have been abandoned at a stop light. He parked in the front lot of his complex, knowing it was on a hill and likely wouldn’t be in danger of flooding.

**I drove back from work, the roads are terrible man don’t bother.**

**I drove back from work, the roads are terrible man don’t bother.**

**I drove back from work, the roads are terrible man don’t bother.**

“Damn it.” Seth sighed, his phone completely out of service. He kept trying in vain, resending the message multiple times to try and get it through. The rain pounded his balcony at a deafening volume, palm leaves and plastic bags had tangled up in the metal guard, blown in by the wind.  
He swallowed, passing his phone between his hands and chewing his tongue. What would he do if Dean came?

He showered quickly, knowing that even if Dean didn’t come, it would be smart to do just in case his power went out or something. He then set to tidying up little bits of his apartment. Just because Dean lived in a sort of organized chaos didn’t mean he shouldn’t clean up a little to impress. He binned up all of his dirty clothes and cleaned the few cups left in the sink. Bored and nervous as he was, he brushed out his hair, trying to get it as soft and neat as possible so he could wear it down.

A huge bolt of lightning scared Seth about a foot in the air and he swore loudly, the flash still seared into his eyelids. His heart raced again as he heard his buzzer going off, signaling someone was at the door. 

“No way.” Seth laughed anxiously, shoulders slumping, “There’s no way.”

As these things random acts of god seem to happen in threes, Seth’s lights flickered and died. He stood, chuckling in the darkness, hands shaking a little as he rubbed his face, thinking hard. 

He couldn’t leave Dean out in the rain, if it even was Dean. It was just his luck… didn’t the complex have a generator? 

Seth slipped on his flip flops and quickly made his way downstairs, his heart racing. Unconsciously, secretly, he really wanted it to be Dean, Seth just wasn’t sure what he would do if it was. Lead him up to an apartment with no power?

A grin spread across his face despite it all, Dean, standing soaked in the doorway, arms heaped with bags of McDonalds, a backpack slung over his shoulder. His face was flushed, his nose pink, pressed as close as he could be to the glass entry door to keep himself from getting dripped on by the awning. He smiled back, moving so Seth could crack the door.

“I got burgers-“ he shook himself off over the rug. “Pretty sure they were about to close but I got em.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a weird chapter, Raw was distracting me so I'm sorry if there are some weird grammar bits in there. Review with what board games you want them to play. Naked twister is a given.


	24. Wet N' Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get wet and then they get wild. Who's scared of a little thunder?

Hurricane Shane was considered a moderate storm for the area, Seth found out. It was more intense than most tropical storms, but it wouldn’t break any national news circuit. He was still glad he had thought to let his family know that he was alright and hunkered down before his power went out, he didn’t want anyone in Iowa worrying about him.

The lights in the hallways were flickering, but must have been powered by a different source than the units. Seth led Dean up to the third floor, dripping all the way up the stairs.

“I’ll have to find those tea lights,” Seth sighed, making his way to the kitchen and sifting through his junk drawer for a bag of little dollar store candles that he had purchased many years ago. Dean just stood, mute, looking around his darkened apartment curiously.

“There we go.” Seth broke open the bag and lit one with his kitchen lighter. “Shit, let me get you a towel.”

“Thanks,” Dean patted some of his soaked bangs to the side of his face. 

Seth didn’t have a kitchen table, or even a coffee table. With the power out, the majority of the light came in from the balcony where the rain was coming down hard. The two sat on the floor, bags of fast food poured over two plates, cushioned by some pillows. 

“At least we got a candle.” Dean smiled, pouring ketchup all over his fries. “It’s a fancy dinner.”

“Good call on the Mickey’s. I don’t know what we would have done otherwise.” Seth looked gloomily outside. “Hope my food doesn’t go bad. We shoulda just called this off man.”

“Nah,” Dean smiled, stroking his hair to the side. “It ain’t that bad, is it?”

“Nngh, no. I didn’t mean it like that. But here we are,” Seth licked salt off his lips, gesturing hopelessly. “Basically stranded, nothing to do, no power. Don’t worry, I’m not about to kick you out or anything-“

“Well good, I'm glad.” Dean laughed. “We can do all sorts a stuff, what’re ya talkin’ about?”

Seth snorted through his burger, blushing a little at the possible innuendo. Dean looked serious however, not trying to be overtly flirtatious. 

“We could play charades.” Seth giggled. “All I got is video games!” 

“You fancy kids with your electronics.” Dean sunk a little lower onto the floor, staring outside. “It hasn’t lightning’ed in a bit, we should go play outside.” 

Seth wasn’t sure if Dean was serious or not until they had finished their meals and Seth had put their plates in the dark kitchen. He paused for a moment when he heard the zipping noise of the sliding door, returning to find Dean, sticking his head out onto the balcony, looking around.

“What-“ 

“There’s people outside.” Dean murmured.

“Uh, yeah?”

“You got some shirts you don’t care about?”

If Seth had something better to propose, he wouldn’t have followed along with whatever goofy plan Dean had invented. He couldn’t imagine what they could possibly do outside that wasn’t cold and possibly dangerous. However, until the lights came back on, they were short of things to do that weren’t incredibly boring.

“If we see lightning, we’ll go back inside.” Dean assured him, Seth knew he was being a little quiet, but he honestly didn’t see the point of any of this. Dean pulled on an over-large Muscatine Community College shirt over his head. “I used to be really scared of thunder.”

“When you were a kid?” Seth followed him out the door, hefting some towels under his arm. He’d stash them by the vending machines so they’d have them when they came back in. 

“Yeah, but even when I got older.” Dean chuckled. “When I was a kid I was scared and I’d cry and stuff, so my dad locked me outside one time during a storm so I would get over it”

Seth almost tripped in his stride, unsure what to do or what to say. 

“I didn’t really get over it though,” Dean continued, laughing. “They gave me meds to deal with it for awhile but I grew out of it eventually.”

“That’s awful.” Seth said softly. “I’m glad you’re not like…” Seth swallowed, smiling nervously. Looking at Dean, something probably _was_ wrong with him, but he didn’t want to comment on it.

Dean just shrugged, kept walking. Seth tried to put it out of his mind. Once they hit the first floor, Dean started bouncing on his heels and quickly charged out the front, racing down the sidewalk in the deluge. Seth just sighed, a bunch of kids were running around in the parking lot as well, ones he recognized from his building.

“Spray ‘en!” A bunch of middle school aged boys came running past, nearly close lining Dean as they ran past Seth into the building.

“Aye!” Dean barked. “Hooligans!” 

Seth cackled as one of the older boys stopped and aimed a giant super soaker at him, spraying him right in the face. Dean swore, stepping back and the kid laughed before sprinting away.

“You’re lucky its wet out!” Dean screamed. “Aww shuddup you’re still dry!”

“Yeah, not such a great idea now, is it?” Seth grinned from under the awning. Dean narrowed his eyes and in a swift motion, whipped off his soaking shirt and hurdled it at Seth’s face, who squawked, dipping to try and avoid it, but still managed to get a face-full of wet sleeve. He screamed and bolted, running after Dean, pleasantly surprised by how warm it was.

“You’re dead Ambrose!” Seth hollered, sprinting as fast as he could around the complex. Dean just laughed maniacally, surprisingly fast for not really knowing where he was going. They whipped through two huge puddles at the bottom of the hill, around the courtyard, and then up the street toward the community pool for the residents. 

“Ugh!” Dean grunted, hurling himself straight over the iron fence and flopping down onto the concrete. Seth ran into fence, quickly trying to pull himself up.

“I think I bruised my tailbone.” Dean groaned, rolling around on his back, Seth labored, struggling to pull his foot up, his hair whipping around his face. 

“That won’t save you.” Seth hissed, trying to catch his breath. His shirt caught onto one of the fence posts and tore toward the bottom as he fell to the other side. Rolling over quickly, he piled himself over Dean, sitting on his chest and dripping water all over him.

“Oh no.” Dean groaned sarcastically, he squinted his face, trying to keep rain from pooling in his eyes. Seth pinned his wrists down, breathing hard.

“Got ya.” 

“Like hell.” 

He whipped back up, Seth sat down harder, grinding his ass into his stomach. 

“Admit it,”

Dean just smirked, quickly tearing Seth’s shirt even more up his front, exposing him up to his chest.

“Hey! I actually liked this one!” Dean rolled out between his legs.

“Well,” he kept rolling. “Now it’s a crop top.”

Seth whipped his hair back, out of his face. Just in time to watch Dean continue rolling until he fell on his side into the pool. 

“We aren’t supposed to swim.” Seth sniffed, the pair of flip flops he had borrowed to him floated to the surface as Dean floated up, prone. “Quit being weird!”

He surfaced his head to laugh, Seth just scowled.

“Legit though, they put out a notice saying this was closed.”

“So?”

Seth sat, not really sure if there was any way to get Dean out short of trying to physically force it. He fidgeted for a moment with the two torn pieces of fabric, wondering aimlessly if there was some way to fix it. Marek had actually given him the shirt, he didn’t really want it for _that_ reason, but it had been from a band he liked.

“You mad about that?” Dean asked cautiously, settling down on his elbows to look up at Seth. He shook his head, thinking.

“Nah, I just had it for awhile was all.” 

“Where’d the other one end up?”

“Wherever you threw it.”

“Mmm,” Dean mumbled. “Water’s nice, you should get in.”

“I’m already wet.” Seth whined. 

“Show me how good you can dive.” Dean said, a sort of sweet softness creeping into his voice. “Big diving team champ.”

“Swim team.” Seth corrected, rising up just the same and tugging off his shirt. Dean just began paddling over toward the deeper end. 

They floated around together for a little while, ignoring all of their lifeguard’s safety precaution to float around and listen to the rain. Dean alternated treading water and floating on his back, Seth swam in circuits and dove underwater, spreading out and undulating blindly. Twice Dean snuck up on him as he surfaced, Seth just blushed, letting himself be caught by wandering hands.

“Will we ever get away from pools?” Seth mumbled, “Or are we always just going to be floating and bumping into each other?”

“Is that poetry or somethin’?” Dean snorted, he pulled Seth closer, holding him under his shoulders while his legs trailed along uselessly.

“I didn’t mean it like that, but you know.” Seth shook his head, “Can’t get the chlorine stink off of me.”

“It’s not a bad stink, but I know.” Dean paddled to the wall. “This is a pretty clean pool for an outdoor one.”

“Yeah?” Seth laughed, pulling a little bit of tree seed out of his hair.

“All things considered.” Dean laughed. Just as he finished his thought, Seth could make out, from a distance, a fork of lightning piercing the sky and then suddenly, the echoing, thunderous boom.

Seth’s heart jumped, but Dean startled hard enough to seize, choking on water and scrambling to exit the pool.

“I’m coming- I’m,” Dean pulled on Seth’s arm hard, and seth winced, “You alright?”

“Yeah,” Dean grunted, he looked pretty pale, but steady. 

“Let’s get. Hopefully the power’s back.”

Seth was optimistic because he saw that lights were on in many of the units, but he made an effort to keep Dean close, his usual twitchy bounce notably absent. There weren’t anymore lightning flashes, but they still didn’t waste any time getting back into the building.

“You sure you’re ok?” Seth stuffed a towel into his hands, he still looked a little out of it, it was strange.

“‘m fine,” Dean buried his head in the towel. “Just wasn’t expecting it is all. What.” Seth shrugged, his shoes squelching a little with water as he started for the stairs.

“It’s ok if you’re scared of storms,” he smiled warmly. On one hand, it was nice to know that Dean was actually human, not just some twitchy weirdo that ran out into tropical storms with reckless abandon. But he didn’t want Dean to feel poorly for being so obviously vulnerable in front of him. 

“I’m fine!” Dean grumbled.

“You-“ Seth laughed but stopped, “You got locked outside in the rain. How are you _not_ afraid?” 

They stumbled back inside the unit and Seth cheered, the lights were on, the air conditioner whirring. 

“Hey hey, we got power.” 

“I need a shower.” Seth said, breathy, carding a hand through his tangled blonde locks. 

Seth got them fresh towels from the pantry, immediately encouraging Dean to come along for the ride. 

“You’re like Rome’” Dean mumbled, picking up the little soap dispenser from the sink counter. “Fancy stuff.” 

“That’s soap.” Seth laughed, turning on the water and letting it run warm while he disrobed.

“ _Soft_ soap.” 

“Yeah, well.” Seth sat on the side of the tub, feeling a chill. “Sorry if my soap isn’t hard enough for you.”

He smiled mischievously at Seth, naked, hair hanging wet on his face.

“What.”

“You’re sexy.”

“Shut up.”

Dean seemed to be whatever his normal was again as he too shook off his clothes and followed him into the tub. His hands wandered, pulling Seth away from playing with the tap so he could hold him close. Seth let him entertain the embrace for a moment, hearing him breathe in whatever smell his hair was giving off, he smiled.

“You should try this shampoo I got, it makes your hair really soft.”

It was the first time in awhile that Seth had been bathed by another man, and he did admit he had missed it. It was fun every once and awhile, when both parties had time to kill. They switched so Dean could shift under the tap and Seth could pour out a dollop of shampoo and rub it into his hair. 

“That feels-“ Dean’s whole face relaxed, his jaw going slack. “ _Good_ …”

It was a massage of sorts, Seth smiled, pulling lightly on his messy locks, rubbing his scalp hard. 

“The conditioner is what makes it nice.” Seth poured out more product as Dean went to rinse off.

“I don’t need any of that,” 

“I already got it in my hand,” 

“Mmm,” Dean hummed dumbly, Seth yanked him back down rubbing his head all over again. “Maybe I do need it.”

By the time the soap came out, both of them were getting friskier. Dean’s hands seemed to stall on Seth’s hips, never wanting him to stray too far, Seth’s dick was getting fat from all the attention he was getting.

“Lookit you,” Dean purred, nestling up in his neck and by his ear. Seth moaned softly, backing up against his leg, allowing himself to bump up against Dean’s cock. Dean squeezed his hips and foisted the soap from his hands, eager to rub him down. Braced up against the shower wall, he allowed himself to be cleaned expertly, groaning into anything that felt right. “Grower huh?” Dean worked a soapy hand around his cock, to tease and clean.

“F-fuck,” Seth shuddered. It felt so good, his heart was pounding hard. The excitement inside him was burgeoning from the fact that he _wasn’t_ drunk, his cock wasn’t disobeying him. Being right there, in the present, was all he wanted.

“This ass is still my favorite.” Dean sighed, drawing his hand around to scrub lightly at his behind, dipping between the cheeks. Seth bowed his head, breathing hard as his dick pulsed happily against his stomach, his hand against the tile cramping from flexing. Dean held him close as he beguiled Seth with his fingers, rubbing away.

There was no thunder, but the lights flickered for a moment. Dean paused.

“No-“ Seth groaned. They dimmed, flickered and died. “NO!” 

“Shoot.” Dean muttered, drawing apart as Seth cursed, the bathroom was pitch black, the distant storm loud again from the absence of electricity. “I only ever lost power like once during a storm, and it was way worse than this.”

“Goddamnit.” Seth shuffled under the weakening stream of water to rinse off before throwing back the curtain to get out.

“It’s cool.” Dean said softly.

“No it’s not.” Seth snapped, his dick soft again. “This is fucking dumb,”

“Well, yeah,” Dean snorted. “I’m not about to be mad about it though.”

“Whatever,” Seth grabbed one of the towels from off the toilet and began viciously drying off his hair. He needed a minute, the back and forth of emotions and expectations he’d felt all day was wearing him thin. “Just, fuck, man, I-“

“You wanted this to be something else, yeah, yeah, I get it.” Dean finished for him. “Look, I’m having fun, aren’t you?”

“I could be having _more_ fun,” Seth huffed.

“Well let's go have more fun,” Dean suggested devilishly, “‘Cept, I can’t see shit and I definitely don’t live here, so I, uh, might need a hand here.”

Seth sighed, handing Dean the other towel. As frustrating as everything was, Seth could at least be glad for the fact that Dean was as laid-back as he was. It was hard to picture Roman being nearly as gung-ho about finding rainy-day activities for them to do during a hurricane. How else could a first date with Dean Ambrose really go? Seth would have liked to have gone out to a nice restaurant and put on a collared shirt, but he couldn’t see Dean doing that.

“Step up,” He warned, holding onto Dean’s wrist to ease him outta the tub. “The sink is really close to your knee, be careful.”

They shuffled into the bedroom, which was just lit enough to make out the shadows of the bed and the furniture. The sky outside was almost entirely black now, tree branches dancing in the wind in front of the windows made crooked silhouettes on the walls. 

“Nice bed. I think,”

Seth turned, doing his best to shake off the burst of anger that had bubbled to the surface. He wasn’t upset that Dean was there, he didn’t know what he’d be doing if he wasn’t there. His hands went roving again, rubbing the back of Seth’s arms, inviting him in again.

“Kiss me,” Dean suggested. 

Seth was a decent kisser, much more controlled and reserved sober (as most people were), but it was always foreplay, never the main event. Dean was as sloppy and wet as he could be, and yet it was not disengaging. He slowed the pace down, and for once, encouraged by the darkness, Seth peeped through cracked eyelids. Dean looked back, his eyes glimmering in the low light.

They collapsed on the bed, still just a little damp, they shivered in the cold and Seth drew them both under his thick comforter, eagerly rubbing Dean’s arms to warm them both.

“Where were we,” Dean asked softly, pulling strands of hair out of his face. “What do you want babe?”

“Mm,” Seth considered, stuffing a pillow under his neck, he wiggled his hips happily. “I liked when you got me all clean.”

“You got a cute cock.” Dean inched lower, pulling the blanket off to expose him. He shivered lightly against the cold, but quickly Dean topped him, covered him with his heat, dipping his neck low.

“Oo-h,” Seth curled his toes as Dean’s mouth slurped away at his dick, taking him in quickly. The warmth of his tongue and the cold of the air put a little fire in his belly and he moaned, feeling Dean smile against his crotch. It had been at least two years since he’d had his dick sucked, and it’d never been sucked like this. “Ff-fuck,” Seth panted, feeling the rolling waves of orgasm start turning in him. “‘m gunna come, quit-“

Dean stopped, popping off to and nuzzle at his crotch. 

“Such a sweetheart,” Dean cooed, “We got all night babe, it’s ok.”

“No,” Seth whined, they laughed and he had to restrain himself from touching his cock as it twitched and leaked against his stomach. “Let me suck you.”

“Switch?” Dean chuckled, flopping down. Seth smirked, parting his legs. “I forgot how good you are.”

It didn’t take long for him to remember, Seth had wished he’d thought to trim his beard, but Dean didn’t seem to mind the friction much. He gripped the bedding hard with his fist until Seth got up to a quicker pace and then he threaded his hands through his hair. 

“-Mouth’s like,” Dean gasped, “Fuckin’ velvet.”

Seth choked, fighting back a laugh. _Did Dean really have to say shit like this_? 

He worked quickly, relishing in the hitched breaths and little groans until Dean was riding the edge as well, holding tight onto Seth’s hair and rocking in beat with his throat.

“Fuck, I need’a fuck you.” Dean cursed, drawing up to sit. Seth removed himself, a little drunk from the rhythm he’d worked to deep throat. He pulled lube out from his bag and tossed it to Dean, then dropped down to spread his legs open. For a few moments, he could hear hands warming the lube up thoroughly, Dean's form getting closer to him. Seth whined, twisting about as he rubbed sweet circles, warming him up just as he had in the shower, revving his dick back up again.

"So hot," Dean grunted, Seth wasn't sure if he literally meant the inside of his ass or just that he thought he was hot, it mattered little. He sighed, relaxing, letting himself deflate into the bed as Dean worked around, popping him a finger and diving in to the knuckle to knead gently against his prostate. Seth gasped, a little surprised at himself, he was never normally this uninhibited and loud. "Tell me how you want it babe."

"Tha's good." Seth choked, "More."

Dean added fingers quickly and with each little wiggling rub he panted hard, keeping his ass loose and shifting back and forth on the bed, trying out different angles for effect. Perhaps it was the weather, the rain beating hard against the window, but all of the sensations were heightened. Dean's touch was safe and sweet and the absence of light was a security blanket, cramped inside, in their little shelter, he could be as open as he ever was.  
Dean sunk down to grab a condom out of Seth's bag and ripped it open, leaving Seth empty for a few moments as he prepared himself.

"You ready?" 

"Yeah," He sighed, opening his legs up wider, Dean grabbed them, positioning carefully. Seth twitched at the soft kiss of Dean's lips to his foot as he carefully pressed in, filling him right back up.

"Damn, perfect," Dean hissed, rolling his hips, Seth cried softly, his legs relaxing toward his chest. Very slowly, Dean began to pump, a steady rhythm that was full from the top to the bottom and Seth's mouth fell open. His eyes half lidded but unseeing. 

It was difficult to understand, but when Seth would look back on it, he would remember the best sex he'd ever had. The pace began slow, but with every step they were in sync, every moment had each of them enjoying it equally. Dean's pump brushed up against his prostate with precision each time, and Seth's ass was just so tight that the pull was perfect. Both men were stunned, shaking lightly as they both arrived at this understanding simultaneously.

"Oh my god," Seth panted, pulling his head up a little higher, but Dean quickened his pace and instantly Seth was right back onto the bed again, staring wildly into the darkness.

"Goddamn." Dean kept grunting, getting closer, closing the distance. "Goddamn."

Seth laughed, giddy. Dean came down until they were just inches apart, perched on his elbows, he crashed into his mouth and they were kissing again, this time, deep, hard, fighting the urge to bite. Dean pumped faster, breathing hard and Seth let the effort punch breathy sounds of ecstasy out of him.

"Goddamn," Dean repeated, pulling out quickly to toss Seth on top of him, propping him on his shins so he could sit on Dean's cock. Seth cried softly as he filled up again, Dean's hands padding over his chest and sides to rest on his hips. They found each other's eyes through the darkness and veils of hair, both excited, eager, slightly scared. The grip on his hips focused and they were back, pumping hard. Seth rocking back and forth. 

"Ooh, ok, oh," he breathed, feeling a sudden obvious rush come over him. "D-d-Dean, I-" He stuttered, disbelieving, this had never happened to him before, he'd never come from solely anal stimulation, but there was no mistaking that feeling, the rolling onslaught. On queue, Dean grabbed his dick, working it in his hand as Seth cried, his dick bucking back and forth, pulsing hard for a few moments.

"Oh, fuck, babe, I'm-" Dean screamed, his own hips shaking wildly. Seth's come came first and he wailed, just feeling a drip or two fall back to his own chest while Dean caught the majority of the mess, completely unfazed. He was grinding so hard that it was sending powerful shocks through both of their bodies, Seth whimpered, gasping as strike after strike hit him, Dean coming now as lube squelched between them, punctuating the labor.  
Seth came down, still speared, he crumpled forward onto Dean's stomach and his own little puddle of come. Any other time, any other fuck he'd had, he would have recoiled, but his ass was still vibrating, bucking from what had just happened. Dean had stopped like he'd been shot, still and lifeless, but for the rise of his chest.

It was at least a minute before they moved, so thoroughly shaken, and still Seth was feeling little pulls and shocks. For a moment he was almost worried, wondering if he'd hit a nerve or something, but he couldn't focus on any one thought for long, it all simply flowed out of him, along with any other observations of anxieties he had, unimportant.

"Goddamn." Dean murmured, finally. His hand came to his belly and he found Seth's head, stroking his hair lovingly, Seth closed his eyes, shaken.

Once they were back on earth, aware again of their surroundings and the beating rain from outside, Seth would dirty the last towel of the night and get them cleaned up. Neither spoke much, no words could be mustered. Anything mumbled into the bed would have just cheapened whatever the hell had just happened and neither could appropriately react. Dean lay still, quiet, his arms wrapped around Seth so his brown head was cradled up into his armpit, carefully. Seth wanted to laugh, wanted to wipe a tear from his eye and mumble _That was the best I ever had!_ But he was too scared of what that might mean, of what saying it might sound like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it, etc. *double peace signs* Someone asked for more soft, vulnerable Dean stuff. This is sort of setting that up, so, it's on it's way. lol.


	25. Mermaid Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm breaks. Did someone break an ankle? Dean is a crap mermaid.

The eye of the storm circulated through early in the night and put a good deal of rain overhead in the morning, but by noon it had calmed down to a manageable drizzle. Seth had woken up a few times during the night, not used to sharing his bed. Dean startled occasionally with a few rumbling thunder booms, but any time Seth mumbled to him, wondering if he was alright, he just turned over and snored.

The power returned by morning and they were able to cobble together a decent breakfast. It was a quiet affair, both slept in luxuriously, but seemed a little shaken by how the night had gone.

It had been like Seth’s orgasm was ripped from him. He still wasn’t able to adequately describe what he had felt, and something about how mellow Dean appeared telegraphed how he was feeling the same. Sitting together eating, the tinkling of silverware and shuffling of plates seemed embarrassingly loud. Seth was just glad he wasn’t hungover for once, feeling a little more sure of himself despite the awkwardness.

“I’d invite you over to my dump-“ Dean hoisted his bag over his shoulder, looking out the balcony door. 

“It’s not a dump.” Seth laughed. Dean shrugged, matting his hair back nervously. It had gone soft and poofy in the night. “We could cook something if you wanted to stay in.”

“You’ll have to do it, I dunno what the hell I’m doing in a kitchen.” Dean laid a hand on his waist, pulling him in close for the first time since they’d drawn apart in the night. Seth embraced him back, hands smoothing the fabric of his shirt.

“That was fun,” Dean mumbled, “I’ll see yah.”

If Seth could be thankful for anything, it was Dean’s inability to complicate things. 

White Water opened up on Sunday as planned, with the first of the September in-services to take place that evening. Seth didn’t have to work, but early in the morning he got a mass text from Hunter that felt like a thinly veiled cry for help.

**Need a mid today! 12-4!**

After putting his balcony furniture back outside, Seth didn’t have much else to do. He’d be going in around five anyway for the meeting, so he texted Hunter back, and then got ready to go.

The roads were cleared and the rains had gone down to an inconvenient mist. A couple of huge puddles had formed in the White Water parking lot, but other than an excess of plastic bags and tree leaves, Hurricane Shane had left Orlando largely untouched.

“Dead?” Seth asked Sami curiously, looking around the lobby that was mostly vacant. 

“Yeah, just those diehards.” Sami rolled a keyring around his finger. “You hear about Neville? Poor guy busted his ankle.”

“Is that why I’m here?” Seth frowned. If anymore guards got sick or injured Hunter was going to be on the stand again.

Neville’s shift was incredibly dull, Seth paced around the lap pool, guarding a single group of friends training for a triathlon. He doodled a little on his head count sheet, testing temperatures out of boredom. Sami came down to get him to sign a get well card for Neville towards the end of his shift. 

“Staying for the inservice?” He grabbed the pen back, pocketing it in his slacks.

“Yup,” Seth stopped chewing on his whistle. “You know which thing they were doing for this one? The Monofin stuff or the log rolling?”

“I saw Shawn earlier, so probably mermaid stuff.” Sami nodded. This month the inservice had been split to accommodate any guards that wanted to learn to teach either the mermaid or the log rolling classes. They were completely optional- scheduled to happen after the regular inservice, but Seth was planning to attend both.

At four o’ clock, Stephanie came out of the office dressed to guard. It was really weird seeing her out of her office clothes, but Seth supposed it was dumb to assume she _wasn’t_ certified. 

“I’ll take your tube,” She smiled. “Thanks so much for coming in today.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Seth blushed, “You’re not closing are you?” 

“Dolph really wanted to do the mono-fin class and can’t make it to the Wednesday inservice, so I'll be wrapping it up. But-“ She pointed, a thought suddenly occurring to her. “You haven’t done an LGI class this year, have you?”

“N-No.” Seth thought, “No I still have to.” 

“You want to keep that certification though, right? Hunter and I are trying to put a class together because we really need to get some folks hired. You don’t think you could teach it, do you? We could make it work for you where we do it all over one weekend or maybe a couple mornings for a month-“

“I can do whatever,” Seth shrugged. Lifeguard instructor certifications allowed him to teach and certify other guards, the only stipulation being that once a year he had to teach a class so he could keep his certification. Stephanie beamed, heaving a sigh of relief.

“Amazing, it’s pretty obvious we need people. We’ve had quite a few folks come to us wanting to work here, but they don’t have the certification. That’s great Seth, I’ll let you know what we figure out.”

Stephanie took over the stand and just as he was contemplating swimming a few laps, the emergency exit door was pushed open and the alarm began to sound. Shawn came in, grumbling and shifting awkwardly, hands laden with boxes. 

“I got it,” Seth cut in quickly, helping him through and quickly opening and closing the door, the only trick he knew for shutting off the alarm.

“Oh- thanks kid.” Seth gathered a few of the boxes out of his arm, “Just got the kid’s size tails, we can put ‘em in the back.”

“You’re teaching tonight, right?” Seth followed his swinging ponytail from under his baseball cap. 

“Yup, gunna turn all you guys into mermaids.” He chuckled. They stacked the boxes next to the noodle corral and a heap of chewed up old guard tubes. “You gunna do it?”

“Yeah, I was planning on it.” Shawn went to the hanging rack and pulled down a gold, adult sized tail, foisting it into Seth’s hands.

“That should fit right?” 

“Hey, Shawn,” Seth jumped at the familiar low rumble of Roman, who was standing in the doorway to the backroom. “We’re probably only going to be able to do classes of five or six, we don’t have enough instructors right now.” Roman blinked when he saw Seth, adjusting the black tail that hung over his shoulder. 

“Well, they’re gunna fill up real quick.” Shawn hummed, thinking hard. “You guys are undercharging, you know that right?”

“Talk to Hunter about it.” Roman shrugged. “How many people were signed up for tonight? I’ll get the stuff.”

“Uh… Here.” Shawn fumbled in his pocket, handing the list to Seth. “You wanna help him? I got food in the office I wanted to eat.”

Shawn bounced away and Seth flushed red, kneading the gold fabric in his fingers.

“You want this?” He mumbled, handing the piece of paper to Roman. He examined the sheet, reading through the signatures of all the guards, shooting Seth a curious look.

“You have a good first storm?” Roman cut past him, grabbing down the other tails that hung like streamers from the drying line. Seth shifted, heart beating quickly. 

“Yeah,” Seth said softly. “Dean tell you? He drove through the worst of it to come hang out with me.”

“He told me a little, I’m surprised.” Roman snickered. “Last I heard, he hated storms.”

Far from questioning why Roman had cooled to him, Seth was happy to help him carry the fins onto the deck, turning them inside out to check all the sizes they had. He guessed it was possible that Roman had just been in a weird mood because of Dan’s departure, but Seth was still wary from talking about Marek.

“Well, I’m glad y’all had fun and figured it out.” 

“Yeah, that phone business was weird. That had never happened before.” Seth smiled, “I got your text with all of the other texts, just all at the same time.”

“Sorry if it sounded… ” Roman sighed, setting down the list and scratching his nose. Seth was glad that they were basically alone on the deck, He didn’t want everyone to see him blushing up a storm. 

“I understood, I know you and Dean are tight and I probably did seem like a jackass.” 

“I just didn’t-“ Roman frowned, “Whatever, it’s good.” 

“Yeah,” Seth said weakly, he wiggled his toes on the pool deck, sitting so he was leaning on his knees. “You been doing ok?”

“Mm?” Roman sighed, “I’m fine. I was talked to Dean about it a little, but I called my mom and was on the phone with her for hours before the storm really hit.”

“Well that’s good.” Seth nodded, not really sure what to make of it. Roman leaned back, perusing the tails thoroughly. He didn’t look closed off or upset, but Seth wasn’t sure what pressing the matter would really accomplish. “It’s not like I’m jonesing too hard to do this,” he held up a fistful of the gold tail, “But I wouldn’t _mind_ trying these out before the inservice...”

Roman sat with Seth by the side of the pool and showed him how to ease into the tail properly. A couple swimmers watched, interested as they eased off from the side of the pool, flapping around lamely.

“It’s hard!” Seth laughed, grabbing the side of the pool and trying to raise the gold fin above the water line, inspecting it. “It's all core strength!”

“You gotta float.” Roman demonstrated, “Any time you’re not moving you just gotta relax.”

“Yeah but,” Seth pushed away from the wall, treading water quickly. “I’m a sinker.”

“It helps if you got some air in your lungs,” Roman mimed sucking in a huge breath. Seth frowned, he’d tried just about every trick in the book before. It was a little patronizing on Roman’s part to assume he knew more than Seth about swimming. All the same, he drew in a heaving breath and pushed off from the wall, as though to float along on his back. Roman watched, frowning, as Seth’s sleeved legs sank gradually, pulling his legs down, under the surface.

“How do you teach kids how to float?” Roman chuckled, Seth sculled his arms back and forth, reaching for the wall again.

“Quickly,” he mumbled, a little embarrassed, sliding out of the pool and into the gutter. “I’ve just never been able to, I’m too dense.”

“Bet it makes saves harder. That stinks.”

They just sat for awhile, Roman’s head resting on his arms while Seth kicked his legs back and forth, stirring up the water. It wasn’t much, but silence seemed to be the best option for them, as their words never seemed to adequately describe their feelings. From this close, Seth could smell Roman’s subtle, inoffensive body wash, his hair falling out of his bun and down his back. He had never occupied space so close to Seth before at work- that seemed telling enough. 

“Oh god now you both are doing it.” Dean laughed, swinging through the locker room door with a grin. 

“Oh and you’re not?” Seth sneered back, “You know you want to.”

“Hunter’s making me!” Dean griped dramatically, tossing his bag down on the bench. 

The inservice that night was much more rushed than usual, Hunter was clearly distracted and less people showed than were expected. Roman went to the spa to relax for a little while and Seth took off the mono-fin to do the mandated swim with Dean and Sasha. Just 100 yards of continuous swimming and a dive test, the group rounded up to meet with Hunter, too excited about Mermaid business to contain themselves.

“Ok, so,” Hunter rubbed his eyes, looking at his clipboard. “I want to introduce all of you to AJ, our newest Physical Therapist in residence.”

“Hey,” AJ waved and smiled, he hadn’t done any of the lifeguard swimming, but he had stripped down to a speedo. “I’m from Gainesville Georgia, I was actually a lifeguard myself back when I was ’n college, but not anymore. I’ll be teaching swim lessons and maybe even mermaid lessons too, really lookin’ forward to knowin’ y’all better.”

They went around the circle and quickly introduced themselves and said what they did. Seth wondered if Roman had met him yet or if he had known AJ prior to him arriving. His energy was a lot different from Daniel’s zen, friendly demeanor. 

“We’re here!” Dolph laughed, the locker room door was activated by the automatic door control and Xavier stopped his introduction, the group stared at Dolph, as he came through the door with Neville piggy backing. His leg was fitted with an air cast.

“What happened?” Sasha asked, Dolph eased Neville down to the ground once he rounded the pit. 

“’s my tv antennae.” Neville sighed, sitting down next to Hunter. “I said I’d come, even if I couldn’t swim. The storm blew my antennae off my patio and into a tree, I was climbing it and I would’a gotten it fine if the damn landlady hadn’t started screaming at me for no reason, so she freaked me out and I fell.” He propped the injured leg over his healthy one. “Just a coupl’a weeks, mind you. I’ll be fine.”

“Well, that brings me to our second point.” Hunter sighed, “We’ve got a lot of holes in the schedule. Lana and Ru have said they’ll be around a little to help out, but if you’re at all available, especially any of Neville’s shifts or some of the weekend classes, we really need help.”

They went through a round of questions about the Emergency Action Plan and missing child protocol. Seth felt smug when Hunter asked about weather related emergencies, as he was the only one to remember where the headlamps and track lights were. They came to the end quickly, blowing through the bullet points as Shawn came in and Roman reappeared.

“Alright, so if you’re staying for the mono-fin stuff, just make sure you adjust your time in the system-“

“Y’all ready to be mermaids or what!” Shawn grinned, patting Hunter on the shoulder. Sasha and Xavier cheered, Dean just looked exhausted. They transitioned over to the deeper side of the pool and Neville left with Bo, who wasn't particularly interested in the mermaid business. 

Seth’s heart did an excited little jig when Roman sat down next to him during Shawn’s talk. It could have just been the fact that both of their tails had been sitting on the deck together as well, but he was surprised Roman hadn’t just picked it up and fallen right back into stride with Dean. 

“So, y’all are going to be teaching these classes for kids and adults if I’m understandin’ correctly.” Shawn handed tails out to the rest of the guards, cutting off any arguments about color choices. “And it’s with the understanding that everyone can swim, well... _kinda_ good already. You need to be able to float, tread water n' swim in the deep end of the pool before the class starts.”

They slipped on the fins, Seth grimaced a little at how damp and cold his was from earlier. Dean attempted to put his on standing, as though it was a pair of pants.

“Now, see,” Shawn laughed, pointing to Dean, who was standing up on the deck, preparing to hop to the poolside. “Someone always does this, and you wanna make sure you tell ‘em to put the tails on when they’re sitting in the pool, or else you got folks jumpin’ around like it’s a sack race and slipping all over the place.”

“He’s just like the little mermaid.” Paige laughed. “He yearns for the land.” 

Dean blushed and grumbled, shuffling as carefully as possible to sit next to Seth, everyone laughed.

“So, lets just get used to ‘em for a bit.” Shawn suggested, “Get in and get a feel for that dolphin kick. Some people won’t know how to dolphin kick, adults especially will wear themselves out, so you’ll want to show them the movement before you get them started.”

“This is a workout,” AJ agreed, kicking lightly in his own dark blue fin, opting to swim a lap of the pool. 

“Roman,” Dean breathed, looking exceptionally grumpy. “I am not teaching this.”

“Why?” Roman laughed, sculling beside him. Seth had to chuckle, it was the most visibly upset he’d ever seen Dean and he looked like an angry toddler, face pouted.

“I can’t float and I’m doin’ it.” Seth swam over lazily, his tail batting up against Roman’s. 

“It’s dumb, nnngh.” Dean grumbled. He seemed to have a hard time staying above the water, or at least, he was doing a poor job of it.

“You’ll need to teach them how to quickly get out of the tail too.” Shawn slid into the pool, his orange tail unfurling wide, making him look like a goldfish. “This is why you don’t want to cram anyone’s feet inna tail that don’t fit.” he demonstrated kicking out of the fin and the fabric peeled off, exposing his legs. “Now you try.”

“I got this,” Dean mumbled, eagerly breaking free of his bondage and letting the tail sink, abandoned. 

“Not your thing?” Shawn raised an eyebrow, tugging his own tail back over his legs and backside. Dean hoisted himself up on the deck.

“Nah brother,” Dean laughed, “I’ll teach it if I gotta but Hunter’s gunna have to butter me up.”

“Can I leave too?” Randy was already kicking out of his emerald tail.

“Dang it you guys, Hunter said I needed to pass at least eight people!” Shawn sighed as both Dean and Randy scrambled onto the deck.

“Me and Sasha will teach every class!” Xavier proclaimed, slapping the water. Sasha giggled. 

Seth and Roman stuck around, listening to Shawn’s explanations of games that kids and adults could both play, discussing how to tailor classes to the clientele. The group played through some activities quickly, trying to get through the material before getting too exhausted. 

“Racing games are good for adults, but only if the group is enthused and competitive.” Shawn proposed. “Diving rings are great for everyone.” He tossed out lots of smaller, metallic weighted rings. “Try and get into partners and we’ll see who can collect the most.”

Before he could turn around, Roman’s hand was nuzzling lightly on the back of his head, he blushed.

“Hey,” He breathed, Roman raised his eyebrows sweetly.

Roman trolled the shallows while Seth dove deep, skimming the bottom of the pool on his belly and snatching all the rings he could feel with his eyes shut tight. It was frantic, he kept bumping into his other coworkers, Xavier was especially competitive, swatting his hands away. Seth did want to win, but he was still feeling shivers from Roman’s playful little touch. They had barely said anything to each other the whole hour, was this really happening? 

He broke the surface after coming up empty-handed for the third time, breathing hard. Everyone was starting to gather by the wall, Shawn was counting the rings off on his hand.

“Dolph and Cody, great job.” Shawn tossed the rings into a bucket, they bro-fisted excitedly. 

“What do we win, huh?” Dolph demanded.

“Uhhh,” Shawn strained his face, shrugging. “I dunno, pride? It’s a kids game…”

They took off the tails and Shawn went over how to maintain the fins and keep the fabric in good condition. After the group had gone to the back and fixed the fabric pieces up on the drying line, Seth let out a great sigh, feeling as though he hit a wall of exhaustion.

“That’s about it.” Shawn said finally. “Great job guys, I’ll email you that little mini-quiz and then you guys will be able to sign up to teach on the regular schedule.”

“Thanks Shawn,” The group echoed, gathering their towels and water bottles off the deck as Shawn went to go shower. At this point, the facility was closed to the public and the pool had stilled, glossy and flat. Seth quickly tried to rub in some conditioner before he even got to the locker room, his blonde crunching up from the chlorine.

“H-Hey, Rome,” Seth caught him before he made it to the showers. “I’ve been meaning to ask- do you think you could show me how you do that thing to your hair?” 

“The deep conditioning?” Roman stopped and nodded. “Yeah, it’s not hard. You could probably just look it up-“ He paused for a moment, rethinking. “Yeah, no problem, I’ll show you sometime.”

“Are you gunna do the log rolling on Wednesday?” Seth smiled, he inched just a little bit closer, fighting his bashful tendencies, Roman’s eyes were red-ringed from the pool but were inviting all the same.

“Yeah, I’ll catch it.”

“Cool.”

Roman patted him on the chest, affectionately.

“See ya,”

The night was a little windy, but Seth practically skipped to his car, sweatshirt drawn tight to his chest against the misting cold rain. His heart had beat fast all through his shower and now, starting up his car, he was bubbling over with glee. The thought of Roman’s soft eyes were doing a much better job of warming him than the heater.

Jimmy Buffet’s _Fins_ came on when he hit the clover exit heading onto the highway and he giggled at the thumping of the cowbell, turning up the radio and bouncing around in his seat to the beat. He didn’t care how goofy he probably looked, picking up speed on the on ramp and flicking his hair back and forth. He was just so happy.

_Can’t you feel 'em circlin' honey?_  
_Can't you feel 'em swimmin' around?_  
_You got fins to the left, fins to the right,_  
_and you're the only bait in town._

It all seemed so intuitive, uncomplicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so, this'll be going on hiatus for a week or two. I'm doing some traveling for work and I have a couple other things to write, birthday presents, requests, guilty pleasures, etc. I have the next couple chapters planned out and I won't be a ghost, so review or PM me if you're hankering for the update.


	26. Blindsided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Log Rolling and Deep Conditioning

Since the hurricane, Seth was anxiously anticipating something interrupting the home-salon appointment he and Roman had thought up. They’d agreed to go to Roman’s house after the Log Rolling seminar and, just to be safe, he’d started texting him more. There was a part of his brain that still thought he might be dreaming it all- the fact that Roman had finally warmed to him. It was just that he was so hopelessly attractive and Seth couldn’t help but go a little dreamy at the thought of him.   
**Storm made a mess of the whole garden** Roman texted him a picture of the front stretches of flowers leading up to his front door, looking ragged and swamped with leaves. Seth paused his video game and frowned, thumbing his keyboard.

**Oh no :((((( Crispys ok right?**

Roman responded a few minutes later with a picture of the bird poking her head out of the chicken run, Seth laughed.

**Shes ok I brought her inside when it was bad**

Seth found that it was actually a lot easier talking with Roman over the phone then it was to his face. Maybe it was because he clammed up with shyness, or that Roman’s face didn’t always reflect how he was feeling. But Seth was surprised to find that he was genuinely interested in him and would gladly initiate conversation.

Dean however, texted completely spontaneously without any rhyme or reason.

**Did he send this to you?**

Seth messaged Roman a picture that Dean had sent of a sky full of clouds, taken from the inside of his car. The only message sent to interpret the photo was the word _Nice_

**Yeah** Roman replied. **He just sends u things that he sees sometimes, I dont really get it but its just how he is**

Sure enough, Dean sent Seth a picture almost every day, one of a lady walking a huge dog, then a cheeseburger he got off a food truck. Seth didn’t really mind it, he supposed if Dean was showing him these things it meant he cared. 

The actual day of the Seminar, Seth was a little nervous. He spent an unusually long time preening in the bathroom, brushing his hair and fidgeting with his face. Eventually, he remembered he’d be going in the pool anyway. Also, Roman saw him almost every day, it was stupid for him to be so uptight. 

The instructor, Steve, was a thickset man with a very distinct southern accent, harsh faced and bald, it was difficult to believe he was a swim teacher and not a drill sergeant. Apparently he had taken over the whole inservice for Hunter and had everyone swimming extra laps before Seth arrived. He was glad he’d done the mandatory stuff on Sunday instead.

“That’s it,” Steve chanted, standing next to the log. Seth tried for his third round, slowly treading it backwards, holding out his arms. “Now faster, lean forward-“

He wobbled and fell, Steve grabbed the log, tutting a little. 

“I wasn’t standing on it right that time-“ Seth said exasperated, he ran a wet hand through his hair as Dean mounted the log, preparing to get on.

“You gotta be quick with it, look down the end of the log, not at the water.” 

“Good, good.” He barked at Dean, who had held his stance on the log, walking it backwards. Seth stalked off to stand next to Cesaro and Roman. Usually competitive, everyone was rather quiet and wiped out from the swimming, watching with a glazed expression as they rotated through their turn on the log. Dean eventually stepped funny and hopped down into the pool, letting Kofi give the log a go. 

“Just so long as you know the basic form, that’s what’s important.” Steve addressed the group. Kofi showed everyone up with ease, the log rolling underneath him flawlessly. “But if you can get a chance to practice some, you’ll look a lot more competent tryin’ to teach it.”

“Go Kofi!” Cesaro laughed, Kofi raised his arms up in the air. “Let me go on the other end, I want to try.”

“I’m definitely going to need that conditioning when this is done.” Roman grumbled, tossing a tangled lock to the side. 

“You guys wanna go to Joes?” Dean asked, floating to their side. Seth bit his lip, looking at Roman.

“I’m showing him how to do his hair right.” Roman pointed to Seth, who rolled his eyes. Dean chewed his tongue, thinking. “You can tag along if you want.”

“I’ll pass.” Dean surfaced completely to stand. “We should all go out sometime soon though, maybe catch a movie or somethin’” 

“I’d be down,” Seth agreed. He didn’t want Dean to feel like he was being ditched.

“Saturday night?” Roman nodded. “Let’s do it. Let’s go downtown though, I need to get out of the ‘burbs.”

Steve wrapped the class by showing them all how to stow the log away and encouraged them all to practice before teaching. The group sluggishly made their way to the locker room to change, Seth showered in the family locker room to give Roman some space, he didn’t want him to think he was clingy. He took his time, trying not to concentrate too hard on his reflection in the mirror. In about fifteen minutes he was back in a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt. 

“You ready?” Roman asked him, flicking on his sunglasses. Seth smiled, and they made their way out to the parking lot. It was the first sunny day they’d had in awhile, Roman had carpooled with him and so Seth drew out his keys to unlock his cadillac. As he felt around in his pocket, his phone buzzed so he quickly pulled it out, eyes widening. Why was Marek calling him?

“One sec,” Seth muttered, pausing his gait to take the call, suddenly unsure. Roman stopped, looking blank.

“H-hey,” Seth said awkwardly, his heart was racing, he moved closer to his car to avoid a guest who was trying to leave. “What’s up?”

“I got your package.” Marek said, his voice nervous as well. “I really appreciate it man, I wasn’t-“ There was some shuffling for a moment and Seth looked at Roman apologetically. “I didn’t even ask for half of this stuff-“

“No problem.” Seth sighed, he held out his keys for his friend, hoping his face articulated how he hadn’t meant for this to happen. Roman just shrugged, accepting them and making for the drivers seat. Seth followed.

“I’m sorry if I sounded really bitchy about all of this,” Marek said quietly, “I just- well, you know how I get. I didn’t mean for it to sound like you were being escapist or flighty or whatever-“

“Even if I was,” Seth smiled, Roman started the car and began pulling out of the lot.

“Well, whatever,” Marek said. “It’s in the past. I don’t have to keep bothering you, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate it. I’ve got myself pretty much figured out here, I uh-“ He swallowed, “I’ve actually been seeing people. I dunno if you wanted to know or anything, I just figured I would tell you… before any anyone else-”

“I don’t care.” Seth blurted, “I mean, you should do whatever you want, I care, but I don’t-“ Seth took a deep breath. “I’m actually with someone _right now_ too.” 

“Yeah?” Marek laughed. “Then why are you talking to me?”

“Well-“ Seth said flustered, Roman smiled. He could probably hear everything. “I figured I should? I dunno.”

“It’s cool,” Marek said cooly, “I’m glad you’re doing alright.”

“Yeah, same.” Seth blushed. 

“I’ll let you go though. Take care, Seth.” 

“Later,” Seth muttered. The call ended and he felt suddenly strange, not really sure what to do or how to feel. It was uncomfortable, part of him had hoped he _wouldn’t_ hear from Marek again, just so he could ‘have the last word’ in a sense. Sitting in his own car, being chauffeured by Roman, he was suddenly aware how sweaty and over-hot he was.

“That Marek?” Roman grunted. “I imagined him sounding more… higher pitched…”

“T-that was him, yeah.” Seth put his phone in his pocket. “I’m sorry about-“

“Don’t sweat it.” Roman waved his hand. “Don’t do it in front of Dean though, he’ll never stop giving you grief about it.” 

They arrived at Roman’s house, pulling right up behind the Jeep in the driveway. The flowers in front had obviously been damaged, but there had been some work put in to undo what the Hurricane had ruined. Seth tried his best to put Marek out of his mind and to get excited for what they would be doing.

“Can I ask a weird question?” Roman inquired, voice slightly higher than usual. Seth paused slipping out of his shoes, he nodded. “Was Marek a top or a bottom?” 

Seth lost eye contact, taking awhile to fully loose his laces. Roman chewed his lip.

“Bottom mostly,” Seth shrugged. “Just uh, curious?”

“Yeah,” Roman mumbled. “Sorry if it was private.” 

“No problem.” Seth scratched his head. “We were both versatile I guess, but he never really liked topping. It worked for awhile cause I didn’t know what I liked.” Seth was rosy faced, but he smiled devilishly. “What about you and Dan?” 

“We were actually-“ It was Roman’s turn to blush. “Pretty versatile.” 

“Get out.” Seth joked, following Roman into the kitchen. “That’s cool… I guess.”

“We had a really good time,” Roman said, eager to turn away from Seth and start pulling ingredients out of his pantry. “I think that’s how we made it work so long. We had a lot of fun and we knew how to make each other happy.” He pulled down a big mixing bowl and a jar of coconut oil. “Just curious?”

“I just thought you were a top.” Seth shrugged. “But then, I guess everyone’s a little bit of everything these days, right?”

“It’s good to be open minded.” Roman nodded. “I just thought you were a bottom.”

Seth didn’t really know how to respond, he stuck his hands in his pockets, balancing on one leg and then the other while Roman grabbed a knife and some measuring cups. The thought of Roman being topped had got his dick hard a lot faster than he wanted to admit, a lusty scene immediately in his head where Dean was riding him, making him bellow out.

“You can slice bananas.” Roman shifted a bowl across the kitchen island. Seth stared.

“We need bananas for our hair?”

“We need bananas for our hair.”

The deep conditioning mixture was concocted from coconut, honey, bananas and extra virgin olive oil. Seth sliced up the fruit slowly, watching Roman dump the rest of the ingredients into a bowl for his kitchen-aid mixer. Looking around at the rest of Roman’s assemblage, his acquired appliances, Seth felt a little inadequate in comparison. How did he have such nice things?

“Alright,” Roman dabbed at the sides of the bowl with a spatula, taking it out from under the mixer and checking the consistency. “We would be doing this in my bathroom but it’s still pretty chaotic in there.”

“Remodeling?” Seth asked, remembering the paint cans and the tarp he’d seen the last time he’d been over.

“Still,” Roman sighed, “I’m lazy about it, I need to finish it. I’ll grab some towels from my closet though, we can do it in here.”

They each pulled off their shirts, Roman’s immaculate chest tattoo was a little to easy to get lost in, but Seth watched chastely as he demonstrated covering his head in the stuff. 

“It’ll drip some, so be careful.” he worked to pile his hair on top of his head, “But you want to really get it in your scalp. Then we’ll get it hot for a few minutes to bake it in.”

“How often do you do this?” Seth mumbled, following suit. The conditioner was fragrant, but it still smelled a little like food.

“Once a week.” Roman matted some of the solution behind his ears. “We’ll jar this up and you can put it in the fridge, it keeps for awhile.”

“That’s so much work.” he grumbled.

“Hurts to be beautiful.” Roman laughed. “It works, trust me. One of my cousins showed me this when I started growing out my hair, It’s worth it.”

“Did I get it all?” Seth looked up, Roman cracked a smile, reaching out a finger to pin a couple flyaway blonde bits back to his scalp. Seth felt his face warming up again, Roman traced a finger along his hairline, scooping up extra conditioner and giving him an eerie tingling sensation.

“Yeah, you’re good.”

The floral smell of the conditioner and smooth music coming off the speakers in the living room put the two in a little daze. Seth’s eyes fluttered as he sat at Roman’s dining room chair, practically humming as Roman rubbed his scalp running the heat of the hair dryer over his head in circles. 

“That feel nice?” Roman chuckled, scratching playfully.

“Mmm,” Seth smiled, “I don’t have to buy a hair dryer, do I?” 

“Not if you don’t want to.” He shut off the appliance, tidying up the wet locks. “But you might want to let it sit longer.” 

Seth sat peacefully, listening while Roman gave his own head a once over. The sun was dying in the sky and casting warm shadows across the kitchen. He felt warm and comfortable, a little hungry and tired maybe, but definitely content. It had been a good day, the bit with Marek was a little unexpected. But now he was sitting, eyes half lidded, watching Roman heat his hair, the muscles of his back shifting enticingly as he raised his arms. 

“How long until we gotta wash it out?” Seth mumbled, looking up at his friend, starry eyed. Roman wrapped up the dryer and put the bowl in the refrigerator. 

“Well,” he bit his lip, cheeks looking warm. He lightly grasped Seth’s hand from his lap, making to pull him up. “You’re about good. We _did_ just shower…”

“Yeah,” Seth murmured. “We could shower again though.”

It was a little strange, just for the fact that he had done the same thing with Dean. The little stroke of serendipity wouldn’t hit Seth until he found himself considering both men more closely. Showering was the obvious course of action however, there was no better way for them to get the stuff out of their hair. Later, he’d be struck by how casual it had been, how mindlessly it had happened.

Roman led him down the hall to the bathroom and Seth had to bite back a goofy smile as Roman started the tap and leaned on the sink to slide his shorts and underwater down his legs, leaning down to grab them off the floor. He couldn’t help staring at the exposed tan cheeks, positively giddy to be getting the view.

“You too now.” Roman chuckled, turning around. “Don’t just stare.”

“Aww c’mon,” Seth fake pouted, he eagerly wiggled out of his own shorts, shivering a little from nerves and the sudden exposure. Roman just smiled, admiring him up and down before extending a hand to guide him over the lip of the claw foot tub. The water was warm, and he shivered again, pleased to see Roman was just as visibly excited as he was.

“Mmm,” He was pushed under the tap and could feel the thin conditioning mixture sloughing off, but Roman was butted up behind him in seconds. His warm, tight body enclosed him thoroughly, thick arms embracing him and tilting his head back to lay on his shoulder.

“Mmgh!” Seth fidgeted, a hand drawing down unconsciously to give his cock the pump it was craving, arching up nervously, trying to find stimulation. Roman’s hand cut him off though, bringing his arms up to his chest to hold onto himself.

“Let’s get clean first,” Roman proposed, running a hand through Seth’s hair, rinsing it out.

“Can’t cuddle me like that,” Seth giggled. “You’re wayyyyy to hot to be doing that.”

“I don’t play fair.” Roman teased. “You’re a stud too, look at you.” He gave his pec a sweet tense, “Since when have these been here?”

“Crossfit,” Seth mumbled dumbly, far too engaged in Roman’s hands twining through his locks to think. His dick was throbbing and he knew that Roman was feeling it too, there was a cock being lightly pressed against his backside and it took a conscious effort not to rut against it. As the water ran clear, Seth felt at his own head, surprised.

“It’s so _soft_ ,” he marveled, drawing a hand through the blonde spot, the hairs untangled easily, hanging limp and tame on his collarbone.

“Told yuh,” Roman purred, shifting him over so he could get under the water. “It’s the only thing that beats out the chlorine.”

As soon as they were both rinsed, Seth pulled Roman in for a kiss. He just couldn’t help it. His hands wandered, pulling himself tight to his chest so the tap dripped on them both equally. Roman was tender, sweet, his lips drawn tight in small kiss after kiss. He barely used his tongue, it was difficult as Seth just wanted to cram all of himself inside him, as tacky as it seemed. It was just a more modest, controlled appreciation, in comparison to Dean (for instance).

“I think we’re done here.” Roman growled, turning off the tap and throwing the curtain open. 

“This is the softest my hair has ever been,” Seth remarked, feeling how airy and flat it was acting. He took the offered towel from Roman and eagerly began drying himself off. “I’ll definitely need the recipe.”

“Ah,” Roman sighed, looking around. Seth blinked, there wasn’t another towel. 

“Oh- well, I’m dry,“ Seth hopped out of the tub. “I can grab one.”

“I should have some clean ones in my room, sorry.” he mumbled, wiping water from his face with his hand. Seth put his own towel on his shoulders and scurried off, naked, through the opposite door to the master bedroom. “The bin is full of clean laundry,” Roman called from down the hall. 

“Got it-“ Seth said back loudly, grabbing a plastic container off of a large wicker chest at the foot of the bed.

“There might be one hanging in the closet too.” Roman continued, Seth rifled through the bin, looking for any long fluffy fabric. There was a bunch of swim suits, but Seth didn’t see any towels. 

“That's pool life-“ Seth laughed, frowning and tossing clothes back into the bin. He laid a hand on the wicker. “There’s just never any clean towels-“

Without thinking, not even sure what he was doing, he pulled the chest open and peered in. It hadn’t been locked, it had been purely instinctual, his hands on a search. His heart jumped, the top to the wicker bouncing back down again when he realized what he’d done. The chest had been full of leather straps and… devious equipment…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Murmuring) I'm backkkkk. Finals are coming up though, so keep your virtuous patience. This chapter asked for a lot of rewrites, if you're wondering why there isn't more Rolleigns out there, it's because it's really hard to write.


	27. Shortsighted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Has Seth bitten off more than he can chew?

The fact that Roman actually lit a candle at his bedside made Seth smile dumbly as he lay tucked into the man, while a large, soft hand absentmindedly rubbed his shoulder. After a long day with swimming, haircare, and about two and a half sessions of slow paced sex- they had both been ravenous. Roman quickly mixed up some stir fry for a late supper and they descended back into bed, having a difficult time keeping separate. 

“You gotta work early?” Roman tickled him a little, Seth just nuzzled closer. They were curled up so tight, both of their hair had dried and was left uninhibited. Roman smelled warm, almond soap smell filled his lungs with every breath, getting him high.

“At noon,” Seth mumbled, eyes flicked upward, over the swell of Roman’s chest. He set down his phone, giving him his full attention. “You?”

“I got deep water aerobics at eleven.”

“Do you… want me to go?” Seth asked, trying to disguise any bias. The last thing he wanted to do was ease out of Roman’s armpit and put on clothes, but it was a Wednesday night. He didn’t want to keep him awake or bother him.

“It’s up to you,” Roman didn’t stop rubbing Seth’s shoulder. “I don’t want you to go though.” 

In the way of a response, Seth just continued burying himself in his side, hiding his smile. Roman’s chest shook with little chuckles. 

He didn’t want to needlessly apply judgement to all of his sexual interactions, but Seth was a little mystified at how wonderful his last few had been. He was still thrown by how mind-blowing his one-on-one with Dean had been, and now, having experienced Roman separately, he had no idea what to think of it all. It wasn’t like choosing between ice-cream flavors- both men were similar in some regards and different in others. While Dean came off to be a very disorganized, chaotic person, his brand of love-making had been controlled and direct. The attraction they experienced felt magnetic and each action seemed to build linearly to a climax. Cautious, thoughtful Roman was much different in bed, more rough and raw, giving off an energy that extended out wildly. They’d fucked twice that night, Roman penetrating Seth, but just as Roman was rearing to climax, he’d relaxed and slowed the pace to go for longer.

Coming wasn’t always the point of things, and Seth knew that he had other things to consider about Roman and Dean other than sex. But then, that’s why he was there, right?

“So-” Seth popped his head out from Roman’s side, blinking a little in the soft light. “You’re… versatile…”

“Yup,” Roman raised his eyebrows.

“But uh-“ Seth gritted his teeth. He hadn’t brought up what he had seen in the wicker chest, still not entirely sure how to broach the subject. Upon closer inspection, he really wasn’t _positive_ what the contents were. Seth had never done participated in any BDSM, so he couldn’t identify all of the different types of gear. But floggers and collars were pretty straightforward. “Do you ever do anything… harder?”

“Like what,” Roman’s face twitched, Seth wasn’t sure how to be more specific without revealing what he’d seen.

“Well,” He went with the truth, “When I was looking a towel, I accidentally-“ Or, at least, part of it. “The clothes got snagged on the wicker and it opened and-“

“Didn’t get too traumatized?” Roman sighed, looking downcast.

“No-no, I dunno,” Seth sat up a little, “I don’t care what you’re into, I just don’t really know anything about that stuff.”

“I haven’t touched that in awhile.” He shifted, Seth eased away and Roman reached over the end of the bed to open the chest. Seth swallowed, watching as Roman rummaged through it. “I was actually looking into selling some of it, jeez, some of this was Dan’s-“ 

“Well, I don’t mind or anything,” he repeated, feeling cold in the absence of Roman’s touch. “I’ve always wondered about that stuff, it was just never something that came up with my ex.”

“It’s fun,” Roman let the top of the chest shut, “It’s a money suck though, I couldn’t re-sell this stuff for much at all.”

Seth hummed, fidgeting with his toes a top the blankets. 

“You secretly kinky or something?” Roman ruffled his hair and laid back down, patting his chest to invite him back into cuddling.

 “I'm not sure,” He said honestly. Seth supposed that probably meant he wasn’t, but he’d never really understood his sexuality. Though he was pretty damn sure he was gay, there were things about women he found attractive, and some things that were typically associated with men he didn’t really understand.

“When was the first time you got fucked?” Roman asked casually, “How did you know that was something you wanted?”

“Not till I was in my twenties.” Seth shrugged, “I fucked Marek for a long time but I thought receiving anal was still pretty gross… well… ‘till I got bored one day.”

“That’s cute,” Roman laughed. “For me I think it was sort of the opposite, I knew I liked anal but I wasn’t really sure what that meant until I started messing around with guys. I prefer topping most of the time now though.” Seth watched him talk raptly, it was a little strange to see him being so vulnerable and honest. “But it’s sort of the same with a lot of BDSM stuff, you just get curious or you just give it a go and see what happens. Did you really enjoy anal the first time you did it?”

“It was awkward,” Seth shrugged, “But I got the gist of it. What do you like though?”

“What do I like?” Roman heaved a sigh, looking up toward the ceiling, he pointed his hand skyward, toward the ceiling beams. “Suspension is fun.”

Seth squinted, his mouth dropping open a little. It was difficult to tell without his glasses on, but there appeared to be large metal hooks fixed to the ceiling just above Roman’s bed. 

“You hang people?” Seth mumbled, craning his neck.

“Suspend,” Roman corrected, “If they want to.”

“I wanna do that.” Seth proclaimed, looking excitedly to Roman. “Can you-“ 

“Not tonight,” Roman laughed. “Trust me, you don’t want to without knowing what you’re getting into. I wouldn’t string anyone up from the ceiling if they hadn’t done anything remotely restrictive before. It could fuck you up.”

“I’m not a baby.” Seth wrinkled his brow, “You don’t have to treat me with kids gloves.”

“No, you’re not.” Roman held him close to his chest, “But I actually like you, so I don’t want to hurt you.”

Seth’s stomach shivered warmly at the words. He knew he shouldn’t interpret it too deeply, but it was so sweet coming to him in Roman’s gruff voice. He was glad he was looking down towards Roman’s toes, his face was probably burning up. 

They ended up making out fiercely, much more lively than before, with Seth eagerly battling for dominance. Roman’s usually controlled and modest kisses became harder and longer, until he was pressing down over Seth, trying to outlast him.

“I want-“ Seth hissed, pulling him fully on top of him, knocking their teeth together. “I want you to come this time.”

“Yeah?” Roman moaned, Seth’s legs hitched onto his sides, playfully thrusting up. 

“Yeah,” he breathed, continuing the kiss after they each heaved a few breaths. His dick was loose in the sheets and he pressed it firmly against Roman’s leg.

“I want you to be loud for me.” Roman grunted, breaking apart to stand up. Seth wiped spit from his lips, smoothing his beard a little as Roman quickly pulled his hair into a bun. He ripped open a new box of condoms, his dick hardening at the sight of Seth shifting off the covers. 

“You’ll have to _make_ me loud, I’m not very loud.” Seth challenged, Roman fitted the condom on and gave his dick a cursory pump before hopping back onto the bed. 

“I think you’ve got it in you.” Roman scooped Seth and pulled him up so he could lay against the headboard and let Seth ride his lap. The dim candle and the diffused light gave off just enough for Seth to see Roman’s half lidded eyes, focusing hard as he eased him down onto his dick. He was fairly loose from the previous rounds of the night. The warmth was thick and welcoming, Seth let off a breathy sigh, arching back his neck in ecstasy.

Roman was joyfully athletic, even laying on his back, he created all the momentum. Seth held onto the headboard behind Roman, drawing their faces close as he rolled and kicked effortlessly. It was difficult at first to let go of his inhibitions, his natural tendency towards modesty. Seth started by just loosening his mouth, allowing Roman to beat breaths out of him. 

“Oh-h-h,” Seth lowered down against his chest. Roman was particularly well endowed, his thrusts tapping sharply against his prostate. He swallowed, trying not to drool all over the place, a firm hand came up to grab at his backside and Seth whimpered.

“Here, yeah?” Roman tapped Seth’s ass cheek, Seth looked up, a little confused, Roman patted it quickly with a meaningful expression. After a moments hesitation, Roman spanked him lightly, testing the waters.

“Yeah,” Seth breathed. “Yeah, yeah.”   
Roman continued to buck, but went in again, harder. Seth made an indistinct noise, cradling himself down awkwardly over Roman’s stomach, his hair fell in curtains around his face. Roman revved up for a third time, patting the tender area again before drawing back his hand tauntingly. With a sickeningly loud smack, Seth arched his back, staring vacantly and caught in a silent scream.

“Still quiet.” Roman cackled. Seth groaned and let himself be turned over until he was on his belly. Roman worked from above, still sheathed inside of Seth, he pushed his legs tight together to get the snuggest fit possible. 

“‘M sorry,” Seth grunted, screwing up his face as Roman began to pound harder and faster, “I can-t-“ He broke off, being rutted deeper, struggling to breathe as he began to feel the pulls of that phantom prostate-stimulation orgasm rearing. He choked, and keened softly, fisting the sheets. Roman laid down over top of him, closing the distance and hastening his blows, with one hand he grasped Seth’s, knitting their fingers together tight, strangely intimate.

“Fuck,” Roman sounded breathless, hair fell from his bun as he growled, Seth joined him, crying out as he felt the force of Roman’s orgasm twisting it’s way out of him. There was a moment of stillness, Roman breathing into his ear, sweating. But quickly, Seth was turned onto his back, still speared, laying on top.

“And, we just-“ Roman grabbed Seth’s cock, pumping it sweetly in his hand and smoothing out pre-come that had leaked down the shaft. “-Like that.”

“Oh, fuck, Rome’” Seth panted, the quivering in his stomach starting up so quickly he couldn’t brace for it- his back stiffened, his face pulled tight, and within a few moments he was shooting hot come all over his chest and stomach, Roman’s hands making quick work of him. 

They eased apart gradually, the heat eventually becoming too hot and sticky to ignore. But it was long after Roman had pulled out and Seth’s cock had relaxed that they each got up to wipe themselves clean again. 

Seth spooned back into Roman, similarly to how he had done earlier, now completely exhausted. Roman blew out the candle and they settled in, pulling thin sheets over their naked bodies. The whole bed reeked like Roman, warmth and comfort, the smell was almost noxious. For the first time in a long time, he found himself actually falling asleep in the embrace of someone else. Normally he’d have split apart, too hot or uncomfortable to properly rest, but the conditions were just so that he’d be lightly snoring in a matter of moments, tucked right up against his chest. 

Thursday morning began with the chirping of Roman’s phone on the bedside table, alerting them that it was 9:30. They’d shifted in the night, Roman had fully pulled Seth up against his stomach and he stirred, finding a bunch of hair on his cheek that didn’t belong to him.

“Sorry,” Roman mumbled, drawing away to sit up, rubbing his eyes. “Unconscious cuddler.” 

“It's ok,” Seth smiled back at him, “Good morning.”

Roman made up a continental breakfast of coffee and blueberry muffins from a quick-mix, largely back to his usual, quiet self as he paced slowly around the kitchen, waking up. It was an overcast morning, with some rain predicted for later in the day. Seth was just glad that he only had to guard for a few hours and could get home and back into his regular routine. After checking on Crispy and bagging up some muffins to bring along to work, they each went their separate ways to travel to White Water.

“Here early?” Sami winked at Seth, “Don’t let Dolph know, he’ll want to leave now.” 

“You guys don’t need anything, do you?” Seth looked behind the lobby desk. “I’ll just stare at my phone until my shift starts otherwise.”

“You could check with Hunter,” Sami offered, they both waved as Roman passed, making his way to the locker room. “I’m sure he’d need something.”

Stephanie actually caught Seth before he even made it to the lap pool, disengaging a guest in conversation to pull him aside.

“You’re here early!” She chimed, “Great, this saves me the trouble of calling you.”

Seth sat down with her in the observation area, slightly confused, until she whipped out a folder with some computer print outs Seth recognized from the one of the office data programs. 

“We got five for the LGI class, do you think you could teach it tomorrow and Saturday? I know it’s really last minute, but we’re going to be in big trouble if we don’t get people on boarding in the next two weeks.”

Seth frowned, looking down the papers. The forms covered some preliminary employment questions. 

“Just the weekend class schedule?” Seth asked, “Is it a blended class?”

“Nope, it would be about twelve hours each day.” She pursed her lips, “Crazy, I know, and if need be, Hunter and I could probably do it, it’s just that we’ve got so much going on. If you’d be willing, I’d double your class wage, plus you’d be getting lifeguard pay for the hours you’re here.”

“Sure,” Seth grinned, “I wouldn’t have to guard tomorrow then?” 

“Nope, I’ll cover it,” Stephanie waved her hand. Seth sighed, setting down the papers and leaning back in his chair. 

“Yeah, I’ll do it, I guess just give me all the class stuff tonight- “Where would we do all the video portions?” 

“That room we use for birthday parties,” Stephanie explained. “We’re trusting you to get it all done, even if that means getting a little creative with it. You feel alright with that?”

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem.” Seth shrugged, “I’ve taught the weekend class before, I’ll make it work.”

“You are the best,” Stephanie smiled, “You can do the exam portion Sunday morning too, that’s no big deal. We just want to get everyone hired and working by the end of the month.”

“Hey, me too,” Seth laughed, he glanced at the names at the top of each form. “Did you interview these guys? They seem promising?”

“Oh yeah,” Stephanie nodded, pointing at the two on the top. “These two,” The names FINN and BAYLEY were listed under their contact information. “Bayley has been certified before, she just let it lapse awhile ago. Great kids.”

“Enzo Amore?” Seth laughed, reading off the third application. “That’s his real name?” 

“He’s…” Stephanie smiled nervously, “He’s interesting, you’ll see.”

After showing him where all off the class equipment was and how to work the television in the conference room, Seth was excited to glance through the Lifeguarding manual. Teaching was something he really enjoyed, when he thought about the longevity of his career in aquatics, it was the first thing that came to mind. Swim lessons were fun, but getting the opportunity to certify people was really rewarding.

He sat, paging through the first aid section and looking at different splints and wound dressings when Dean came around the corner with a blueberry muffin in his hand.

“You going to be teaching that class?” Dean muffled, little muffin crumbs falling all over the floor. 

“Hey, yeah,” Seth nodded, “How’re you doin’?”

“Mm ghud,” Dean licked his lips, shifting awkwardly so an older man could sneak past him and the bench. “Fhow wuth Romanth?” 

“It was fun, my hair is really soft now.” Seth carded a hand through the blonde locks, demonstrating how easy they were to handle. “We had a sleepover.”

“Nice.” Dean grinned, swallowing. “I thought that’s what it was. When I was there he made me banana bread though,”

“Wonder what that means.” Seth snorted, snapping the manual shut.

“Well,” Dean wiped his mouth, “You’ll probably be tired as hell from the class, so maybe we should do our dinner to some other time.”

“Oh shit,” Seth swore, then cupped his mouth, “No, dude, I’m sorry. I’ll still do it. I just forgot for a second there.”

“Just text me or Uce or something, we can figure it out.” Dean waved him off. Seth still felt guilty, he still would have taken the class, it was too much money _not_ to partake in. He hadn’t meant to look that stupid when Dean had brought it up though.

“I’ll figure it out.” Seth agreed. Dean waved, insisting he had to go teach, dumping the little muffin paper in the garbage on his way out.

Seth’s head was buzzing as he relieved Dolph, taking charge over the guard stand. His clothes were a little stinky from being worn previously (it was all he had for a change of clothes in his bag) but he was clean and soft from being at Roman’s. He was tired, but well rested, and now he’d be getting up ridiculously early the next day to guide five new kids through the thick Red Cross manual. Would he really be in a fit state to go on a date afterwords?

“Hey hey!” Cesaro came through the door, waving at Seth from the opposite side of the pool, Seth frowned, turning to walk the opposite of the way he’d been pacing to meet his friend on the other side.

“I got our numbers!” He exclaimed happily, snapping off his sunglasses and stowing them in his pocket. “I went and picked them up, I guess they are giving out free T-shirts this year so that is kind of cool.” 

Seth’s heart sank as he saw Cesaro flash two plastic packets with numbered papers. He’d completely forgotten about the 5K.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably one of my better chapters. Have I really been writing for like five months now? Huh.


	28. Rookie School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth meets White Water's newest recruits and struggles with a work-life balance.

A large coffee and a doughnut were part of a promise Seth made for himself if he could get out of bed on time. It was pouring rain, it had been drizzling all night and it wasn’t supposed to let up until noon. Once he made it out, he went through a Tim Hortons drive thru, and got to White Water early enough to set up for the class.

“You’re here early,” Kevin remarked, consolidating garbage cans behind the front desk. “Not working a double are you?”

“More like a triple.” Seth grumbled, taking a long sip of his drink and blinking hard, the sun was just starting to make a real appearance, the only cars in the lot belonged to retirees and employees.

He had just started putting out lifeguard manuals when the first few students came in. A tall, well groomed young man and a woman with her hair pulled up into a side bun, as well as a shorter, surlier looking guy wearing a black hoodie lined with leopard print. The boy and girl looked a little worn, but excited, and were engaged in conversation with each other, the third was wrapped so tight in his sweater that Seth couldn’t make out his face. 

“I’m the instructor, Seth Rollins,” Seth introduced himself, shaking hands with the two livelier students. “I’ll have you sign this sheet here, try to write as clearly as you can.”

“I’m Finn,” The man said, making to shake Seth’s hand. He had a strong grip and a very likable, trusting face. Seth wasn’t able to place his accent, but he would have to guess it was from England or something.

“Bayley,” The woman smiled hugely at Seth, “I’m glad we all got to do this so quickly! I was a little worried I’d have to get a job at a coffee house or something.” 

“Oh yeah?” Seth looked down to the other student, who was actually drooling on his hand a little, barely awake.

“Yeah,” Bayley nodded, “Hunter recruited both of us from our school.” She gestured to Finn.

It wasn’t long before the fourth student came in, possibly the tallest potential lifeguard Seth had seen. He had long blonde hair and a scruffy chin, hands laden with huge coffees.

“Zo,” He snorted, tapping the chair of the sleeping man, exasperated.

“Venti,” He choked out from under his sweater, pointing dramatically in the air.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s a Venti.”

“Venti latte, two extra shots, three pumps vanilla with whole milk?”

“Only two extra shots, Zo” The tall man kicked his chair harder, trying to fully rouse him. “I ain’t gunna pay eight freakin’ dollars for your damn coffee. Now gimme’ a hand here!”

‘Zo reached for his cup and eagerly began to sip off of it, his hood came down and Seth was startled to see his whole head was shaved and dyed in a garish array of designs. Leopard print spots and Chevrons marked the sides while the rest was split between a voluminous blonde top-knot and a little ponytail.

“I’m Seth,” Seth tried to introduce himself again, “Sorry this is so early, I’m not much awake either.”

“Yeah, yeah, how you doin’,” the man called ‘Zo croaked. 

“I’m Colin,” The large man shook Seth’s entire arm, “Colin Cassady, most people just call me Cass tho’, my under-caffeinated pal here is Enzo.” 

“A-more-aye.” Enzo mumbled into his coffee. 

Seth just stared, they were such an unlikely pairing that he had no idea what to say. Just as Enzo took the paper from Seth’s hand and started scrawling down his contact information, the last student arrived, another hulking giant of a man. 

“Good morning.” Seth smiled, trying to be chipper and inviting. “Great, now everyone’s here. You must be-“

“Corbin.” The man grunted, breezing right by Seth to sit on the very end of the desk. As rude as it was, Seth just wanted to start. It was too early to take anything to personally anyway.

“Right, well, Let’s introduce ourselves.”

Hunter had pulled from a very wide pool for potential lifeguard candidates. But then, Seth supposed, they were in real need. Bayley and Finn were both university students who happened to be taking a biology class together, but Bayley had been certified before when she worked at a summer camp. Finn was originally from Ireland, studying outdoor education- he was looking to have some experience as a guard, as well as pool access.

Enzo and Cass were a little more colorful in their backgrounds, having transplanted themselves across the country similar to Seth, they were working a variety of jobs to make ends meet.

“I gotta fork lift license, I c’n move a piano,” Enzo counted off on his hands, “Dog handler, Poultry wrangler, General security, Canvassing…”

“I think I’d like to be a personal trainer someday, yeah?” Cass shrugged, “Maybe a physical therapist.”

“There’s a guy here that does some PT stuff,” Seth nodded, turning to the late-comer, “How about you?”   
“I’m Baron Corbin.” Baron said stiffly, not making eye contact with anyone. “I’m local.”

The group just sort of nodded awkwardly, Seth swallowed, wondering how exactly they were going to fare once they hit the pool. It was hard imagining some of his students wearing a rescue tube, let alone fitting in with the rest of the White Water staff, this might be more difficult than he’d imagined.

“Alright, so-“ Seth clapped his hands together. “There’s a preliminary swim test you’ll have to do to work here and to be certified, so let’s just get that over with so I don’t waste your time talking if you can’t actually work here, you know what I mean? We’ll do that, practice a couple skills, and then we’ll watch a bunch of videos.”

The group grabbed their bags and made for the locker rooms. Seth sighed, rubbing his eyes again. The sun was up now, his coffee was just starting to work. It was going to be a long day regardless.

“400 Meters,” Seth took a dry erase marker and scrawled it at the top of the white board at the poolside. The five students, changed and showered, were now huddling around Seth who had stripped to a guard shirt and some trunks. “That’s sixteen lengths. Then we’ll do the brick dive. You’ll need to sprint down from the shallow end, surface dive for the brick, come back up and swim back to the shallow end with just your feet.” Seth hoisted up the rubber brick, passing it around to inspect. “That sound ok?”

“I’m going to see if I can’t beat my time from last time.” Bayley grinned, snapping her goggles down over her head. Enzo looked the most sheepish of the group, biting his lip and staring gravely at the surface of the pool.

“Go ahead and start,” Seth pointed to the two open lanes in the lap pool. “Just try not to bump into each other.”

The group started and Seth mingled over by the guard stand, Cesaro was just coming on to relieve Charlotte.

“You still excited to run?” He asked Seth tentatively, “You’re gunna be pretty wiped out from this class, huh?” 

“Yeah,” Seth sighed. There was just no way he could turn down his friend, not when they’d been joking back and forth for a few weeks about it. It was dumb of Seth to have forgotten so easily, he always did stuff like this because he never bothered to write anything down. He’d just have to cancel whatever he was going to do with Dean and Roman, it was the least of his commitments. “I’ll make it work, I’ll figure it out.”

“Any hot prospects?” Cesaro laughed, watching the progress of the class. Bayley and Finn were leading the pack, swimming well at a decent pace. Cass, Enzo and Baron were all struggling to fit in their lane. 

“Watch the little blonde dude,” Seth grimaced. Cesaro grabbed the tube from Charlotte, letting her step down. “Might be a victim.”

Sixteen lengths of the pool and everyone was a little out of breath, but intact. Cass and Baron were particularly wiped, laying on the pool deck dramatically. 

“You need to complete the brick test in under two minutes,” Seth explained, letting the brick glide down to the bottom of the deep end. “We can negotiate do-overs.”

Once again, Bayley was the stand out star, the group dynamic was starting to show through a little. It wasn’t surprising, considering it wasn’t the first time she had passed, but Seth was at least optimistic they’d be getting one or two stellar guards out of the experience.

“Ease out of the pool,” Seth mumbled, watching as Finn set the brick down and got out. “Excellent, 1:22.”

Enzo passed after two tries, having a hard time locating the brick on the bottom of the pool and kicking his feet strong enough to get him to the wall in time. Baron took a do-over as well, grumbling angrily about how unfair it was that they couldn’t use goggles for that part of the test. 

“So, if you’re feeling pretty wiped out right now, you’ll definitely want to swim more regularly.” Seth clicked the timer as Cass heaved himself onto the deck, panting. “But good job everybody. This is one of the hardest parts and you’ve got it all done.”

Seth introduced them to some of the basic equipment and some jumps before they dried off again to change. The worst part about these quick-classes was the fact that they were in and out of the pool all day, stinking like chlorine and chafing. 

“The basic jump is the stride jump.” Seth stuck the rescue tube up under his arms. “With every jump, you want to make sure you don’t go underwater so you can maintain a line of sight with the victim.” 

He got up on the starting block and scissored his legs mid-jump. The class watched as Seth kicked his legs together as he hit the water, stopping him from going underwater.

“P-p’alright,” He spat some pool water out as he hefted himself back onto the deck, handing the tube to Finn, “Go ahead and try it.”

Hunter came out of his office, watching the class file into two lanes to practice. Seth made corrections when necessary, but most of them were doing alright.

“I think with bigger guys, sometimes you can’t help making a water wave that goes over your head.” Seth shrugged, watching Cass and Baron go at it a third time. “So long as you can recover and swim once you hit the pool, that’s what matters.”

“How are we all doing?” Hunter sauntered over, Seth smiled and nodded. 

“Going great, got the first bit down, everyone passed.”

“Excellent.” Hunter grinned. “I’m ordering everybody pizza for lunch, so make sure you work up an appetite.”

Seth showed them the slide in entry and the compact jump, more awake and optimistic about the prospect of the class. With the first hurdle passed, the group’s anxiety had lessened and they seemed excited to learn more.

“Videos next,” Seth grabbed the rescue tubes and the group made to go change again. 

“Did you want a hand with next in-water portion?” Hunter asked as Seth hung the tubes back up to dry. “If you wanted to do it in P-pool, you’d have Dean. Then you could have two groups of three for back-boarding.”

“That would be… great.” Seth sighed. He really did need another person, but seeing Dean meant admitting that he probably wouldn’t be able to go out on Saturday. He hardly had time to think about it, but it didn’t stop him from feeling guilty.

“We’ll try to get through all of the in-water stuff today, so tomorrow will just be CPR and first aid.” Seth explained, putting the first DVD into the media player. They had all changed back into their clothes and were sitting around the fold-out table, paging through the lifeguard manuals. “A lot of this stuff might overlap and be redundant, but some of it is really helpful. If you need to take notes, go ahead, but we’ll run through all the skills in the pool.”

The certification material was just as boring as Seth remembered. Interviews and testimonials about how important lifeguards were, interspersed with awkward actors going through scenarios. The group at least seemed to have a good attitude behind it.

“You can’t help ‘im he’s made of plastic.” Enzo laughed under his breath as the video showed a guard rescuing a dummy from the bottom of the pool. “This broad didn’ even ask ‘im if he consented.”

“She didn’t-“ Seth laughed, “Remember that for the test though, I got points knocked off the first time I did CPR because I didn’t ask the mannequin for consent.”

The most beneficial material was the videos that simulated scanning the pool. Seth started and stopped the DVD at the appropriate times and had the group watch through a minute of time at a public pool and a water park facility.

“What did you see?” Seth posed, smiling as all five of their hands went in the air.

“The little boy running in the background.” Finn answered, Seth nodded.

“There was a lil’ girl.” Cass pointed. “She was on the wall in the deep end, holdin’ on like she couldn’t swim.”

“The body at the bottom of the pool?” Bayley offered.

“Yup,” Seth tracked back to the video and the all leaned a little closer, seeing that there was, in fact, a dark shadow on the bottom of the pool.

“That’s why it’s so important to know exactly what the facility looks like.” Seth said wisely, a cold shiver running down his spine at the thought of Roman and the little boy. “Scanning is like, 99% of your job, you really don’t want to just ‘happen’ upon that.”

Two DVDs and a pizza break, the class was eager to get up out of their chairs and go through the skill sets. Seth brought the instructors binder to page through, and they huddled in the corner of P-Pool, trying to stay out of the way of a group of kids having a splash war.

“We got the sinking board with the good straps.” Dean held out one of the backboards to Cass, “And the one that floats ok but the straps suck.”

“This is Dean everyone,” Seth gestured to his friend and everyone greeted him awkwardly. “Everyone grab a partner and we’ll go through some reaching assists and active drowning saves.”

Baron was always the odd one out, antisocial and haughty as he was- but Seth didn’t want any drama to start before anyone was actually hired. After a couple rounds of practice jumps and reaching assists, Seth rotated the groups so they got new partners and new roles.

“Bend your knees a bit,” Seth instructed, nudging Bayley playfully with his side, “Look, now you can’t get knocked over.”

Enzo had the misfortune of not only being on the smaller side, but was almost always practicing on someone who was unusually large.

“Make sure you get their head out of the water right away-“ Seth mumbled, grimacing as he watched him fumbling with the tube, his huge blue eyes wide and uncertain. Cass stopped acting dead and grabbed a hold of the wall, looking back to his friend.

“I’s- it’s-“ Enzo shook his head, his blonde mop of hair slapping against his cheek. “-Gotdamn hard!” He sighed, floating on the tube. 

“If you’re small, you just gotta get momentum-“ Dean suggested, coming up behind Enzo and grabbing him to demonstrate. Dean threaded his arms under his shoulders and immediately started kicking them backwards, Enzo naturally relaxed back against Dean’s chest. “That way they don’t sink.”

Seth nodded, glad Dean was stepping up to help out a little. They moved onto some more unusual scenarios once they had gotten the hang of some basic rescues.

“Maybe-“ Seth frowned, leaning down in the gutter, “Not so aggressive.” 

Bayley grabbed onto the wall, fixing her ponytail a little. Baron had just grabbed her hard, nearly throttling her during the escape scenario.

“I thought that was the point.” Baron said dully, adjusting the tube strap on his shoulder. “Panicked people aren’t going to play nice.”

“Well no,” Seth sighed, trying not to roll his eyes. “But until you’re a guard, let’s try not to _have_ to make any saves.”

He watched Finn and Cass run through the same escape scenario seamlessly, Cass grabbed Finn and he rolled out, adjusting to re-attempt the save.

“Now we’ll try a deep water passive submerged victim,” Seth eased into the pool for this portion, beckoning them toward him. Dean floated over diligently, as though reading his mind. “This one is the most difficult and a little scary, so get as much practice as you think you need.” Seth nodded to his partner and Dean began to sink, the class watched as he sank down behind him, trailing the tube down to place it between them. They rose quickly, breaking the water with Dean laying across Seth’s chest, head tilted back. 

“Just get the tube between you and your victim, don’t worry about it looking pretty.” Dean suggested, shaking water out of his face. 

It was hard work, with each person sitting out for a few moments just to catch their breath. Bayley got her tube fixed first, managing to rescue Dean and Baron from the bottom of the pool. Finn and Cass eventually got the hang of it, the tube came rocketing to the surface first a few times. Enzo was the most breathless and shaken by the activity.

“This lifeguard biz ain’ no trick.” Enzo panted, looking helplessly at Seth from the gutter, “I gotta quit smokin’ if I’m gunna be cut out for this.”

“That might… help.” Seth snorted. It was difficult for him to level with a man that was so absolutely ridiculous. His swim trunks where a shiny gold material reading “TRILL” across the crotch. “You’ll get it though, don’t worry about it man, it takes awhile sometimes.”   
“Come on ‘Zo,” Cass floated over. “Try’n save me quick, you almost had it.”

Grumbling and groaning, Enzo rolled animatedly into the pool from the gutter. 

Everyone was plenty exhausted by four o clock, but Seth was determined to get through the practices with spinals and back boarding. They wouldn’t get everyone through a primary guarding role, but it wouldn’t be on the final exam anyway. The group was getting rather distracted anyway.

“Stop moving, you’re supposed to be paralyzed.” Seth grunted, tightening the chest strap on the backboard, trying to fully immobilize Enzo, who was actually trying to flick water at Cass as he tried to stabilize him. Dean took Bayley and Finn to the other side of the shallows and let them work through the same scenario.

“He’s drippin’ water all over my mug!” Enzo snapped, fidgeting.

“Just close your eyes, dumbass.” Baron murmured, 

“Guys,” Seth steadied himself. “This is really important and step-intensive, you know what I mean? Let’s just get through it, ok? Cass, try not to bend over so much, your hair won’t drip.”

Thankfully Bayley started stepping up to help, her naturally positive energy an antidote to the late-day fatigues. She managed to be helpful and encouraging, without coming off as a know-it-all. 

“You got it!” Bayley laughed, springing up. Enzo looked shocked for a moment and then grinned hugely, posing proudly after he finally completed the arm-splint hold technique correctly.

“Bada Boom! Realest guy in the pool!”

“Great job.” Seth beamed, watching Baron and Finn finish up. “I’m feeling pretty good- we can spend the evening tomorrow going over anything else you wanted to practice before the practical part of the test.” Dean started collecting tubes that had floated into the gutter. “Rest up and be ready for CPR and First Aid tomorrow!”

“How many questions is on the test?” Enzo mumbled to Seth, catching a towel thrown from Cass.

“Twenty-five or thirty?” Seth shrugged, unsure. “We’ll go over what’ll be on it, don’t worry about it.”

Enzo didn’t look particularly thrilled, his face filled with trepidation, he followed Cass’s trail into the locker room, yapping in earnest about needing someone to help him study.

“I’m so excited to be back at a pool again!” Bayley chimed, letting her hair down so she could towel it off properly. “Everything’s coming back a lot more naturally than I thought it would.”

“Yeah, you’re awesome!” Seth blushed, “I’m really glad we’re gunna have you around. Dean runs swim lessons and extra programming around here, I think you’d be a great teacher.”

She laughed, drying off her arms. For a moment, it looked like she wanted to hug Seth, but she bit back her enthusiasm, waving and making her way to the showers. There was a clatter from the backroom and some grumbled cursing, one of the backboards had fallen over and Dean was crouched down, looking under one of the shelves for the stabilization pieces.

“Thanks so much for helping,” Seth leaned in the doorway, “I think tomorrow we should be alright, they can rotate through by themselves for the extra practice.”

“Nngh, yeah, it was no problem.” Dean snapped the headpiece back on, leaning the board up against the wall. “Wouldn’t say no to a beer tomorrow though, if you’re buying.”

“Well-“ Seth’s stomach sank, “I can try, but I forgot I was running a 5k with Cesaro.” His voice struck a higher pitch, unsure. Dean snorted. “I’m serious, I don’t know how I forgot, but I did.”

“It’s that one downtown? Yeah?” Dean squinted thinking, “They put billboards up all over the place for that one.”   
“Yeah, I think.”

“Well,” Dean shrugged, “Guess I’ll make Roman buy me one then.”   
Seth chewed his tongue, feeling shittier by the second. He knew that Dean hadn’t meant it to sound bitter, he didn’t even feel jealous, but the fact that he was going back on their agreement just felt wrong. It was difficult to tell if Dean was more put-off than he was letting on, or if he was upset. He was doing a good job of hiding it, busying his hands with rolling up the velcro on the backboard.

“I don’t wanna flake, honest.” Seth said quietly. Dean paused, looking up through wet, uneven bangs.

“It’s cool.” 

Seth hoped he was telling the truth. Would Dean ever hold a grudge against him? As brusque and difficult as he seemed, he tapped Seth’s chest playfully as he walked out. Seth didn’t know what it meant, so he didn’t know what he was supposed to feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You. Have. No. Idea. How excited I am to have Enzo at my disposal now. I was a little worried that he wouldn't come across right, but everyone is more chilled out in this world so I felt like I did alright. Once finals are over, I might be putting out two updates a week... We'll... see... 
> 
> Couple folks have actually sat down and read this thing as one long story? Congrats, first of all, that seems intimidating! Still trying to pace this thing appropriately. Review! I do appreciate it y'all! I just can't think of anything better to reply with than "uhh thanks...lol"


	29. The Big Race

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new kids learn some CPR and First aid. Who will win the 5K between Seth and Cesaro? Gas station roses, sore joints and coming out.
> 
> FANART:
> 
> https://sendendo.tumblr.com/post/143720833496/a-bunch-of-to-the-rescue-drawings-go-read-the

Another big coffee, another big day. Even though he had tried his hardest to get to bed early, Seth slept restlessly, plagued with shame for having to disappoint his friends… or lovers… what were they anyway? There was no time to be feeling upset and grouchy about a situation he’d put himself in because there was still lots of lifeguard material to get through- Enough sections in the manual to make him worry that they wouldn’t be able to cover it all in time. 

The whole group was exhausted from swimming so much the previous day, they sat bleary eyed in their seats, drinking coffee and rubbing their eyes as they watched more and more videos- this time covering CPR.

“First things first,” Seth blinked hard, stifling a yawn. “Before we do anything-“

“Gloves,” Finn answered. Seth nodded, slipping on the blue nitrile gloves and kneeling beside the mannequin.

“These ones light up green if you’re doing it correctly,” Seth intertwined his fingers, placing his hand on the chest of the dummy. “Remember, for adults, you want to compress the chest by about two inches. Thirty compressions and two breaths, go ahead- pair up and use the BVM bag. Make sure they go in.”

The only real set backs for the morning included a dummy with a broken lung-bag and an AED that would only function in Spanish. Bayley and Finn dominated the question answering, at least, answering the questions correctly. Enzo piped up almost constantly, but it was mostly poor guesses and witty quips. Hunter ordered them lunch again, but they didn’t stop to break. Choosing instead to munch on pizza over first aid videos for identifying specific ailments.

“Seizures.” Seth offered, “Signs and symptoms.”

“Havin’ a seizure.” Enzo mumbled through a mouth full of pizza crust.

“Which looks like-?“

“Seizing, but sometimes just zoning out, going still, not focusing.” Bayley added.

“Yup, strokes?”

“Numbness, half their body lockin’ up and going stiff-like.” Cass answered.

“Diabetic emergency?”

A lot of it seemed like common knowledge, but it was still required material. The more practical bits of the afternoon involved addressing injuries in a variety of settings, with an emphasis on the proper procedure. The class partnered up to practice splinting different wounds, Seth allowed Baron to dress some imaginary wounds for him as the group was getting pretty worn-out from his passive aggressive comments.

“Gloves,” Seth suggested as Baron snatched his hand, intending to splint his fingers together.

“They’re all too small.” Baron complained, straining to fit the large size over his enormous hand. 

“Good practice though.” Seth shrugged, “We’ll have to put some XL’s down by the pool for you.”

By the evening, everyone was tired and worn. Seth was dreading the 5K, he had half a mind to call Cesaro to drop out and fruitlessly apologize for having planned so poorly. But, he reminded himself, it was just a fun-run, he didn’t have to get competitive if he didn’t want to. The class got back into their swim suits to practice their in-water skills one last time before the morning test, Seth gave out pointers and went through the list of skills that could be on the exam.

“We won’t be doing none of that back boarding stuff, right?” Enzo bobbed around on the surface of the water, Finn clutched up to his chest, feigning death.

“Nope, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be on the written test.” Seth accepted a tube from Bayley, she was taking off early. Enzo swallowed, letting Finn go and brushing back his damp top-knot.

“‘Fugget’ about it ‘Zo, we’ll study, stop freaking.” Cass laughed, towing Baron around on his tube. “You gunna get to that race, Seth?” 

“Yeah,” Seth checked the clock on the wall. Cesaro had offered to pick up dinner and drive them downtown, he’d be arriving any moment now. “So long as you guys feel confident, I’ll let you go. Eight o’clock tomorrow, we’ll do the written stuff first.”

Seth packed up the class materials and changed, trying his best not to yawn and sigh through the ordeal. The moment he got into the car, Cesaro pressed a bottle of flavored water in his hands with a little takeout container.

“'S this Crystal Lite?” Seth examined the bottle curiously, it was some mixed drink.

“Pre-workout.” Cesaro corrected, pulling out of the parking lot so fast Seth almost dropped the contents of his lap on the floor. “Some caffeine and creatine, it will wake you up. You still game?”

“We’ll see,” Seth pulled from the bottle and began eagerly working on the pasta salad in the styrofoam container. They had left late enough to miss any major traffic, but the moment they got into the city, it got a little harder to navigate around. Seth tried not to think about the disastrous Grindr date he’d had about a month ago now- they passed by the hotel he’d gone to and he shivered a little.

“If you do not want to run, that’s alright,” Cesaro offered, sensing his fatigue. “Dean told me you were crazy busy with the class things.”

“Oh, I’ll be alright.” Seth rubbed the inside of his wrist, “We were… well-” Seth wasn’t sure how much Cesaro knew, “I was planning on meeting up with Dean and Roman afterword but I think I’m going to be dead after this.”

“Yeah?”

Cesaro was focusing on the road, so it was difficult to tell what he was thinking, if anything. 

“Yeah,” Seth mumbled. His friend didn’t really seem the type to be clued into much drama around the workplace. Still, if Cesaro didn’t _at least_ know that he was gay, well... he probably should tell him... 

“Well, if you are still up for it when you are done, let me know.” Cesaro shrugged, “I can drop you off at your car or wherever.”

“They actually were going to be downtown.” Seth raised his eyebrows. “Thanks man.”

Event parking was expensive, but they paid for their spot. The streets had been blocked off on the east side and a lot of folks were milling around excitedly, fixing their numbers to their shirts and preparing for the race. Seth finished the rest of the pre-workout mix and took an offered water from Cesaro. He was feeling a lot better now, watching the sun fading down the horizon line, feeling the warm, fresh breeze. Being outside made him feel more alert and excited.

“I’ll tryin’ put up a little fight tonight.” Seth mused, pinning Cesaro’s number to his back. “Maybe I’ll beat you, who knows.”

“Oh yeah?” Cesaro grinned. “I have not had the chance to train like I should have been, maybe you are right.” 

They walked a few blocks to make it to where the registration tents were. Since they already had their numbers, they pushed through the crowd to the starting point where a huge mass of people were forming. 

“I will have my phone on me,” Cesaro poked at the jogger’s band on his arm. “So if you finish or need to find me, you can text.”

“Alright,” Seth said, elbowing his way to an empty space. “I’ll try to beat you to the finish.”

“What were you going to do with Roman and Dean?” Cesaro asked, looking up to the race clock at the fore-front of the crowd. “If you guys do meet up, that is.”

“Uh,” Seth was pulling his hair back into a tighter bun. “We never really figured anything out, I suppose it would have been dinner.”

Cesaro just nodded, Seth could tell he wanted to ask more.

“We all kinda… well…” he blushed, “I’m gay, I guess I never told you that-“ 

“It’s cool.” Cesaro said quickly, Seth paused. It didn’t seem weird, he knew Cesaro was a little anxious, but he could tell it was only because he wanted to be supportive. Judging by the quickness of his response, Seth would have guessed that he already thought it. His friend at least had the good sense not to break into some prepared speech or an explanation of: My ___ is gay too…

“T-thanks, yeah,” Seth said awkwardly. Coming out was never seamless. “Well, we kinda screwed around during the last staff party. Nothing serious or anything,” He said hurriedly. “But I dunno, Roman and Dean are supposed to be around here somewhere.”

Cesaro nodded, it wasn’t a great time to drop the gay-bomb, but Seth felt like he should’ve told his friend awhile ago anyway. They each took selfies on their phones and Seth sent his to Dean and Roman in the group chat they’d started.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! How are we doing tonight?” 

The crowd cheered and yelled accordingly, Seth tucked his phone away in his sweatshirt pocket, just as Roman sent him a thumbs up. The announcer spoke through a huge megaphone, and stood on a raised platform that was at level with the stop sign on the street. They began releasing the crowd in waves from the marked front, starting each bit with a Klaxon call. Both men began hopping on their tip toes, excited.

“Yeah man!” Seth grinned, pre-workout putting him in the zone, “Let’s go!”

When they released their section, both of them began weaving through the crowd, laughing stupidly and going much too quickly to be competitive for the long term. It was difficult with so many people, and after breaking through the first block, Seth lost his visual on his tall, bald friend. Pounding the concrete, minding the cracks and bumps in the road, he ran along the side of the swell, making his way through the slower runners who were contented to walk and talk. 

He was glad he’d come out to run, he was glad he’d told Cesaro he was gay and even though he’d be waking up early again the next day, he felt great about training in five more lifeguards. It would be nice if he could finish up and see what Roman and Dean where up to- but even if it didn’t happen, Seth couldn’t feel too poorly. After the class tomorrow, he’d like to take a short nap and invite one or both of them over for dinner. Roman still hadn’t seen his place, if they were both free, it would be a nice end to the weekend.

_Or you could just wait_ , Seth told himself, it wasn’t that pressing of a priority. Maybe Dean and Roman were upset about him skipping out, he hadn’t properly explained how Cesaro had asked him weeks ago about this. 

Seth followed the bend of the road, running alongside the cones, starting to feel his breath hitch a little bit. There wasn’t an eager bunch of spectators crowding the sidewalks, but groups of people coming out of bars whistled and cheered them on.

He thought about his day, how excited he was to be working with Bayley and Finn. Enzo and Cass were so difficult to communicate with, he privately hoped they wouldn’t have to do anything too difficult. Honestly, Baron wasn't bad so long as he stayed quiet, the cadence of his voice was just condescending, he wasn’t sure how long he’d last with his customer service skills. Seth had certified about a dozen guards before, had breezed through the material enough times to feel confident teaching it. Getting these opportunities to step up at work felt great.

He quickened his pace a little when he thought he saw Cesaro in the distance, but, getting closer, he realized it wasn’t him. _How had they spread so far apart so quickly? He’s probably already finished_ , Seth thought, hurrying to pass by a thick crowd of walkers before they hit the turn.

The sun set at around the halfway point and Seth was pleased with the time he was making. At this rate, he’d finish in about twenty-five minutes. The weather was perfect, he was sweating hard, but the little wind that carried on the air was comforting. The street lights illuminated the path as the sun disappeared, and his thoughts melted away as he focused on finishing the race. The physical became primary- getting his legs in front of him, and dodging out of the way of other racers as he passed the mile markers fixed to the path.

The ending stretch came sooner than Seth thought and as soon as he made out the finish on the horizon line, his body started to lock up, sensing the end. He huffed and puffed, rubbing sweat from his brow as he closed the distance, squinting in vain for Cesaro’s smiling face, waiting for him at the finish line. 

Seth finished strong, running to the very end, jerking awkwardly to a stop as he passed through the tall arch ways signaling the end of the race. He breathed hard, chuckling as he glanced around, trying to see if Cesaro really had beat him. He’d been running ahead of him from the start, had he actually passed him at some point?

A water bottle was pressed into his hand by a volunteer and he broke it open, drinking instinctively, his chest was still heaving, his body cooling down and aching a little as he walked aimlessly through the crowd, staring like a lost child.

“Hey Seth! Seth!”

He whipped around. It didn't sound like Cesaro.

“Over here!”

On the sidewalk, next to the lamp post, stood Dean and Roman, waving eagerly at him. He stopped, disbelieving.

“What-“ Seth smiled, coming closer. “You guys-“

“How’d you do?”

Seth just stared, he hadn’t asked for this. He was sure he looked a mess from the race, was struggling to breathe with the effort he’d just put in. Roman looked at him warmly, leaning on the barricade. Dean was wearing a pullover, hair just as messy as usual, holding a single flower in a plastic sleeve, Seth blinked.

“I got bored waiting so I went in the store-“ Dean pointed behind him to a little convenience shop. “So I got you this.”

Wordlessly, Seth took the flower. Roman belly laughed, looking between them.

“I got a huge thing of milk duds too, I dunno if you’re about that right now tho’.”

Before Seth could react, a muffled cursing erupted from behind him. All three men looked up to see Cesaro, red faced and in bitter shock.

“You are kidding me!” He laughed, “You are kidding me right now!”

“I’m the man!” Seth laughed evilly, pointing his rose at Cesaro. “I whopped your ass!”

Dean and Roman hadn’t eaten any dinner yet and so all four men walked to a taco truck parked on the outskirts of the race traffic. The two blocks it took was all Seth needed to feel the exhaustion crashing over him, his knee was locking up funny and he was limping a little in his walk. The pre-workout caffeine was starting to wear off and any time anyone asked him a question, he blinked hard, struggling to think.

“Carnitas,” he mumbled wearily to the woman inside the truck, “Tacos, please.”

They sat to eat in the plaza of a commerce and trade building with a nice, well lit fountain. Seth shivered in the cold, crossing his legs and resting his flower in his lap while he ate from the aluminum foil packaging. 

“There was too many walkers.” Cesaro commented. “We should race in a real race where people are racing.” 

“You gotta dodge ‘em,” Seth sneered. “I told you! I’m fast, man.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Cesaro scoffed, smiling all the same. “Did you want a ride? Or do you have your crew for the night?”

“Mm, I’m tired,” Seth rubbed his eyes, looking at Dean and Roman, disappointed. “Did you guys have to work early tomorrow too?”

“No,” Roman shook his head, “We’ll drive you to your car though, it’s fine.”

“You sure?” his voice was quiet, cautious. Dean was too busy eating his burrito to contribute, but Roman shot him a strange glance.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t we?”

“I dunno, I just wasn’t sure if you guys wanted to stay out longer.” Seth’s chest fluttered strangely, his head pounded. “Wouldn’t want to just end the night on my account.”

“’s no prob.” Dean mumbled into his food. Cesaro nodded.

“Well, Seth,” Cesaro patted his shoulder, “It is been a fun time, I’m glad you managed to race even though the class ran so late.”

“For sure man,” Seth fist bumped Cesaro, “We’ll have to race again sometime.”

The sky was completely dark, the air a little cooler by the time Cesaro left and the three finished their meal. All of them were a little subdued, politely quiet. The usual Saturday bar crawl was in full force, but Seth was so disconnected from it he could hardly register his place. 

He hissed, standing up, his leg was more stiff and sore than when he’d sat down. Seth hadn’t meant to make a big deal out of it, he could still move it anyway.

“You alright?” Roman asked, taking his garbage from him. Seth stood up fully, testing the leg gingerly.

“Yeah, weak knees is all,” Seth sighed, shaking a little from the cold. “Did you guys park far?” 

“Kind of.” Roman squinted to read the street sign. “Dean, what time is it?” 

“Uh, 10:15.” He checked his phone.

“Damn,” Seth rubbed his eyes again.

“Here babe,” Roman turned, backing up to him and extending his arms backward, palms up. “Hop up.”

“Are you sure?” Seth laughed, his voice striking a high note. Roman just wiggled his fingers and Seth chuckled, mounting him graciously. 

“I’ll hold your flower,” Dean said, voice full of mock exasperation.

“You guys are too much,” he snorted, sticking his face in Roman’s hair and smelling, feeling his whole body melt with recognition of that sweet oily smell. 

“If I knew you were doing this before you did it, I would’ve thought you were crazy.” Roman grunted, hoisting him up a little higher on his back, Seth twined his arms around his chest, sucking up his warmth. “Dean was like ‘he’s teaching the class till seven and then he’s running a marathon.’”

“It wasn’t _that_ bad.” Seth said.

“You were running, that’s what a marathon is.” Dean said at Roman’s shoulder. 

“How early do you gotta be up tomorrow?” He asked.

“Seven or so.” Seth hummed, Roman just shook his head gravely.

“Madman.”

By the time they got to the jeep, Seth was actually struggling to stay awake, he shook his head and tried fixing his bun again, anything to keep himself present in what was happening. Dean put the rose on top of the console and started talking animatedly, telling Roman about the new hires.

“Best one is this one girl, she looks like a middle school student cause she does her hair like this.” Dean pulled his messy locks to the side of his head, mimicking Bayley’s side pony. “The rest of them? Bunch of goofs.”

“Finn’s alright.” Seth muttered sleepily, kicking his bad leg across the back seats so he could elevate it slightly. 

“Yeah, he’s ok. He’s from Scotland or something. Isn’t that weird? Wade left and now we’re getting another english dude… anyways… theres this one little guy, I swear. You’re not going to believe this dude-“

Seth nodded off, but jolted back awake when he felt Roman tapping on his leg.

“You’re so sleepy,” Roman sighed. “You good? Your leg bugging you?”

“W-What? No, I’m ok.” Seth realized they were parked and unbuckled his seat belt, easing himself out of the car. Dean was holding onto all of his things, waiting by the door. Seth paused when he looked out, confused, they weren’t in the White Water parking lot. 

“We asked you where you parked while we were coming off the highway and you were snoring.” Dean explained. “I’m working the earliest, so I’ll drive you in.” 

Seth’s stomach felt a little queasy as he hobbled inside.

“I’ll make up an ice pack for that leg too.” Roman mumbled, closing the garage door behind them. “Did you have to do a bunch more swimming tomorrow for the class?”

Seth paused on the steps leading into the house, looking between the two men, bewildered. The spontaneous acts of kindness weren’t unwanted, but he wasn’t anticipating them at all. Seth never would’ve imagined Roman or Dean would unapologetically help him like this. He was touched, he hadn’t thought their friendship was this developed yet.

“‘M not,” Seth shook his head. “Just tests.”

Neither Dean nor Roman bothered him much, preferring to let him shower in peace. Seth could hear them talking and laughing in the kitchen, probably enjoying a beer and shooting the shit. He was really too tired to think about anything too complicated, but the show of generosity was tugging at his heart. If Roman or Dean was in his place, he would have gladly helped them out, bought them dinner and drove them home. Were they doing to because they were helpful? Or for some other reason?

“We could make you up the couch or you could kip in the bed, whatever you want.” Roman had a ziplock bag with an icepack tucked in a towel. “We won’t bug you for sex or nothin’”

Seth still looked confused, looking to the icepack and the sweatpants held out in Roman’s hands like they were foreign objects.

“You ok?” Roman asked quietly, “Other than being tired?”

“Just tired,” Seth said softly, taking the offered goods and shuffling into Roman’s room by way of an answer.

Seth changed and Dean came in, most likely directed to. He stood awkwardly in the door just as Seth laid down, working to place the pack over his knee.

“You good?” He asked gruffly, “You want water or anything?”

“I’m fine,” Seth yawed hugely. “Thank you guys so much, for everything.” 

“Yeah, no sweat bud.” Dean knocked his knuckles on the door frame, “We’ll come in 'n snuggle with you in a little bit.”

“O-oh ok,” Seth said stupidly, nesting in the blankets. Dean just smiled under his messy bangs, eyes shrouded, but clearly peering down at Seth, already drifting off.

“Nighty-night.”

Dean flicked the lights off for him and shut the door, muffling any noise of voices or television that were coming from the living room. Seth closed his eyes, so warm and grateful. He didn’t want to wake up early, was so committed to the bed already that he would be sour about leaving it. Despite it’s length, it had been a very good day. Roman and Dean were great people and he loved them a lot.

Seth’s eyes flickered open in he darkness. 

_Wait. What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so if you guys haven't played my friend Sendendo's PAYBACK2015 Dating game, you totally should: https://sendendo.tumblr.com/post/143661967996/payback-2015-a-wwe-dating-sim-just-in-time-for
> 
> There MIGHT just be a future collaboration between us in the works to make a TTR dating game/visual novel thing. Depends on how busy we get this summer with work...
> 
> Can't believe I'm nearly at thirty chapters. Sorry if this is hard to read, I'm in finals rn so my mind is kind of gone.


	30. War of nerves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new guards are certified and Seth's confused. What's that on Deans leg? The White Water Rapids start their fall practices.

“Hey,” 

Seth stirred, heart sinking as he saw daylight. He was so tired it felt as though he hadn’t slept at all. Dean was standing over him, a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to rouse him without waking Roman. 

With a lot of sighing and kneading of the forehead, Seth left the bed and eased into some work clothes. His knee was still sore, but he was able to walk alright. A coffee was pressed into his hand at some point, and they crammed themselves into Dean’s Jetta to get to White Water.

“I can help with the practical part if you want.” Dean offered. “That way I could get paid for gettin’ there early.”

“Tha’d be great.” Seth mumbled, scratching at his beard. It was getting a little overlong, but he hadn’t had time to deal with it for days. His gym bag he was living out of was stuffed with dirty swimsuits, protein bar wrappers, his race clothes and the flower Dean had given him last night.

The students all arrived around the same time, steadfast determined to be finished as quickly as possible. Enzo and Cass were more ragged than the previous mornings, nearly delirious with exhaustion.

“Stayed up all night studyin’” Cass explained, rubbing his eyes. “‘Zo was freakin’ like he was gunna tank the written part or somethin’, but-” Cass pointed at his friend, who was sitting, head slumped over the table, limp. “Zo’! Wha’s SAMPLE stand for?”

“Mmgh... Signs n’ symptoms… Allergies, Meds,” Enzo rested his chin on the table, thinking hard. “Past… medical history… Last oral intake…” 

“Events leading up to illness.” Baron finished for him.

“That.” Enzo sighed, slumping back down.

“Alllllright! Good job guys,” Seth smiled. “The test is multiple choice, but it can be tricky. Just choose the best answer you can.” 

To everyone’s surprise, Enzo nearly got a perfect score on both the First Aid and Lifeguard exams. Seth checked the scantron sheets twice, a little suspicious that Cass had fed him the answers, but it seemed solid. 

“An A?” Enzo’s eyes widened, “You shootin’ straight with me? Cass! Lookit this!” Enzo waved the corrected sheet in front of his friends face, coming to life a little.

“I always get the primary lifeguard gear question wrong,” Bayley laughed, shrugging. She too had scored very high. “It’s just the wording, oh well.”

“Everyone passed,” Seth smiled, “But check your answers and make sure that you understand what was incorrect. We’ll go down to the pool and do the final bit as soon as we can get changed.”

Dean was a godsend, already waiting for the group down in P-Pool. Seth collaborated with each of the students to test each other’s skills, putting them all through the practical parts individually. Enzo and Baron each took a few tries to rescue Dean and Finn from the bottom of the pool, Bayley was the standout star as usual, finishing her passive drowning save in less than thirty seconds. 

“Excellent job guys.” Seth clapped and they all cheered, winding up the straps on the rescue tubes and huddling together. “Now, you still need to check in with Hunter about filling out your work stuff and doing your shadow shifts, but I’ll give you these so long as you promise to do all that-” Seth opened up a cardboard box and began handing out guard shirts and whistles, untangling lanyards from a single huge knot. 

“Thanks a lot Seth,” Finn nodded, throwing his shirt over his shoulder.

“Cass we did it!” Enzo screamed excitedly, jumping up and down. “Lifeguards! Bickin’ back bein’ bool in dis here pool!” 

“You ain’t gotta work at that Waffle House no more!” Cass cheered, trying to pull a large guard shirt over his massive frame “No more night shifts!”

They each thanked Seth for his time and he explained the process for emailing them their certification cards. Despite how exhausted they all were, everyone was just glad they had done it and it finished before noon. Dean hoisted himself out of the pool and started drying off as Seth packed up the CPR dummies.

“All done.” Dean grinned, “Thank god too, Hunter wanted me to work doubles every day next week.”

“Thanks so much man,” Seth rose to his feet, wiping off his knees. “I dunno how I woulda got through all of this without you and Rome.” 

Dean shrugged, still dripping into the gutter, his expression just as unreadable as usual. Seth fought with himself, instinctively wanting to close the distance between them. He hesitated, pulling his weight from foot to foot, his eyes shifting nervously. They were both standing in front of Hunter’s office, on the deck of a crowded pool. 

“It’s no problem man,” Dean mumbled, waving. “Go get some more sleep.” 

He didn’t need to tell Seth twice, they both parted ways and Seth put away the class supplies as quickly as possible so he could make his way home and fall into bed. Days of exhaustion caught up to him, he rubbed his eyes and yawned all the way home. It would take time to bounce back completely. 

Some more ice to his knee and time in bed did wonders, soon enough the little limping twinge to his gait was normal again- but the scatterbrained, confused state his mind had been in since finishing the race lingered. It had been so… sudden… so unexpected for his friends to show up at the finish line. Seth hadn’t asked for any of it, so he had been caught off guard.

 _What does it mean?_ He thought exasperatedly, rolling into the crook of his couch, face-first. Dean and Roman were each texting him on and off daily, nothing serious, just about work and daily life stuff. He grunted, kicking his feet against the cushions. They’d likely be hanging out again soon, but Seth wasn’t about to initiate some intense discussion regarding their feelings. 

It was very possible that Dean and Roman were just the type of people who would extend a hand to a person in need, Seth had considered this. It had been pretty obvious that he was overwhelmed by his class and would take help if he could get it. But then, Roman had been so cold to him before they’d gotten to know each other. Would a distant Roman still have been as helpful? Would Dean have even remembered if it wasn’t for his friend? 

_Don’t get ahead of yourself_ , Seth thought pessimistically. _You don’t need a boyfriend just because you’re lonely and bored. Just ‘cause you made good with Marek doesn’t mean you need to go messing with anyone else’s heart._

He swallowed, turning his head to look out the balcony window. The sky had been overcast for a few days, but it had been warm and humid, he was starting to think the weather was messing with his brain too. 

_Who would you even pick? If you had the chance..._

The question started as a joke, but as soon as Seth pondered it, the humor fell out. If he ran into Dean or Roman without proper mental preparation, he was flighty and nervous, talking overly loud and searching for escape.

“Hey, you got those little grade sheets for your Pike Class?” Dean snuck up behind him one morning after he had finished guarding. Seth was standing at the front, chatting with Kevin and his heart began to pound hard. 

“The office, no-” Seth closed his eyes, thinking quickly and trying to block out the smirking face next to him. “It’s on- they’re on a clipboard in the backroom.”

“Cool. Thanks.” Dean wiggled his nose a little, but bounded off without much thought. Sami and Kevin just grinned, making him blush even harder.

Seth wasn’t sure if he would be able to chose Roman over Dean in any scenario. Other than the obvious scummy-ness of it, the fact that Seth had tried to make it very apparent from the start that he didn’t want to _appear_ shallow; Dean had a magnetic energy that Seth felt wrong to turn down. He was probably the strangest man Seth had ever known so personally, but the night they’d shared in the hurricane had been so intense he hadn’t stopped thinking about it.

“You got your first private lesson with Holly today right?” Roman caught up with him in the parking lot on the way into work that afternoon. Seth fumbled for a moment, dropping his keys as Roman came closer, closing the distance between their cars. 

“Mmgh, yeah.” he mumbled, straightening up. Roman was actually smiling down at him, holding his cooler and water bottle. Seth’s cheeks felt warm, even if he and Roman did pair up, he wasn’t sure if he could ever get over how stunning he was.

“There’s uh, a lot of cars in the lot.” Seth noted, gesturing around dumbly. 

“Swim Team starts today.” Roman explained. “We’ll probably be competing for space in the pool.”

Sure enough, the facility was overrun with kids of all ages checking in and making their way for P-Pool. They each had some time to spare and took refuge in the staff room, away from the hubbub of excited children. 

“There’s a lot of ‘em!” Seth laughed, shutting the door behind them. “They doin’ tryouts or something?”

“Aye,” Roman and Seth both jumped, Dean was sitting alone at the break room table, his pant’s legs rolled up. “Does this look like a rash to you?” 

“What, why?” Roman strode over first, unaffected by Dean’s lack of formal greeting. Seth looked over his shoulder, taking off his bag. Dean traced an area around his calf, patchy with leg hair, where a few raised bumps sat on the surface of his skin, slightly irritated. 

“Uh,” Roman examined him carefully, brow furrowed. “Does it hurt?” 

“Not really.” Dean scratched at his leg. “Thought it might be the pool or something with the chlorine, or maybe my clothes were too dirty.”

“Maybe a spider crawled up your pant leg?” Seth offered, “Looks like you got bit, you know what I mean?” He reached out a hand, pointing out the clearly defined bumps.

“Damn bugs,” Dean scratched the area again, Roman swatted his hand.

Seth put his snack in the refrigerator, trying to resist looking at both of the men, but it was difficult. Roman contemplated Dean’s leg carefully and Seth bit his lip. Of all the possible outcomes of his wildest imaginings, the last thing he wanted was for Roman and Dean to get together, leaving him out of the equation. 

Dean was scheduled to guard with Randy for Swim Team and Roman had his own private lesson with JJ, once their time to huddle in the break room ran out- they hurried up to the adults-only locker room to change. 

“You feeling ok?” Roman asked him quietly. Seth was turned to the opposite wall, bent over while he tried to slip into his instructors rash guard. 

“Mm fine.” Seth lied, shrugging. “Just a little worried about Holly.”

“Mm,” Roman grunted. “Just go as slow as you need to, Maggie understands. We charge her a different rate for her classes just ‘cause Holly doesn’t learn like the other kids do. You’ve been doing great so far, don’t worry about it,”

“Thanks,” Seth blushed, wondering once again what the implications of Roman’s kindness could be. 

The pool was echoing so much with chattering and laughter that there weren’t many casual swimmers floating around. Holly, to Seth’s surprise, was sitting patiently at the side of the pool where they usually started, hands in her lap.

“Hey Holly!” He smiled wide at her, she looked up at him cautiously. Maggie Shippley waved from the opposite deck. “How’re you doing?”

“Today was the first school day.” She explained, cracking a little smile in spite of herself. “It was first grade.”

“First day of first grade?” Seth laughed, Holly nodded happily. “You like school, huh?” 

Seth went to go and grab the lifejackets that they had used before. Holly still took some coaxing to put it on and walk down the ramp, but Seth wondered if having a full day at school hadn’t loosened her up a little. At about halfway, she paused, too nervous to continue. 

“You can touch all the way to the bottom of the ramp.” Seth explained, walking out in front of her, “Plus, remember?” He laid down on his stomach, but still floated on the surface. “Magic Jackets.“ 

“WHITE WATER RAPIDS!” John yelled enthusiastically, gathering the team to the corner where he and Nikki were standing with clipboards in hand. “I want to see consistency! I want good form from the get go! 200 meters freestyle before we move into our medleys!” 

The kids hit the water and immediately created waves that lapped over the lanes. Holly watched, hypnotized for a moment, forgetting her fear. JJ was having a much more difficult time however, the extra stimulus becoming a cause for concern, he began grunting and squealing. Roman held him close, walking in large circles in the shallow end, trying his best to soothe him.

“That’s the Swim Team,” Seth explained, “They do races in the pool.” 

Distracted, but less ambivalent, Holly allowed Seth to coax her farther down the ramp and into the pool. They went back to where they had left off, working on comfort with the water and floating with a lifejacket on. Holly’s instinct was to naturally tense up, fearful of the water getting in her ears and eyes, but she kept turning her head to watch the swimmers as well. 

“Head up, head up,” Seth tipped her chin back, loosening his grip on her back so she could get a feel for floating unassisted. “That’s it.” 

“Why are they racing?” Holly kept turning, almost flipping onto her belly. Seth grabbed her quickly, easing her to a more natural standing position. He was grateful she wasn’t nearly as skittish, but she definitely wasn’t paying attention.

“It’s a like a sport.” Seth explained, resigned that the pool was just going to be distracting. He held her hand and pulled her closer to the lap lanes where several kids were splitting the lane and swimming at a breakneck pace. “I did it when I was a kid too, you practice a lot so you get really good and then you can win ribbons and trophies if you go really fast.”

Holly’s eyes widened, Seth wondered if it had been the first time that she’d ever seen competitive swimming. He supposed it would be a rather strange sight if swimming itself was an abstract concept, but rather than being fearful, she watched mystified. One of the swimmers drew close and rolled to complete a flip turn, pushing off of the deck and splashing both of them in the process. Seth’s heart went cold for a moment, expecting an immediate negative reaction, but Holly giggled.

“We-” Seth felt a little emotional, seeing her so relaxed. “We can watch for a little bit if you want.”

They sat on the deck and each time one of the swimmers came close, Holly bounced up and down, laughing as the swimmers splashed them and attempting to hide behind Seth each time, grabbing his huge tan arm and smiling. Delighted, Mrs. Shippley was snapping photos with her phone and kept pointing out how happy her daughter was to anyone that was passing by. Dean was rotating around the deck with Randy, but he managed to shoot Seth an approving nod as Holly kicked her feet back and forth in the water, happily.

“Alright, alright.” Seth felt emboldened, easing himself back in the pool. The Swim Team was finishing up their set and had started to crowd around their coaches. “Let’s see if we can’t make our own splashes.” 

Holly hesitated again, her fingers tensing on the wall as she paused, looking apprehensive. 

“We’ll just do a couple little laps from here and back.” Seth pointed, grabbing a noodle he’d placed by the ramp at the start of class. “The jackets keep us up, but we’ll hold this here so it’s extra help.” He demonstrated, sticking the noodle under his armpits and showing her how easy it was to stay up. Nonetheless, she looked scared.

“Hey, it’ll be ok,” Seth pulled the noodle out from under his arms, stuffing it against her chest. “Sometimes we gotta do hard stuff, right? We gotta push ourselves a little bit so we can get better.” 

Seth wasn’t really sure he knew what he was talking about, but Holly trusted him enough to be pulled over the noodle. He held on tight, walking ahead of her and rubbing her hands assuringly as she kicked hard, pushing herself forward.

“That’s awesome!” He laughed, “So good!”

It was difficult to tell how much attention Holly was actually applying to the activity, as afraid as she was. But just as Seth had said, they went back and forth just a few times around the shallow end before he let her off at the wall, content with how the day had gone.

“I got splashed.” Holly mumbled to her mother, who appeared as she began walking off the ramp. She pointed out from under her towel, toward the deep end where the swim team was, “They splashed.”

“Wasn’t that fun honey?” Mrs. Shippley said joyously. “You had fun didn’t you Holly?” 

Holly’s head poked out from underneath the towel and Seth snickered, she regarded him carefully, clearly not wanting to hurt his feelings.

“It was OK.” She sniffed. Her mother laughed, picking her up in the towel.

“Thank you so much Seth,” She pushed her glasses up her face, bouncing her child on her hip. Seth just nodded, wondering if there would ever be a class that didn’t end with her nearly in happy tears. “We’ll be back next week.”

“Take it easy,” Seth waved, watching them make their way to the locker room. “Bye Holly,” 

Holly kicked her foot in Seth’s direction, tugging at his heart a little. He was glad he didn’t have anything following the lesson, feeling just a little emotionally drained. The foggy-headed confusion he’d been battling with over the week was returning again. Seth turned, looking around to see Roman talking with JJ’s parents, sending them off for the day. Dean would still be guarding through the end of the swim practice, scheduled for another hour. He wanted to talk to someone- anyone, under the guise of getting some congratulations on another lesson well done. But really, Seth just wanted to talk to one of his two lovers before he went home alone.

 _You’re fine_ , he thought dismissively. _They’re busy, just go_

It wasn’t a great feeling, the high he’d got off of teaching seemed to wash off in the shower with the pool water. He had tomorrow off, which meant he wouldn’t see anyone unless he reached out and asked for it. Seth would bet money that either man would eagerly try to give him their company, working around whatever they had scheduled that day to make time for him. While that might have seemed comforting, Seth didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to give into whatever was festering in his head.

Which meant he was going to be going home alone. 

“That was quick,” Sami commented, handing a key to a patron as Seth checked himself out. 

“Just one lesson,” He shrugged, straightening out some of the flyers for reduced lessons and fall schedules on the lobby desk. 

“Go enjoy the sun while it’s out.” Sami offered. “Dang swim team kids left all the showers going in the boys locker room. Kevin had to wander through a big steam cloud and shut them all off.”

“Mmm,” Seth sighed, small talk effectively depressing him even more. Charlotte and Natalya came in through the front, talking and holding onto their bags. Probably on their way in to relieve Randy and Dean.

“You alright if I put these up?” Nattie asked Sami, holding up a couple of pieces of paper. “Hunter was saying something about approval to put-” 

“I don’t care,” Sami shrugged. Nattie quickly went back to the entry way and put the postings on the community notice board. “Pet fostering again?”

“It’s just a general notice.” She re-entered the lobby, falling back into stride with her friend. “I’m going to put one up by the pool too, the shelter’s been crazy swamped since the storm.”

Sami nodded and Seth waved them off, feeling superfluous, they smiled and wished him goodbye warmly. He was about to make his way for the car, when he stopped to examine the board Nattie had just added to.

His first thought was to check if there was some show or event that night he could go to. Rather than sentencing himself to a lonely evening, Seth wondered if he might be missing out on exploring the local music scene more thoroughly. Most of the postings were fairly bland however, garage sales and family-friendly events that had already transpired. An old babysitter’s ad and a posting for a speedboat for sale hung, numbers all torn off from the ends. 

His eyes softened, looking at the flyer Nattie had just put up, the conversation now clicking in his head.

**ORLANDO HUMANE SOCIETY**

**More than 10,000 homeless dogs and cats will turn to the Humane society of Greater Orlando for caring, compassion, and hope through our animal shelters this year. By adopting a pet, you’re not only providing that animal a loving family and a safe home, you’re also making room for the sheltering of another homeless pet. We can help you find the ideal pet for you—one that matches your lifestyle and your expectations!**

**Stop by today for information on adoption, behavioral management, and therapy animal training!**

The notice had a picture of a mixed breed dog, panting happily with a young boy in a fenced in yard. 

The address wasn’t even that far from his house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm an over achiever and recovered what I lost pretty quickly! My computer problems are resolved. Thanks so much to everyone who donated- you pushed this chapter along! I'm always open for small coffee donations! (See the end notes) Most of my school work is done too, can't wait to turn it all in.
> 
> As always, let me know your thoughts and don't be afraid to make requests. This fic moves at a glacier's pace so it's difficult to honor things in a timely fashion: Awhile back someone asked about getting so more Dean things going and it's coming up soon. It's been a little Roman heavy lately, but I like writing Dean better so the focus is slowly shifting back toward him. He's gunna have a hard time so pray for him...
> 
> I've been thinking of doing chapter previews over on my tumblr. Would anyone read them? Do you read chapter previews? Or would you rather just wait for the real deal? 
> 
> We broke 100k! *confetti*


	31. The life you save

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth visits the local animal shelter. Is this the cutest chapter in To The Rescue?

The standard rate for adopting a dog through one of the humane society shelters ran to be about 250 dollars at minimum. With a wallet stacked from completing the lifeguard training course, Seth laid in bed that night, considering the logistics of being a pet owner.

His apartment was fairly small, and Seth didn’t really want to get a huge dog anyway. He’d grown up with small to medium sized dogs and he didn’t think he would have time to properly exercise anything bigger than a labrador. There was also the regulations that his apartment complex had in place to put restrictions on certain breeds and weights for pets, so he knew he couldn’t push it.

_Dogs are good_ He thought sleepily, smiling into his pillow at the thought of sharing his bed with a pup. If he had something at home to take care of, he wouldn’t be so inclined to be running off to have sleepovers with other men, would be a little more content to be by himself. It was more responsibility, sure, but he’d talked constantly about wanting a pet with Marek, unfortunately, his then-boyfriend had been allergic to dogs.

“That sounds so fun! Can I come?”

Sasha had called after he texted her about her thoughts on the matter. He’d only asked her what kinds of dogs she liked, but the moment Seth told her he was going to a shelter, her voice buzzed with excitement.

“I used to go a bunch with Nattie when she was volunteering! Have you looked at the website yet for one you might want?”

“Uh, no.” Seth swallowed. “I don’t wanna get attached to one and find out it’s been adopted already, besides-” Seth put his lunch dishes away in the sink. “You can’t tell from a picture, you know?”

“True, true, well, I’d meet you there... unless it’s a private affair...”

“You can come.” Seth chuckled. “Just don’t try to sell me on anything, alright?”

It was a deal. After gassing up his car, driving around and hitting a few wrong turns, Seth pulled up a winding road through a sea of trees to the Humane Society building. Sasha had beat him there and was leaning against the building, scrolling through her phone as he pulled up.

“Let’s do this!” She exclaimed, slinging her purse over her shoulder.

They walked up to the front of the building and immediately the generalized smell of animals was present. A few families and groups were backed up in the lobby area, some holding pets in carrier boxes. The receptionist at the front waved at them, but before Seth could ask about any information, Sasha was already leading him down a hallway with paw prints painted on the brick.

“Dogs, right?” She asked, “You didn’t want to look at cats or anything?”

“Just dogs.” Seth nodded. “Did you volunteer here too or something?”

“No just Nattie,” Sasha shook her head. “She does this whole fostering thing with cats now, but they did events a few times a month, pet meet ups and stuff. I can’t have any animals at my place so I would come and hang out with her while she did doggy daycare days.”

“Fun,” Seth wrinkled his nose a little, the smell of bleach and pee becoming a little overwhelming as they went through a set of doors. The reverberating sound of barking echoed off the walls, grating to the ears.

“They are busy,” Sasha remarked, a group of children came running by to wash their hands at the communal sink. “What were you looking for?”

“I’ll know it when I see it,” Seth said, fixing his hat a little more snug around his head and looking down the long aisle of cages. 

It wasn’t a very pretty sight, almost all of the kennels were full of dogs with varying levels of interest and anxiety about being penned up. All of the chain-link doors had papers for the dogs with their names and some information on their temperaments. Seth studied them closely, avoiding the pens with people already interested. Sasha followed a few steps behind.

“That’s nice that they tell you all this stuff,” Seth leaned in to look at the clipboard in front of one of the empty pens. A plastic insert read “Be right back!” in bold letters. “It even says if they’re recommended for singles or families.”

“Yeah they’re thorough.” Sasha stooped down to greet a dog that approached the door. “They don’t want people bringing them back.”

Seth couldn’t help but stop by the door of a huge yellow lab that locked eyes with him, instantly wagging his tail and looking somberly through the fence.

“Oh, my heart.” Sasha clutched her chest, watching as Seth sunk down to put his hand through the links in the fence for the dog to sniff. “His name is Samson!” 

“Hey Samson,” He said softly, the dog looked soulfully back at him, but Seth knew he couldn’t. The dog was fat on top of being a large breed, as adorable as he was, it wasn’t going to work. Luckily, a little boy came running over and hailed his family to come see the lovable dog. 

“You’re thinking smaller?” Sasha guessed, watching Seth’s progression down the aisle.

“Yeah,” he admitted, pausing in front of a pen holding a Jack Russell Terrier that was sniffing at the other side of the enclosure. Upon realizing it had company, the dog ran to the front and started barking and jumping up and down.

“Lila.” Sasha laughed, turning over the dog’s paperwork. “High energy.”

“That’s a no.” Seth frowned, continuing down the aisle.

They reached the end of the right-side row and they made their way down the left. Sasha did her best to disguise her bias, but it couldn’t help creeping to the surface occasionally, she seemed especially partial to the bigger breeds.

“Her name is Sunshine!” She squealed, setting herself down in front of the door of a huge bullmastiff that came lumbering to the sound of her voice. The dog whined and began tapping its foot up against the chain sadly, Sasha put her own hand up, heartbroken.

“Don’t give her hope if you’re not going to buy her!” Seth said exasperated, watching Sasha scratch her little ears. “Now _that’s_ cruel.” 

“She’s too cute,” She pouted, “I can’t help it.”

Sasha had a similar reaction to a husky named Boscoe and a shepherd-mix named Larry and Seth was beginning to feel as though there weren’t any dogs in the shelter that he would adopt. There weren’t many dogs under thirty pounds in the facility, and most of the the breeds were part pit bull and required a lot of attention.

“Skittles?” Sasha offered, pointing to an older Pug-mix, snoring away in a dog bed. Seth raised an eyebrow, looking to Sasha skeptically. 

“Do I look like a Pug-guy?” 

“It’s not about being a pug-guy.” Sasha sighed. “You’re in an animal shelter, you can’t be that choosy.”

“It’s my money,” Seth shrugged, “I don’t need a purebred dog or anything, but don’t pugs have like, health problems and stuff?”

“Probably,” Sasha conceded, looking around. “That’s pretty much all the dogs though, there might be some overflow through there.” She pointed to the back of the kennel area to a room that looked a little like a greenhouse. A few fans were whirring on the floor, drying up mop puddles. “If you’re gunna be picky you might just want to look online. There are lots of websites that can help you find specific breeds or temperaments. They’re probably a lot more choosy on who adopts them though- longer processes for consideration and stuff.”

“Well, I won’t cry if I don’t get a dog today.” Seth admitted, thinking hard “Sorry if I seem grumpy or something, I just don’t really know what I’m looking for.”

“It’s ok,” Sasha pushed back a few pink strands of hair. “We should look at the other animals too. Maybe you’re secretly into rabbits and you just don’t know it.”

“I doubt that,” Seth laughed, but he followed Sasha’s trail into another adjacent room with just a few large kennels and some smaller crates. 

“Puppies!” Sasha’s eyes widened, bee-lining for a crate with several whimpering pups. Seth joined her, peering over her back. “They’re beagle-mixes!” 

“I dunno if I got time for a little puppy.” Seth kneaded his forehead, the ammonia stench was starting to get to him. He looked around the smaller room doubtfully, a couple of the crates had smaller dogs, but they were barking angrily, clearly too scared to be friendly. He walked by one of the kennels, thinking it was empty at first, but he did a double take when he saw movement from a huge heap of blankets.  
Seth stopped, backtracking and peering in, in the middle of the nest, a tiny head popped out and regarded him carefully. 

“I think there’s one other room too, but it’s like, dogs with long-term illnesses or something.” Sasha offered, standing up again and walking to Seth’s side. She followed his line of sight, looking down into the bed. The little dog perked it’s head to the side and Seth exhaled softly.

“Kevin,” Sasha read off of the sheet, laughing, “Are you a _teacup_ yorkie guy?” 

“He’s so small,” Seth laughed, leaning in toward the front. “Hey buddy, you got a lot of blankets.” 

Kevin the dog shivered a little, tiny pinprick eyes locked in on Seth, who couldn’t help but smile wide. 

“Can I pet him you think?” Seth asked, fidgeting with the lock on the kennel door. “I want to hold him and see if he likes me.”

“We’d have to get a worker,” Sasha looked around, “I’ll find one.”

She marched off and Seth turned his head back to the little dog, his heart racing. 

“Hey Pup,” Seth tried, making kissing noises, he chuckled, Kevin’s ears perked up and he cocked his head back and forth, adorably. Out of all the dogs in the facility, he was the only one that sparked his interest in any serious way. Seth peered over his clipboard, looking for as much information as he could. 

The text was promising, according to the sheet, Kevin was four years old, in good condition and was already fixed. He had been surrendered to the shelter from a relative of the owner that had passed away, having no previous experience with other pets or children.

“You wanna see Kevin?” A large old woman wearing the beige uniform of the shelter hobbled over, “We gunna get you a visitin’ room.” 

“Thanks,” Seth moved aside, letting the employee unlock the door and pluck the dog from the pile of blankets he’d been sitting on. 

“He gets chilly easily, we got some more blankit’s up front so you can use ‘em if he seems like he’s shiverin’ or something.” The woman addressed Sasha, clearly under the impression she wanted to adopt him. “He’s a good lil’ dog tho’, been here longer than we thought’ee would.”

“Why’s that you think?” Seth asked, looking down at the dog in her arms curiously. 

“He’s just an’ old soul.” They made their way down to a row of smaller meeting rooms. Seth could see other people playing with dogs inside each one, some using toys. “He ain’ the type’ll jump all over ya and look like he wants ta leave or nothin.”

The woman unlocked a visiting room and set Kevin on the floor with a large blanket. 

“I’ll come by and see what ya’ think.” She muttered, closing the door behind them. Sasha sat patiently on the bench while Seth plopped down on the floor a few feet away, he didn’t want to scare Kevin or over stimulate him, settling instead to extend a hand out, palm up, offering it to be sniffed.

Immediately the little dog’s tail began to wag excitedly, and he stared at Seth intently. Sasha grinned, watching as Kevin looked at Seth, then the ground, as though he was seizing up for a leap.

“He’s so precious!” Sasha laughed, watching as Seth broke down and picked the dog up, settling him against his chest against his sweatshirt. He laughed as Kevin immediately started licking his beard and sniffing. “He’s giving you kisses!”

“I know! I know!” Seth laughed, addressing the dog in a slightly higher voice. “I’m excited to meet you too!” 

Kevin snorted, drawing back, Seth could see he had a little bit of tear staining under his eyes, his hair was cut a little brusquely, probably by an untrained employee at the shelter. Despite a little raggedy fur, Kevin had clearly been well trained by his previous owner, was probably really well kept and cared for up until the surrender. He hadn’t barked once while Seth had been in his presence, which was a little surprising. 

“Are you sweet? Huh?” Seth asked, laughing as Kevin’s tail began to wag faster and he continued licking his beard. “Huh? Huh?”

“I think you found your dog,” Sasha cooed. Seth sighed, scratching behind Kevin’s ears. “I guess you are a teacup yorkie guy.” 

“Guess so,” He admitted, embarrassed to say how much he was already in love with the dog. “Well, I suppose I got what I came for.”  
When the lady returned, Seth expressed interest in adopting Kevin and she smiled excitedly, scooping the little dog back up with gusto.

“Well alright then, we’ll have you fill out all the paperwork up front, so long as it all checks out y’all can take him home.” She held the door open for them, addressing Kevin in a sugary voice, “Well ain’ that sweet honey? You found ur people an’ ur gettin’ outta here!” 

Instinctively, Seth held his hands out to take Kevin, but the lady shook her head. 

“I’m gunna get him all ready for ya, you just go get your paperwork sorted and I’ll bring ‘em to the front when ur ready.”

She carried him off toward the back and Seth sighed, forcing his feet in front of him and back toward the front lobby where they’d come in.

“Separation anxiety already?” Sasha teased, grabbing some hand sanitizer from a dispenser on the wall.

“Well-” Seth turned, anxiously. “What’s stopping someone else from adopting him in the meantime?” 

“She’s taking down his paperwork,” Sasha laughed, “We can _run_ to the front if you want.”

Seth rolled his eyes but unconsciously picked his feet off the ground a little faster. 

The adoption paperwork itself was fairly seamless, Seth checked his phone and realized he had texts from both Dean and Roman, each of them wondering what Seth was getting up to in his day off. He hadn’t told either of them his big plans for getting a pet. 

“You can make him a little personalized ID tag.” Sasha offered, leaning down to examine a turnstile of custom options for dog tags. Seth continued flipping through the application, reading the fine print quickly. 

“Kevin’s a good name, right?” Seth asked, pausing at the line to write in the name which would be added to the microchip. 

“Kevin Rollins?” Sasha shrugged. “I wouldn’t name him anything too fluffy. It’s ‘in’ now to call your dog a human’s name, isn’t it?”

Without any better ideas, he scrawled _Kevin Rollins_ into the margin and handed the application back to the front. Sasha and Seth sat for awhile, watching as a manager appeared and lazily flipped through the sheets, before beckoning Seth forward.

“There’ll be an additional fee for the microchip, and we suggest you purchase pet insurance. It’s just ten dollars a month and covers all of the routine yearly examinations, plus a wide variety of health issues you might encounter.”

“I’ll do it,” Seth nodded. “He’s all up to date on his shots though, right?”

“Correct,” The manager printed off another paper, “I’ll just have you sign here.”

In no time at all, the woman who had helped them reappeared carrying a tiny cardboard box with holes at the top. She set the box on the top of the desk and Seth’s heart lept, hearing Kevin shuffling around inside. 

“And you’ll get a ten dollar giftcard to PetSmart today,” The manager smiled, handing Seth a folder. “All of Kevin’s information is in there, as well as the documentation for his microchip linking your names. Did you have any other questions?” 

“Nope!” Seth said excitedly, accepting the box from the woman. “Thanks guys!” 

“No problem!” a couple of the workers from behind the desk grinned, waving. “Bye Kevin!” “Thanks so much!”

“We want to congratulate Kevin on finding his forever home today,” The manager said over the facility intercom, a couple other employees and children in the lobby clapped happily as Seth and Sasha made their way out of the building and toward the parking lot. Seth could hardly believe it, he had a dog. He was a dogowner.

“Going to go to the pet store?” Sasha asked, sliding on her sunglasses and looking lovingly at the box.

“Probably, yeah.” Seth the carrier a little higher in his hands, carefully. “Do that and then get him settled at home.”

“Snapchat me everything.” Sasha insisted, gathering her keys from her pocket. “Ugh! I want a dog so bad!”

Seth laughed, watching her make her way to her car. He made his way over to his own cadillac, too excited to keep Kevin contained any longer. He rolled the windows down to get some air in the car and freed his new friend from his confinement. Kevin wagged his tail, happy to be free, and Seth took a quick photo, sending it to both Roman and Dean without any context.

Seth tried his best to get in and out of the pet store quickly, but he attracted a lot of attention with Kevin sitting in the baby compartment of the cart. He supposed this was just going to be a part of his life now, being ‘that guy with the little dog’. Shoppers smiled and stared as he walked down the aisles, having a hard time picking out a leash and a harness that would fit his tiny frame.

“His name is Kevin,” Seth couldn’t help but grin stupidly as the cashier behind the register squealed at his dog, offering him treats. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and with one eye making sure the dog didn’t leap out of the cart, he checked to see Roman and Dean’s reactions to his photo.

**Cool dog** Dean texted simply, perhaps unaware that the interior of the car was his own.

**You don’t have a dog, do you?** Roman was a little more quick on the uptake.

**I do now!** He replied quickly, pocketing his credit card and making his way out of the store.

It was around a quarter to four by the time Seth made it home, and although he was feeling a lazy couch nap coming on, he knew he needed to get his place ready for it’s newest addition. Seth hadn’t researched too much about bringing a dog home, but all the online articles he read were unanimously agreed that a dog should go on a long walk before entering a new space. This was likely most important for high-energy breeds, but a walk around the block couldn’t hurt any, Seth wanted Kevin to know the area where he would be living. 

**Exciting!** Roman texted him back. Seth smiled, setting his phone down to fit Kevin with the sleeve harness he’d purchased. It was a little comical taking a dog smaller than most cats for a walk, but Seth didn’t want Kevin to get used to being carried everywhere. 

It was a short little jaunt, with Seth walking at a leisurely pace to accommodate Kevin’s tiny legs. The more he watched the little guy, the more in love he was. The dog was just so darling and excited to be out in the world, smelling new things and exploring. Seth gave him time to sniff interesting intersections and piss on whatever he felt needed it. His personality was starting to shine through a little as he grew more confident walking around and observing the space.

“Gettin’ tired?” Seth laughed. Kevin started to lag behind, stopping every so often to look up at Seth, eye’s squinting curiously. He sighed, picking up the tiny dog and holding him against his chest to walk the rest of the way home, content to say they’d gone far enough.

**His name is Kevin** Seth texted Dean and Roman, yawning widely as he unlocked his apartment door and set the dog down on the carpeted floor with the bags from the pet store. Kevin didn’t move much at first, standing still and nervous until he decided to follow Seth around. 

“You better not chew cords,” Seth pointed at Kevin meaningfully. He went about dog-proofing his house until he could get an idea of how Kevin was going to interact with all of his things. Immediately, he wrapped all of his playstation and TV cables behind his entertainment system, moved the pull string of the window blinds out of reach. Kevin just watched, confused.

Two tiny bowls were placed on the floor of the kitchen, for water and food. Seth spooned out a helping of the small-breed chow the shelter had recommended, and Kevin began to eat, grinding the little pellets in his mouth. Seth watched for a moment, happy and grateful for such a sweet pet.

**Like the janitor? haha** Dean responded to his text. Seth frowned, he’d forgotten about Kevin from work. It was still a good name, thought even if it wasn't, it was a little late to be changing it. He sunk down onto his couch, eager to finally get a little nap in. 

Part of him wondered why he didn’t do this sooner. Seth liked animals a lot, and dogs always held a special place in his heart. Though, it had probably been smart to give it some time, let him get used to being in a new place for a little bit before giving himself more stuff to do. 

Having a dog meant being outside more and going to dog parks, at least he thought. Seth smiled, rubbing his eyes, a dog like Kevin probably wouldn’t mandate a more active lifestyle, the little guy was just slightly larger than his hands. 

“You finish your dinner?” Seth peered over the couch. The noise of chewing had stopped, he'd heard tiny foot falls pressing on the carpet. The little dog looked over to him, still slightly bewildered. “C’mere.” Seth patted the couch, Kevin’s ears went back and he trotted over, jumping eagerly onto the sofa, Seth laughed.

“You’re glad to be out of there aren’t you?” He picked Kevin up, raising him above his chest and letting his legs dangle. “Too small and cute to be in the pound.”

Kevin whined a little, kicking his legs until Seth settled him up on his chest, chuckling at his dog nuzzled and licked his beard again, almost thankfully.

“I know, yeah. I like you too.”

They bonded on the couch as the sun started to set, Seth’s eyelids drooping as his fingers smoothed the velvety softness of Kevin’s ears. The dog settled incredibly fast, eyes winking graciously at the petting. Seth thought about just going to bed, calling it a night, but he was too camped out on the couch and didn’t want to unseat his new friend. His hair was falling out of his bun, strands flopping out on his face and shoulders, his shoes were still on his feet, dangling off the end of the couch.

Distantly, his phone was buzzing, notifying him of a text, probably from Roman or Dean. Seth didn’t bother however, knowing it probably wasn’t too important. 

“Just you and me bud,” Seth slurred sleepily, sighing and tucking his head into the couch. “We c’n do it by ourselves if we gotta.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth and Kevin, together at last. Kind of a weird chapter but it's sweet and fluffy so I guess that makes it ok. Possibly more frequent updates but also maybe not because I'm not sure how the next couple are going to happen yet? You guys are so chill, I don't know why I worry.


	32. The Edge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's settling in. What's up with Dean? Seth gets impulsive.

Getting a dog was one of the best choices Seth had made since he had moved, even if it was for sort of selfish reasons. Every time he had congratulated himself on being ‘emancipated’ from romantic thoughts, Seth reminded himself that he did really want a dog for a long time, and Kevin was a really great dog.

“You ready for bed?” He asked each night, putting away his dinner plate and setting his video game controllers back on their chargers. Kevin would immediately leap up and bound off the couch, excited. Seth had to smile, in a very short time, his dog had really come out of his shell, showing a lot of love and confidence. 

He'd strip down once he got to his bedroom and pick Kevin up to get him on the mattress. Seth tried to instill some sort of discipline for keeping him at the foot of his bed, but inevitably the dog would inch up during the night, snuggling against his leg. Eventually, by morning, Seth would wake and find Kevin laying in a ball on his pillow, likely rolled up in his own hair. With little effort, he would come to life again, once his owner made off to the kitchen for breakfast.

The only real issue was that Seth’s irregular working hours made it difficult to create a routine to get Kevin outside to use the bathroom. The first day away from the house, he had come home and found a little puddle of pee in the kitchen and a very apologetic looking dog.

“You know what works best-” Nattie pointed at him emphatically, grabbing a fanny pack and tube to take the stand. “Puppy pads, they’re mostly for dogs just learning to be potty trained, but dogs with irregular schedules and illness use ‘em too. Just set one on the bathroom floor and encourage him to use it if he needs to.”

“Doesn’t that make the bathroom stink?” Seth wrinkled his nose. Nattie just shrugged.

“Glade plug-ins?” She suggested. “It’s better than moldy carpet in the long run.”

Seth tried laying down one of the pads in the bathroom as suggested and Kevin took to it instantly. He supposed it was possible that the previous owner had made use of them as well because the next day, Seth returned home to find just a little bit of staining on the pad, and no puddles. 

As his home life was steadily adjusting to a new addition, the pool was trying to balance the fall schedule with the five newly recruited guards. Seth had been a little anxious at first- sure he’d trained the guards in properly, but wondered how their relative success or failure would fall back on him as they began to settle in their new roles. 

Bayley, of course, was predictably flexible and wonderful to have around. Both her and Finn were just part time as they had class most days of the week, but her presence was felt across the facility. She showed up early every time, ready and eager to work, and immediately started getting on a first name basis with the patrons. Regardless of what pool she worked in, she was great to have around.

“I brought cupcakes!” She exclaimed happily, the evening of her first shift in P-pool. Seth had been on deck, talking to Sasha who was guarding. Bayley fast-walked over to them excitedly. “I did a presentation for my english class and there was leftovers.”

“You did a presentation on cupcakes?” Seth snickered, Sasha tittered excitedly, half glancing at the pool and peering through the plastic of the dessert carrier.

“It was actually about learning styles,” Bayley laughed, “But I had cupcakes as an incentive for listening. They’re just from Publix, but they got sprinkles on ‘em.”

“Save that pink one for me,” Sasha pointed at the box, “Unless you want to guard for me?” She looked at Seth, eyes honeyed and hopeful. 

“No, I have to eat cupcakes.” Seth sneered, grabbing a chocolate one and beginning to chow down. Sasha heaved a sigh, rolling her eyes.

“Do you think I should bring one upstairs?” Bayley asked, counting the remaining sweets. Sasha and Seth thought carefully, Baron seemed determined to be anti-social and had been stuck on adaptive pool duty, mostly by Seth’s own recommendation. Far from upset about it, Baron had accepted the shifts with something like enthusiasm. 

“So it’s just small classes?” He asked gruffly, looking around the tiny empty pool, a little taken aback. Seth had given him a quick orientation on the specifics of the pool, showing him how to take temperatures and do the chemical tests.

“Yup,” He nodded, “AJ is up here plenty I guess, so maybe he’ll be your buddy.” Seth had to stop himself from grinning when Baron’s mouth twitched sourly. “Really it’s just open in case we have someone with special needs. The hours are shorter.” 

“I’ll do it.” Baron declared. “Put me up here all the time, I don’t like working when it’s noisy.”

“I can’t guarantee anything, I don’t make the schedule.” Seth admitted, “But I’ll gun for you man, if it’s what you want.”

Seth knew there would be days where Baron would have to guard downstairs, probably even in the park if he worked into the spring, but if keeping him upstairs kept him happy, Seth was going to do it. Enzo and Cass were steady midday workers, so the pools were pretty well covered anyway.

Other than a few initial kinks that were worked through, the two east-coast loudmouths were a perfect duo for P-Pool. With the fall programming picking up, there were plenty of times that multiple guards were needed for afternoon activities. Enzo and Cass were alright by themselves, but always shined brightest together. 

“You wouldn’t believe-” Dean chuckled to Seth, scratching at his arm. Seth looked up from the binder of parent contact information he was organizing. “Goddamn Enzo is killin’ me man.”

“What’d he do now?” Seth looked up, worried, he could see through the glass that both men were just getting on the stand, relieving Dolph. There was hardly anyone in the pool yet, everything looked alright.

“I miss being around dudes like him,” Dean laughed, “He was coming into work wearin’ this like, purple hippie shirt that said ‘ACTAVIS BAPTISM’ on it in big letters! And I’m like, my man, you can _not_ wear that at work!”

Dean kept laughing and Enzo came into the office, swinging the door open dramatically and going to fake-out a roundhouse kick in Dean's direction, his feet falling to plant himself in a wide stance. 

“I need bandaids, bambino.” Enzo patted his fanny pack. “‘Sall empty.”

“What’s Actavis?” Seth asked the room at large, unsure what was so funny about Dean’s story.

“Actavis? That purple Actavis?” Enzo asked, taking a box of bandaids from Dean. “That’s lean baby, that’s cough syrup.” 

Seth squinted, looking between the two, Dean was laughing hysterically as Enzo tore the box open theatrically and dumped the entire stock of band aids in the open pocket. Perhaps a quarter of what Enzo said actually made sense to Seth, the rest was a sort of bouncy gibberish and playful head cocking. As soon as he’d come, he flew back out the door, leaving Dean wiping tears out of his eyes, sighing.

“Those guys are going to have _way_ too much fun down here.” Dean scratched at his neck, leaning back in his rolling chair. “Shit, you think he’s cute? Dudes like him were some of the first guys I fooled around with.”

“Like, Enzo?” Seth’s eyes widened, visibly disgusted. “God no.”

There was no denying how well the two worked with the kids in P-Pool. Seth was a little weary of how easily distracted they seemed to get, heavily interacting with everyone, but it hadn’t yet proved to be a problem. Each day around noon the pool filled with students from one of the local public schools, Hunter had made deals with several schools to visit and use the space for their P.E. classes. Around thirty fifth graders came in each day, with Enzo spotting the shallow end and Cass on the deeper side. 

“Nah nah, y’all got it all wrong!” Cass waved his hand at the line of kids queuing for the diving board. “If ya gunna run down the board and jump to hit a dab, you gotta hit your other arm up like this!” 

Cass demonstrated, quickly dipping his head down into the pit of his arm, raising the other straight in the air. 

This quickly initiated a dabbing contest, with several students judging. Enzo kept peeking into the deep, yelling absurdities like “unlock the swag!” and “shmurder the competition!”

Seth just stared, in awe of what was going on. The kids seemed to love it and there weren’t any rules being broken, so it was technically within the parameters for acceptable behavior. He felt as though there was some line being towed that he wasn’t aware of, naive as he was to most of their inside-jokes. 

With new help around, the labor panic that had been affecting the lead-staff eased. It was easier to get time off and trade shifts for the part-time crew, and Hunter and Stephanie were guarding less. Everyone generally seemed to be in a better mood, but even as Dean had Enzo wisecracking in his ear most days, it wasn’t enough to distract him from his strange skin phenomenon. The rash or irritation, whatever it was, seemed to have spread around his body, causing him to itch some spots to the point of scabbing up. 

“Uce,” Roman said, a little sharply. Seth turned in his chair, Dean had been scratching at his neck rather violently, but paused when Roman addressed him. He faltered, letting his hands fall to his sides limp, looking at Roman, exasperated.

“Is it still itching?” Seth asked cautiously. Dean blinked slowly, fighting with himself to fidget. Bo and Cody had just left, leaving just the three of them in the break room. 

“Yeah and it fuckin' hurts.” Dean grumbled, patting angrily at the spot on his neck he’d been itching. “I washed all of my clothes and my bedsheets. I used goddamn fabric softener and shit I found in the laundry room.” He sighed, shivering a little. “Nothin’”

“Don’t touch it. You should really go see a doctor.” Roman suggested, putting a hand on Dean’s shoulder to inspect. “This doesn’t really look like a rash, are you sure you don’t-” 

Dean recoiled from his touch grunting, he threw up his hands and Roman backed off, surprised.

“I don’t fuckin-” Dean made a weird noise, shaking his head angrily, “Bwahhh! Just-” 

Then he left, snapping the break room door shut behind him. Seth was taken aback, he’d never seen Dean like this. Out of the three of them, Dean was always the one who seemed the least bothered, least likely to throw a tantrum at the drop of a hat. Though, he had been dealing with his skin-thing for a few days now, it was probably an accumulated frustration.

“Do you mind-” Roman sighed, rolling his eyes and running his hand through his hair. “Do you mind just like, checkin’ on him quick? I think I’ve worn him out, plus I gotta…” He grabbed his water bottle, “I gotta go and teach.” 

Seth followed Dean’s trail, ambivalent. Part of him just wanted to tell Roman to let it go, that his pestering was what had set Dean off to begin with. But he didn’t have to teach for another forty-five minutes and had already finished his lunch.  
Looking around, he couldn’t see Dean in the lobby, Seth turned, looking down the long hallway that led to P-Pool, the locker rooms and the elevators, just barely catching his friend rounding the corner. He jogged after him, flip flops smacking loudly on the floor. Dean was probably just going out the back entrance to have a cigarette. 

“Hey-” Seth half-yelled, catching the door as Dean threw it open. “Hey, you ok man?”

Dean faltered, turning on his heel, Seth stopped a few steps behind him. His face was, as always, rather blank and unreadable, but for a second, he was posed rather aggressively. After a moment, his arms began to relax at his sides, shoulders slack, he stared back at Seth, sighing.

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Yeah?” Dean kept walking and Seth followed, annoyed. “You ever snap on Roman like that before?”

“Yeah, loads of times.” Dean grunted. “And now he’s sending you out here so he can feel better about it.”

Seth almost tripped on a crack in the concrete, but he recovered and continued to pace behind him. Dean rummaged in his pocket for a cigarette, making toward the fence that wrapped around the water park.

“Well,” Seth mumbled, “He’s just worried is all, I’m worried too. I can’t imagine that teaching and being in the pool is helping your problem.” He chewed his tongue for a moment, unsure. Dean pulled his lanyard out of his pocket and stepped up to a back entrance to the park, a little hut with a huge padlock on the door. “Have you thought about asking Hunter? Maybe someone could take over your teaching shifts at least until it clears up? That way you’re not getting all dried out and itchy and stuff.”

Dean lit his smoke and fiddled with the lock.

“What are you doing? Are you listening?” Seth snorted.

“Huh?” Dean took a drag off of the cig and wrenched the door open. 

“Are we- Are you allowed in?”

“We work here.” Dean grinned. 

“But why-”

“In the break room in here-” Dean screwed up his face, thinking, he rubbed his eyes and Seth frowned, noticing little bumps on his arms. “There’s this kit thing that has a bunch of anti-itch stuff.” 

“Oh.”

Seth hadn’t been through the back entrance to the park at all. The little hut had a lot of graffiti covering the insides, likely from teenagers that had tried to break in. Being inside without anyone around was surreal, all the pools had been drained, but puddles of rainwater and leaves had gathered in the valleys of the sidewalks and the bottoms of the lazy river. The inner tubes, guard stations and umbrellas had been put into storage so the facility just looked barren and ghostly. 

“Sometimes I come in here to eat lunch and stuff.” Dean mumbled cooly, walking a little slower to admire the empty slides. “Don’t go blabbin’ about it, Hunter will take my key away.”

“I don’t care.” Seth shrugged. He wasn’t really sure why he’d kept after Dean, really he ought to have just broke away from him once Dean had let on what he was doing and assured Seth that he was fine. But his friend didn’t seem to care that he was there, wasn’t pushing him away, it was a little fun to sneak around and see the park by themselves. 

Once they’d crossed through the main gathering area by the bathrooms, Dean began twining through his lanyard again, looking for a smaller copper colored key that would open the break room. He flicked his cigarette on the ground and pushed the door open. 

The interior smelled stuffy, Seth swore he saw a mouse dart out between his legs, but it had happened so fast he couldn’t be sure. Dean scratched fiercely as his right knuckle and began pulling down rubbermaid containers from a high shelf full of sunscreen and gauze, looking for the right one. Seth flicked on the light by the door and Dean mumbled something like ‘thanks’, pulling down the last container.

“That it?” Seth asked, his voice echoing a little in the emptiness of the room. Most of the appliances and the spare table had been removed, the walls had been stripped of everything. Dean grabbed a bottle of some topical ointment that looked as though it had already been well used and began squirting the lotion into his hand. Seth just hovered awkwardly in the doorway, peering outside. He still wasn’t sure why he was hanging around…

“You think they sell this at walmart?” Dean asked, straining to get as much of the ointment out of the small bottle, making the cap hiss and spit flecks of lotion. 

“Probably,” Seth blinked, coming closer. “I’d imagine.” 

Dean grunted, rubbing the stuff up and down his arms carefully. Seth grimaced, seeing the extent that the rash had progressed. It was very curious however, little dots in lines, raised bumps that progressed in twos and threes. 

“I guess it’s not spiders,” Seth said lamely, fighting the temptation to grab Dean’s arm and give it a hard look-over. He didn’t want Dean getting any more upset, feeling like everyone was overbearing. If Seth had some strange rash, he thought he would be a lot less casual than Dean was being, much more apt to visit a doctor or get some advice. Dean didn’t seem to want anyone fussing over him at all, which Seth guessed he could understand.

“Is it spreading where you touch?” he tried, watching Dean visibly relax with the cooling gel. 

“No, I just wake up with them.” Dean admitted, rubbing his hands together and putting lotion on the underside of his chin, eyes easing half-lidded. Seth nodded, watching carefully. 

They were close, Seth’s heart was racing again, stirring up with confusion and quiet terror. Dean smelled like the ointment, his chin dotted with stubble, eyes perplexingly sweet despite being so annoyed mere moments before. There was nothing, nobody around except a cool wind that lightly shook the palms outside, dithering the silence.

Seth licked his lips, and without any consideration of his better judgement, leaned in, eyes half lidded, kissing Dean sweetly. 

There was a slight hesitation on the part of his lover, possibly taken aback from Seth’s sudden confidence. They’d kissed at some point the last time they’d all been at Roman’s, cuddled in bed together, but since then they’d been decidedly distant. It didn’t make any sense on Seth’s part either, after having promised himself to draw back a little, he’d been unable to stop himself.

“I don’t want you to get what I got,” Dean smiled against Seth’s mouth, keeping his hands held high in the air, trying to maintain some distance. Seth paused, still not backing off.

“Too late,” Seth mumbled, he blinked, their eyes met in the dull light of the musty room. Dean was soft, relaxed finally after being so tense and upset. Seth was sure he was blushing, looking dumb and unsure. His heart was pounding hard and he wanted nothing more than to continue, to feel Dean’s hands on him again, despite all the hours he’d agonized over how good they felt. As though Seth had said it aloud, Dean’s eyes flickered and he palmed his sides, drawing him closer, making him exhale softly.

He supposed it had something to do with how Dean had been so distraught, how he wanted to help and show gratitude for the help he’d been provided by both him and Roman during the vicious training weekend. But then, Seth hadn’t had any sort of sexual release for days, too preoccupied with making Kevin comfortable in his home. Still unsure, his mind racing with demands for an answer, all he wanted was soft lips, that sweet tongue, and loving hands. It was sudden, and unexpected, purely want and impulse, it was like Dean just brought that out in him.

“You ok?” Dean mumbled, breaking the kiss again, “You’re makin’ that face.”

“What?” Seth blinked, “‘m fine.” Dean fidgeted, rubbing his arm. “You fine?”

“I’m fine.” Dean laughed, “Don’t want you to be late to teaching though.”

Seth wasn’t sure what to say, they’d been kissing for several minutes and he’d been restraining himself from groping, pushing what they were doing to another level. He let his gaze fall to the ground, hearing a buzzing in his ears, he didn’t know what had happened or what had come over him. Why had he followed Dean? 

“Stop thinking.” Dean tapped his nose playfully, then tickled his beard a little bit. Seth frowned, unable to come up with anything smart to snap back with. 

They left the break room and Dean slipped back into a pair of sunglasses, shifting through his key ring to lock up the building again, his step notably more bouncy, less labored. Seth was momentarily caught up in a flashback to the last time he’d made out without the act progressing into sex. It had been with Marek of course, they’d been high school seniors then…

“You don’t gotta go off and tell Roman nothin’” Dean muttered, breaking Seth out of his daydream, waiting for him to catch up. “The guy is just the type to get all caught up in mothering, but we don’t gotta encourage it.” 

“He just wanted to make sure you were ok. I would have come even if he didn’t ask,” Seth lied slightly. He was having trouble calming down his dick and was taking smaller steps, trying not to make himself completely obvious. He was glad they had a little walk to get back to a public place, Seth wasn’t sure he really wanted to rejoin society just yet.

“Mm?” Dean hummed. “You’re both too damn sweet.” 

They left the park through the same back way, a cool breeze swept through the parking lot as they walked along the fence, across the concrete side street the fed into the parking lot for the facility. Seth felt a chill and rubbed his arms a little, painfully aware he was just wearing his instructor’s rash guard and a pair of shorts. 

“You’re not itchy, are you?” Dean asked carefully.

“No, no man, I’m fine,” Seth laughed, a little high pitched. “It’s just the wind, I don’t know why I didn’t-”

He broke off as they rounded the corner, by the back entrance, an ambulance had parked, lights flashing without any noise. The vehicle was waiting in just the right spot, as mandated by the facility’s emergency action plan. Neither Seth nor Dean thought twice, breaking into a sprint the moment the view had registered in their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enzo's still my favorite to write (If you can't guess) I don't have some weird head canon about Enzo and Dean that I want to get into, but I definitely want to see them cut a promo together one day. 
> 
> Cliffhanger Ahhh! Dean's still itchy! Ahhh! Everything will be answered next chapter. Review, respond, etc. <3


	33. Matters of the Heart [Part: 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth doubles down on his actions and gets some advice from a patron regarding his love life

The emergency wasn’t even pool related, Seth and Dean found out after running around the building to the only entrance that wasn’t locked. Sami was a little ashen faced and shaken, but he explained that a patron had passed out after using the sauna in the spa, and Finn had run up from his guard position at the lap pool to respond.

“The lady is awake now I guess, so they probably won’t even need the ambulance.” Sami said, Dean and Seth stood awkwardly, catching their breath and listening closely. Quite a few swimmers were walking through the lobby, leaving as the pool had been temporarily closed. “Tyler and Hunter are taking down the incident report.”

Seth didn’t want to be obnoxious, going around and asking questions, but he had left his gym bag in Stephanie’s office. Kevin gave him the pass to go through the locked entry he was watching just as Stephanie herself was standing on the deck, talking to Finn in front of the empty pool.

“Hey Seth!” She said joyously, waving over to him as he peeked his head through. Dean was following behind him mutely, probably unsure where exactly he was supposed to be. “I was wondering where you two had got to, you been filled in?”

“Sort of,” Seth nodded, “We’re all alright?” 

Finn nodded, looking a little shaken, but more or less solid, Stephanie’s grin widened.

“Finn did an excellent job, followed the emergency procedure to a T.” She patted his shoulder warmly. “I was about to check and see if we had a gift certificate you might like, the prize bin is a little eclectic right now, some gift certificates for Chick Fil A or DSW Shoes I think…”

“Great job man,” Seth looked meaningfully to Finn, who nodded again, turning a little pink. “When I first started here, I had an emergency my first week too. Life is strange like that I guess.”

“Yeah,” Finn couldn’t help smiling, “The worst part of it was just how scared Tyler and Summer were, really.”

Lessons started a little later that night, all the staff were a little on edge and loopy. Seth, Dean and Roman remained very quiet throughout their classes, having trouble staying focused on the skill sets they were trying to push. Seth kept fiddling with his rash guard, tucking his hair behind his ear nervously. The emergency had been one thing, but he was still thinking about Dean, the kiss he’d initiated and what he wanted. If he was supposed to be choosing between them, he still wasn’t sure, but he swore he felt Dean’s gaze lingering on him any time he was preoccupied with his class, facing the wall. Glancing over his shoulder, his friend still looked miserable, scratching at his arms despite all the ointment he’d applied before.

“Did you catch him?” Roman asked quietly once the classes had wrapped. All three men were putting away the noodles and toys they’d been using, Seth grabbed at a diving ring with his toes, pushing it to the surface of the water.

“Yeah, he’s alright.” He shrugged. “He’s not really hiding anything, just frustrated.” 

Satisfied, Roman let them be, patting Seth on the back before making his way to the showers. Before making his way out, Seth helped Dean organize the noodle corral, determined to collect his thoughts.

“Sorry about earlier,” Seth mumbled, taking all the noodles out and setting them on the floor, it was always easier to fit them all that way. Dean just shrugged.

“I didn’t care.” Dean grunted. “I don’t care.”

“Well, I dunno, you know what I mean?” Seth sighed, sitting cross legged on the ground. Bo was mingling on the other side of the pool, watching a lap swimmer. “I’m sure you’re not feeling great and... I don’t really know what’s going on with me.”

Dean frowned, looking up to meet Seth’s eyes, Seth wiggled his nose, heart racing. It was the closest he’d come to admitting… anything. 

“Yeah?” Dean fidgeted, scratching his leg, Seth stacked the noodles, pushing them inside the cart, tipped on it’s side.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Seth asked hurriedly, fingers trembling. “I’m off after noon, do you want to do something? Try to get your mind off of shit?”

Dean raised an eyebrow, but didn’t seem too put off by his questions. Seth had no idea what he was doing, had been feeling off the whole day and wasn’t sure why he was so obviously digging a hole for himself. Teaching all day, the jarring image of the ambulance fresh in his mind, Seth wanted to believe he was striving for living true to himself. He knew he couldn’t run forever, couldn’t live a life regretting things he wanted to do or make his decisions out of fear, but he didn’t want sexual frustration to make his decisions either. 

“Yeah, I’m free in the evening.” Dean rubbed his face, thinking. “What were you thinking?”

“Maybe that park?” Seth tried, “Assuming there isn’t another hurricane?” 

“Yeah,” Dean laughed, “You wanna drive? Pick me up ‘round six or so? traffic won’t be too bad.” 

“Sure,” Seth smiled, his voice was a little shaky, “I’ll check the weather.”

They parted ways and he felt mildly disassociated, driving through the early night, not really sure where his mind was going. He felt as though he was in a dream, that he would wake up and the whole day would just restart. Seth heaved a sigh, pulling into his complex and trying to reign himself in a little. 

“Hey buddy.” Seth grinned as Kevin met him at the door, wuffing and bouncing back and forth excitedly. He set his bag down on the ground and kicked off his shoes before sinking down on his behind, just feet from his doorway, letting Kevin happily greet him and lick at his face.

“Do I taste like a pool?” He asked, rolling onto his side to pet his dog. “Huh?”

Kevin bowed, wuffing, expecting Seth to chase him or play. He began running at top speed around the house, doing manic laps around the sofa and barking, Seth just buried his face in the carpet, past caring if it was clean or dirty.

He checked his phone after a few minutes, unsure exactly what he wanted to do, but wanting to occupy himself. He hovered over Dean’s contact information nervously, wanting to text him, something, anything, but nothing in his mind felt smart.

“I’m a mess Kev,” Seth grumbled, feeling the carpet padding softly as his little dog panted and returned to his side. “This is getting old.”

An uneasy night of tossing and turning back and forth meant he didn’t get much sleep. Seth pondered himself endlessly, the friends he had, his job and his coworkers. His thoughts jumped frantically from one subject to the next and he startled awake twice out of work-stress nightmares. That morning he’d be working second shift at the pool and the only preparation he managed was some undercooked turkey bacon and the toasted butt-end of a his last bread loaf. 

“How you doin’?” Wendy, one of Seth’s favorite regulars called to him as she came down from the locker room, “You get some new swim suit?”

“Good morning Wendy,” Seth managed a smile, tipping himself out of the guard stand to meander over to her. She was an older woman so she walked with a cane. Today he was wearing a pair or gray knee length trunks, the only ones that weren’t dirty. “They aren’t new… just gettin’ em back in rotation.”

“Oh tha’s good.” Wendy smiled at him. She was large, black and had wispy long hair she pulled back into a bun to swim. Every time she came in, she chit chatted with Seth if it wasn’t too busy. She had grown up in Chicago and liked to talk about the midwest and current goings-on around the pool. 

Seth did a few laps of the deck, watching her ease herself down the ramp. On his fifth rotation, she caught him again while she stood, stretching out her stiff legs.

“You been doin’ ok?” She looked at him meaningfully. “You ain’ your chatty self.” 

“O-oh,” Seth said dumbly, lowering his tube a little and pausing. “I’m ok, just kinda pre-occupied I guess.”

“I know that,” Wendy shrugged, agreeing vaguely. “They ain’ got you workin’ too much?” 

“No, nothing like that.” Seth sighed, “I dunno, just life stuff.” he chewed his tongue for a moment, thinking. “Confusing... “  
“Family?” Wendy asked a little quieter, “Or, I bet you got some girlfriends and the sort, right?” 

“Uh,” Seth blinked. He wasn’t about to go on some vast explanation of his sexuality to a patron, especially an older one that may or may not be understanding of his interests. “Y-yeah,” he lied, “Yeah, sorta.”

“Oh,” Wendy smiled, “But you’re so young now, I don’t wanna get up in your business or nothing like that,” She waved, “But you’ll figure it out, you’re a smart young man.”

“Thanks,” Seth laughed, a bizarre mental image of Roman and Dean in drag flashed in his mind for a moment. He wasn’t sure why he was talking to Wendy about it, he hadn’t talked to anyone about his conflicting thoughts. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to discuss them with a neutral party?

“I met my husband when I was younger that you,” She smiled fondly, “We were both real young like, but then, people had more responsibilities back then. You got time to enjoy yourself nowadays.”

“Yeah.” Seth said, surveying the pool. “I just don’t know what I’m doing, I think that’s my problem.”

“Nobody knows that,” She waved her ringed hand casually again, “You just gotta keep keepin’ on, you know?” 

“I guess,” Seth frowned. “My thing is, well, I think I like two… ...women.” 

“Don’t they call that a champagne problem?” Wendy laughed, but she faltered a little seeing Seth’s shoulders slump, moderately annoyed. “Well, I guess you can weigh out the pros and the cons now, but you don’t have to think too hard on it. Life just happens, you know? Can’t help it. She ain’t- one of em ain’t tryin’ to marry you, is she?” 

“Oh, no.” Seth blushed. “No, no it’s not that serious.” 

“Well that’s all right then,” Wendy nodded, “You’re a sweet boy Set’ you just try not to break any hearts now.”

“I’ll try.” He said sheepishly, nodding to Wendy and continuing down the deck. Despite dancing around the truth, he felt better talking, putting his thoughts into words. Wendy was right to some degree, Seth was young, he didn’t want to overthink what was going on in his life. It just wasn’t worth the mental cloudiness.

Some crossfit with Cesaro helped as well. After he finished his shift, both men hustled over to the box and got rolling on a WOD with lots of wall balls and muscle ups that Seth genuinely enjoyed. The highlight being when he managed to break his PR doing Power Snatches, a goal he’d been aiming at for weeks. 

“Killed it today,” Cesaro breathed, sitting with his forearms resting on his knees. The trainer had just turned the music off and Seth was wiping back his sweaty locks, panting.

“Yeah,” he gasped, blinking hard. “Feels great.”

Some time in a shower and Seth was feeling a lot more confident. Seeing Dean was something he wanted to do, and as time ticked by before he would be picking up his friend, he was thinking eagerly about having a relaxing walk downtown, seeing more of the city and being the company of someone who could likely show him around.

**Be there in 10?** Seth texted him, putting on a sweatshirt and shorts, taking care to put some product in his hair to keep it flat so he could wear it down.

**Yea** Dean messaged back quickly **Im hungry we should stop somewhere**

Seth waved from inside his car window when he pulled up. Dean had been standing outside, idly watching the clouds from a bench at the front of the property. Quickly, he gathered himself and clambered into the passenger's side, vaguely impressed behind his sunglasses.

“Nice wheels,” he noted, glancing at the interior. “Very cool.”

“It’s like, my first real car,” Seth patted the dashboard. “You think they got food at the park? Or should we stop earlier?”

“I think I can wait a little longer, it’s my fault, haven’t gone shoppin’ in a minute.” Dean sunk lower in his seat. Seth pulled out of the lot, heading for the main road.

“Sounds good,” Seth put his own sunglasses back on. “Buckle up your seatbelt.”  
It took some restraint on Seth’s part not to continue interrogating Dean on the status of his rash. Wearing a T-shirt and jeans, the dots that had covered his arms appeared to have increased, the skin scratched dry and raw. Occasionally, Dean would pick at the fabric of his pants around his ankles and knees, likely bothered by even more itchy bumps. Seth was privately thankful none of them had appeared on his own skin since their exchange in the water park, slightly paranoid any time he felt the compulsion to pick at his skin. 

“So this lake,” Seth asked, coming to a stop at a merge point on the highway. “Pretty nice spot?”

“Oh, yeah.” Dean mumbled. “I go there on my days off sometimes, it’s a little like, rich and stuff, people walking their dogs, but unless I wanna drive out of the city it’s a good spot to feel like you’re in nature a lil’ bit.”

“Nice, I need that sometimes.” Seth nodded, putting on his turn signal. “Maybe it’s best we missed out earlier when it was warmer, today seems like the perfect day to walk around.”

“It stays pretty cool.” Dean mumbled, looking out the window, he laughed softly to himself for a moment, “I, uh, lived there for a week when I moved down there, stays pretty chilled.”

“You lived downtown?” 

“Well, like,” Dean shifted, “Not really lived, just sort of… squatted.”

“Where?” Seth asked incredulously.

“In the park,” Dean said quietly, wearing an odd sort of expression, Seth hesitated, unsure. Was Dean ribbing him?

“In… the park…” Seth tried, “So, you were homeless?”

“Technically?” Dean offered. 

Seth tapped the brakes, stopping at the red light leading off the highway. The silence felt thick and murky, what was he supposed to say?

“How was that?” He asked carefully, looking curiously to his friend. Dean was unaffected, the words forming up were detached and indifferent, as though he was speaking for someone else.

“Not great,” He shrugged. “Wasn’t what I’d planned to do when I came down here, that’s for sure.”

“Thats-” Seth wiggled his fingers on his steering wheel, he’s been gripping it rather tight. “That’s never anything I’ve had to deal with.”

“Yeah, it was awhile back,” Dean admitted. “I was a different guy then, had a lot of shit going on. I turned it around pretty quick though, once I got my head on straight I got over to White Water.”

“Were you a guard before that?” 

“Yup,” Dean nodded, “You’ll wanna turn over here, there’s free parking on one of these streets.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2 (of a multi chapter fic, haha)


	34. Matters of the Heart [Part: 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (PART 2 of a DOUBLE UPDATE)
> 
> Seth and Dean take a walk around the lake and talk about life. Skeletons in the closet? But what's under the bed...?

Seth parked far up on a high-end residential road where palm trees were planted in uniform rows in the little medians of grass. The roads were quaint and narrow, with an extra lane for bikers. The park itself was a short walk to a brick path that looped the small lake. Food trucks, street performers and ducks lined the lane and bikers and dog walkers surrounded the water line, in the middle of the deep lake, a huge fountain drizzled torrents of water, misting the scenery and the swan boats that passed by.

“There’s a great Gyro truck ‘round here somewhere.” Dean mumbled, looking left and right, as though it would be present itself. “Which way should we go first?”

“Right,” Seth offered, smiling. Dean held his hand out and Seth’s heart beat a little fast.

“It’s an alright enough neighborhood,” Dean grinned.

“Sweaty palms.” Seth blushed, wiping his hand on his pants a little before taking Dean’s. He hadn’t held anyone’s hand in a long time, it was nice every once in awhile he supposed. Predictably, the gazes of strangers lingered a little longer over them, but nobody had the balls to say anything.

“We gunna rent a swan boat too?” Seth teased, playfully squeezing Dean’s soft palm.

“Nah, those are expensive.” Dean mumbled. “Also it’s a peddle boat shaped like a bird.”

“True,” Seth laughed, “You didn’t sleep in one while you were here, did you?”

He hadn’t meant it as a joke, but Dean still chuckled, scratching at his neck a little. The last thing he wanted to do was seem insincere, but Seth really had no idea what to expect with Dean.

“Nah, just a park bench.” Dean squeezed back.

“You’ve lived a hard life,” Seth declared, “Nothing crazy ever happened to me, nothing like that.”

“It’s whatever,” Dean said dismissively. “I don’t have to go into it if you don’t feel comfortable, I just say things sometimes-” he squinted. “I think I say stuff and I forget what I’m saying, like, I just assume people know me or get what I’m talking about and that’s not always the case.”

“Maybe,” Seth frowned. “I think I understand what you’re saying most of the time.”

“That’s a lie,” Dean snorted. “Nah man. It’s not you, it’s me.”

“Well, try me.” Seth suggested. “Doesn’t have to be your deepest secrets, I’ll try to be a good listener.”

“Well, what about you?” Dean countered, pausing in his steps to let a pair of ducks cross their path. “What’s your story?”

Seth shifted awkwardly, unsure what exactly he was asking or being asked.

“No story.” He grunted. “I dunno, I told you about Marek already.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean waved his hand, “And you’re from Illinois.”

“Iowa!” Seth corrected, “Iowa! Iowa! Iowa!”

“Iowa.” Dean nodded. “What else?”

Seth struggled to pick out the important bits in his life. Everything seemed mundane and boring in comparison to anything Dean could offer, though he had to remind himself that everything really was relative. He talked briefly about his family, his mother, his step dad, his goofy half brother and the family dog. They shared some common ground, both growing up in the Midwest, but Seth had fond memories of going to Chicago for football games and suffering through high school.

“I got certified when I was sixteen.” He explained, scratching at his beard. “Dad was gonna let me use his car if I got a job and worked at the camp he worked at when he was a kid. I thought I had to go to college back then so I was trying to save money.”

“You call your step-dad your dad?” Dean asked tentatively.

“He’s the only dad I know of.” Seth said flippantly. “It’s really no big deal, my mom married him when I was a baby. Never known anything else.”

Dean was quiet for a while, considering his words. Before Seth could feel too anxious, wondering if he’d chosen his words correctly, Dean rubbed his hand with his thumb and they rounded a bend in the path, coming upon a food truck.

“Chicken on a stick?” He read off the display on the side. “Not quite a gyro.”

“I don’t care, I’m starving.” Dean picked up the pace a little and they broke the soft grip they had on one another.

Seth got a couple of teriyaki skewers in a little paper carrier and sat on a bench looking over the water. The breeze didn’t carry the lake-stink he was used to smelling off of large bodies of water. At the bottom of the little dirt ridge where large rocks lined the perimeter, Seth spotted a huge snapping turtle kicking up the mud and the sand.

“There’s a turtle.” Seth spotted, pointing the animal out as Dean sat down with his own meal, looking excited.

“Oh yeah there’s lots of turtles.” He scratched at his arms quickly before digging in, “Turtles and swans and those really tall birds.”

“Cranes?”

“Sure, I dunno,”

It felt a little awkward, the conversation a little stilted, but the silence was filled with the unabashed smacking of Dean chowing down on his chicken. It was difficult for Seth to feel too embarrassed around him, he’d never met a man who was so unassuming and accepting of everything.

“I’d eat every meal off a truck if I could.” Dean wiped his mouth off on his hand, tossing an empty stick back onto his tray.

“Every meal?” Seth offered him a napkin. “You eat almost every meal at McDonalds though, so I guess that’s not much of a jump.”

“McDonalds should have food trucks.”

“I don’t know how you don’t get all fat.” Seth remarked. “You hit the genetic lottery.”

“Part of it is the meds I take, I think,” Dean shrugged. “I don’t actually eat that much so when I do I make it count.”

“By eating fast food jet-fuel.” Seth snorted. “What do you-”

“Take drugs for?” Dean finished for him, Seth bit his lip but Dean just waved him off. “It’s no big deal, you can ask.”

“It’s just- I’m prying.” He averted his eyes, looking back out to the lake. “I dunno, I’m dumb about this stuff. I want to know you better though, you’re a really interesting guy, Dean.”

His heart fluttered a little and Dean smirked.

“I hope you mean that in a good way.”

“Yeah! Yes,” Seth nodded, blushing. “Sorry.”

“Well, _Seth_ ” Dean sighed, running the napkin across the bottom of his jaw. “I take uh… a pill that helps me focus, a pill that stops me from being too focused, some stuff that helps me sleep and some stuff that keeps me happy. I dunno if it’s for sure or diagnosed or whatever, but most doctors think I got fetal alcohol syndrome.”

Seth’s blush faded from his cheeks and his eyes darkened. Dean looked completely unaffected, still as casual as ever as he picked up another skewer.

“No big deal though,” he added dully, “Never known anything else.”

“That’s different-“ Seth stuttered, “I mean, that’s rough man.”

Dean just raised an eyebrow over the top of his sunglasses. Seth wanted to tear them off, the sun was setting and they were sitting in the shade, he could only imagine Dean’s usual tired sort of glance.

“That’s life,” Dean mumbled. “What I remember of my mom was she was drunk, my dad was in prison most of the time… I’ve struggled with stuff like that too, but it’s just what it is. I’m not gunna be sad about it anymore.” He leaned over, a single finger tapping Seth’s knee playfully. “So you don’t gotta be sad about it either.”

“Does Roman know?” Seth asked, not really sure what was to be gained by knowing. He couldn’t help a hint of pity creeping into his voice.

“Yeah, I think,” He thought carefully. “Probably told him at some point. Hunter knows. I was just getting my life all sorted out when he hired me.”

“I’m sorry,” Seth threaded his fingers through his hair carefully; “I think it’s just surprising to me because you’re just such a great guy. I never thought anything that… well..” Seth felt dumber with every word he was saying. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m just a really sheltered kid, I don’t know what I’m supposed to say.”

“You’re fine,” Dean leaned back, his fingers inspecting the wood on the bench. “I think I wrote on one of these seats, we should try to find it.”

Without anything better to offer, Seth followed after Dean to toss their garbage and continue down the path. His pace picked up a little bit, threading himself carefully through the groups of happy families and exercise fanatics monopolizing the path.

“When you moved down here-“ Seth caught up to Dean, desperate to have some conversation that didn’t feel like a sad tell-all confessional. “Didn’t you have long hair too?”

“Who told you that?” Dean turned his head, suspicious. Seth blanched, shaking his head.

“There was a photo, I saw it.” Seth’s voice sounded alien, “Sasha said it was you.”

“Mgh, yeah.” Dean snickered, looking at the shaken expression on Seth’s face. “It was longer than yours at one point.”

“Why’d you cut it though?”

“Why?” Dean laughed. “Cause I looked like a jackass! It was long and messy and pink at one point.” He groped at his ear lobes carefully. “Had earrings back then too.”

“I bet you were handsome with long hair.” Seth said thoughtfully.

“Nah, man, it was bad.” Dean smoothed back his straggly, thin locks. “You and Rome’ are hotties, you can do that look alright. I was just… dirty…”

They joked together for a while, making their way past a sculpture garden and a living statue posing in a little inlet where people were taking photos. It was getting a little difficult to see, Seth had swapped his sunglasses for his un-shaded thick black frames, but Dean was still wandering around with his polarized lifeguard lenses.

Every few hundred feet or so, another bench was fixed to the path. With each pass-by, Dean surveyed the scenery carefully, thinking hard.

“It was after the big monument,” He nodded to himself. “There was a really big tree…”

They’d almost gone a full rotation of the lake when Dean paused, looking from the large civil war memorial they’d just passed to a lonely park bench.

“No tree.” Seth noted, looking around for the area. He wasn’t really sure what would be gained of finding the seat Dean had graffiti’d, but he figured it was getting them through the loop of the lake anyway.

“They cut it down,” Dean mumbled, pointing at a huge stump a few feet removed, obscured by tall grass. He approached the seat, inspecting the wood carefully before sitting down in the middle, drumming his hands on the surface and staring out over the lake.

Seth watched the surface as well, wondering what his friend could possibly be thinking. The fountain at the center of the lake flickered, a set of lights blooming to life on the interior of the base. The lake shined brightly, the ripples caused by the cascades glinting beautifully in the dying light of the sun. Some passersby stopped to take pictures with their phones, appreciating the sight.

“Sometimes it glows with different colors.” Dean called out, Seth smiled and walked up the little hill to join him, sitting close. “This is the bench, but it’s not the same bench, the city put a new one in or somethin’”

“You mark it up that bad?” Seth chuckled, not drawing his eyes away from the beautiful lake. “This is really cool man, thanks for showing me this.”

“No prob.” Dean muttered lowly, putting a hand on his knee and rubbing softly. Seth tipped his head to rest it on his shoulder, sighing to himself. It was such a nice end to the day, such a nice place to be. Even if he felt a little foolish before, he was glad he’d pushed himself to be more decisive, to go after what he wanted.

They sat for maybe twenty minutes, Dean resting a hand on his leg, the sun dying over the city skyline. Seth relaxed as much as possible, just trying to live in the moment that was the both of them resting together, but his head was swimming with a wealth of new information. Dean had lived a storied life, was probably only showing the tip of the iceberg that was a life growing up very poor, likely in abusive situations. Seth didn’t know much about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, if there was really anything he should expect, now knowing what he knew. But then, the last thing Seth wanted to do was to treat his friend any differently. He had been trusted with that information, Dean had opened up to him and exposed himself a little, it was probably a lot to ask, regardless of how casual Dean made it seem.

Seth wondered what version of Dean had been made to lay on the bench they were sitting on now, trying to sleep. Even with a very healthy, vivid imagination, picturing Dean in such a state of rock-bottom was hard.

A group of swans came out of the water and rested close to the lake line they were observing. Once Seth’s neck was starting to stiffen, he sat up, adjusting his head.

“Should we go back to your place?” Seth asked quietly. He’d fed Kevin and put down a potty pad, it was nearly dark now. It was difficult to see Dean’s expression, but he squeezed Seth’s leg playfully.

“You’ll probably get my rash if we go over to my place.” Dean admitted, standing up and looking around. “But I think I’d grab a few things and get my car.”

They made it back to Seth’s cadillac, intermittently jogging and goofing off, patting each other’s behinds and laughing. The air was cool and Seth rolled the windows down as they got onto the highway, toggling the radio to the classic rock station and jumping into a duet of Metallica’s _Seek and Destroy_ in which Dean was exemplary at air guitar, twisting and writhing in his seat. Seth beat the console hard, keeping the beat with his open hand.

“SEEEEEEARCHING! Seek and Destroy!” Seth howled. “Put on your goddamn seat belt!”

They eventually lowered the volume when they reached the rows of townhomes, slowing to a cruise as Dean tapped the glass, pointing to his unit. Rather than mingling in the car, Seth followed him up the front door, giggling madly as Dean continued the manic air guitaring, humming loudly to the memorized tune.

Without thinking, without actually agreeing or talking or otherwise alerting each other, they became entangled as soon as the door had been kicked open. Seth led the charge, pulling Dean’s face close to his and eagerly kissing. Dean fisted Seth’s hair, running his fingers across his scalp and sending shivers down his spine. 

“Fuckin’ A.” He growled, pushing him towards his own bedroom, then shoving Seth off of him, laughing. “Too goddamn much man,” 

“Nah,” Seth teased, sinking against the wall as Dean walked around his bedside, looking for something. “You sure we can’t fuck here?” 

“You don’t wanna be this itchy.” Dean grunted, scratching his elbow hard as he grabbed a bottle of ointment from his nightstand. Seth chuckled, looking around. He hadn’t been in Dean’s room when he was completely sober, but the place was still more or less as he remembered it, maybe a little messier. Dean threw some sheets off of the floor, still looking around, Seth paused when he saw some dark stains.

“Is this…” Seth gingerly examined the sheet, Dean raised his head out of his closet, frowning. 

“Blood? I just scratch myself raw in my sleep.” Dean mumbled, “I’m gunna wash it.”

Seth dropped the sheet, not wanting to be to seem like a pest. It wasn’t really his place to be nosing around. Dean was his friend though, more than a friend, he thought carefully, vaguely reminded of something.

Though Seth had only gone to college briefly, community college at that, he’d been around plenty of people that lived the college life, had spent time going to friend’s dorm rooms and seeing a variety of different living styles. He’d remembered a punk house he’d gone to a couple of times for crappy little music shows, it had always been in a particularly dilapidated state, but eventually they’d stopped doing shows because most of the housemates left the property… itching…

Seth’s eyes widened, thinking hard. He sunk down to his knees, looking carefully around the base of Dean’s bed before recoiling quickly, shooting back up to his full height and dusting off his hands, borderline hysterical.

“What?” Dean poked his head back out from his closet, his brow furrowing.

“Bugs!” Seth said, manically, isolating himself in the middle of the room. “You have bed bugs!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth's back guys! He's back! Isn't it great?  
> I don't know how this idea would've worked unless it was a double update. Kudos to the anon that totally called Dean's problem. I wasn't really trying to make it a guessing game but your attention to detail should be lauded! 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts, as always. <3


	35. Shelter Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth offers up his place for the night and feels his heart coming undone.

“You’re sure it’s bedbugs?”

“It _can’t_ be anything else,” Seth snapped into his phone. He was driving to his own apartment now, Dean following behind him in his own car. As soon as Seth had him convinced his apartment was infested, they’d split. Dean threw some clothes in his gym bag for the night, but thinking now, Seth kind of wanted to strip Dean naked before he arrived, for the protection of his own place.

Distraught, without any real plan formed, he had called Roman out of instinct.

“Well, is he ok? You’re taking him to your place?” He asked quickly, Seth’s eyes shifted to Dean’s Jetta in his rearview, thinking.

“It’s Dean…” Seth mumbled. “I don’t know really what he thinks about it. He just went kinda quiet and didn’t say anything until I told him to come over.”

“Ok,” Roman sighed, “I was starting to wonder if it might have been that… My cousins got bedbugs once. Just make sure you don’t have any bugs on your shoes and make sure that anything he brings over gets thrown in the dryer right away. The bugs can’t do heat so if you get his stuff really hot it should be good.”

“OK, thanks,” Seth said quickly. Turning into the lot in front of his place. “I’ll let you know if we need anything.”

“Thanks for being there for him,” Roman mumbled, “I’ll talk to you guys later.”

Getting out of his vehicle, Seth sighed sympathetically when he saw the defeated shuffle of his friend, slowly opening up the back of his car to grab his bag, scratching his arm tediously. He’d never seen Dean so ‘un-bounced’ before. 

“We’ll have to put your stuff in the dryer to kill bugs.” Seth mumbled, pocketing his phone and, without hesitating, embraced Dean, putting his shoulders around his neck, trying to provide some comfort. Dean just sighed, hanging onto his bag limply.

“I’m ok.” he said, mustering some measure of strength in his voice. He nuzzled his chin on Seth’s shoulder. “I’ll figure it out.”

Seth had felt bad that he’d been so emotional earlier. He didn’t want Dean to think that he was dirty or disgusting. It had just been so shocking, had caught him off guard. 

They went inside, stuffing the contents of the clothes bag into the dryer, Seth assured him he’d be fine to borrow something to wear in the meantime. Kevin barked, confused as Seth arrived with another person in tow. As soon as he realized he wasn’t an intruder, he was trying to receive attention, following after Dean with his ears bent back and his tail wagging excitedly. 

“He’s too easy to step on.” Seth said cheerily, picking Kevin up so Dean could get a better look. “Very sweet though.”

“Hey pup,” Dean pet the dog’s head, earning some substantial licking. 

“I’ll grab you some sweats,” Seth put Kevin back on the floor, content to have been shown affection. He jogged off to his bedroom, calling loudly, “It’ll be cool man, just like a slumber party or something.” 

There was a lot of effort on Seth’s part to be overly excited and hospitable. Dean wasn’t saying much and Seth couldn’t imagine coming home to find out his home was unlivable. He supposed it would just be some calls to an exterminator, maybe some extended couch-surfing, but from what he knew of bed bugs, they were very tricky to remove. 

“Here,” Seth handed off a pair of pants and a tank top. “Are you hungry again? Itchy?”

“I’m fine,” Dean reiterated. “Thanks man, I’m alright, we can do whatever.”

It seemed like Dean took an age to get ready, going to the bathroom to change and leaving Seth to sit on the couch, trying to think what to do or how to act while texting Roman. They had such a fun outing, it was a shame that it had to end in such bad news. The information that Dean had poured on him regarding his past still gave him pause for thought, made him bite his lip and stare out his balcony door, lost in his mind. How different of a person would Dean have had to have been to be homeless?

The question itself seemed loaded with judgements Seth wasn’t sure he was sensitive to. He’d never really known anyone with such difficulties, wasn’t sure what was appropriate. Thinking hard, he tried to remember back to conversations they’d had, wondering if there was some sign or clue he was supposed to pick up on. Had Seth ever said anything that would have offended him? Given him a reason to guard himself?

“I’d take like, some toast and some water if you’ve got it.” Dean re-emerged. “I got meds I’m supposed to take with food.”

“No problem,” Seth rose quickly, snapping out of his trance. “I got you.”

They settled together on the couch with a pack of pop tarts and some milk, a little anxious, Seth paged through the streaming selections on his Playstation, trying to guess what they both might enjoy. Dean sat, slouching down, staring contemplatively at his toaster pastry, a blank expression taking over his face. Intimidated by so many options, Seth eventually set down his controller, petting Kevin carefully.

“Do you have work tomorrow?” he tried, trying to stop Dean from brooding.

“In the evening.” Dean mumbled, “Teaching.”

“Mmm.” Seth leaned back, “You think your landlord will be on it?”

‘On it’ meaning ‘on the bugs’, of course.

“Hopefully.” Dean swallowed the last of his snack. “I don’t really know what to expect. Sometimes they’re really good about answering phone calls, but most of the time, it’s like, unless your unit’s on fire, they wait a couple days to get over.”

“Well, you can stay here if you need to.” Seth said quickly. “You can’t go back there and sleep.”

Dean’s face twitched and he sat up a little straighter. There was a strange moment where the silence reverberated louder than Kevin’s snuffling and their own breathing, like the noise was being sucked out of the room. Seth blinked, his heart racing a little as Dean looked over him carefully, thinking hard.

“I don’t-” Dean flexed his fist, setting it in his lap, “I can’t have you feeling sorry for me.” 

“I'm not-” Seth shook his head. “I-I am, but only because this is so difficult.”

“I don’t want you to do this ‘cause you think I’m some charity case though.” Dean said softly, not meeting Seth’s eyes. It was the first time that day that he looked remotely uncomfortable, like he wasn’t sure of what he was saying. Completely content to discuss moments of vulnerability in his life, Dean seemed to draw the line at empathy. 

“That’s not it.” Seth shifted closer, determined to be heard. “No, Dean, I- I want to help…”

Their eyes met again and now it was Seth’s turn to feel alienated, buckling slightly under the intense blue gaze. What was happening? What was he supposed to say?

“You remember-” Seth coughed, “After the race, the one that I ran with Cesaro- You and Rome’ both met me at the finish line? It’s the same thing. I want it to be the same…”

And suddenly, for once, his words were correct. Dean softened, his brow only slightly furrowed, he looked away, touched. 

“You guys didn’t do that for me ‘cause you felt sorry, right?” Seth added, “But, but it meant a lot to me and I didn’t expect it at all.”

“It was my idea.” Dean murmured quickly, his devious smirk fixed back on his face. Seth blushed.

“Was it?” he chuckled. “Well yeah? Right? You know what I mean?”

“I know.” Dean nodded. 

They felt a warmth, both of them turned suddenly bashful to each other. It was entirely possible that Dean was lying, Seth knew, Roman had really talked to him a lot more that day and was entirely easier to reach by phone than Dean was. But rather than feeling cold shouldered and rebuked, Dean’s words felt like a warm spot of sunshine, energizing him to be more confident.

“Should I go get you a rose from the gas station so you believe me?” Seth laughed, sinking down playfully so he was nearly laying in Dean’s lap, hair falling all over the place. Kevin jumped off the sofa, whining a little from the sudden eviction.

“Nah man,” Dean ran a hand through the wavy locks, giving him tingles. “I ain’t got nowhere to keep it.”

“At least you know what it is now though, right?” Seth offered, saying the words ‘bed bugs’ seemed inconsiderate at present. “Knowing is better than being in the dark. You at least know _how_ to handle it.”

“It’s fine,” Dean shrugged, laughing a little. “It’s not like I really have anything I care about all that much. Hell, I could probably upgrade all of my belongings at a garage sale if I had to.” Dean gestured at Seth’s large flatscreen. “I ain’ got shit like that I need to worry about.”

“What do you do?” Seth asked curiously. “If you want to tell me. You just save your money?”

“Yeah,” Dean shrugged, still petting Seth’s hair. It seemed to provide some small comfort, focusing his mind on the present. “For a rainy day. Car’ll probably break down for good soon. I don’t know if my credit is really good enough to get me much, but I have enough right now where I could put down a nice down payment.”

“I spent all my savings coming down here.” Seth admitted quietly, nuzzling at Dean with his face. “I’m more of a ‘stuff’ guy though. I like my comforts.”

“Yeah, I dunno.” Dean leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling. “Best stuff in life is free, right? Goin’ on walks is nice. Being outside and biking is really fun. If it’s nice out I don’t want to be inside doin’ stuff.”

“I hear that.” Seth yawned. He felt silly, it was only 10:30. He did have work the next day though. Dean patted his head, sighing.

“You don’t gotta stay up for me,” He noogie’d him a little and Seth sat up, trying to keep himself alert. “I’ll sleep wherever, I don’t care.”

“You’re coming to bed,” Seth said defiantly, standing and making a dramatic effort to hoist his friend up to his feet as well. They both rose and Seth went about shutting down his TV and his playstation, turning off the lights in his house and trying not to admire how well Dean filled out his sweatpants.

“Kev might try to break us apart.” Seth explained, sidestepping the little dog as they all made their way into the bedroom. “I think I might have _kinda_ spoiled him.”

“Why you call him Kev?” Dean asked, bemused, watching his friend turn on the air conditioning and the side lamp on the bed. 

“It’s what they called him at the shelter.” He shrugged, sinking down on the mattress and patting the surface for company. “I didn’t have any better ideas, plus I guess they get used to being called something. Don’t wanna shock him too much.”

“Just makes me think of Kevin Owens.” Dean laughed, looking from Seth to the little dog, rubbing his neck a little.

“The Janitor?”

“Yeah.”

Dean mirrored him, laying down with his arm propping up his head. This close, it was hard not to feel itchy looking at Dean’s scratched up skin. He looked tired, had probably had a hard time sleeping, spending so many nights being bitten in his bed. Seth extended his hand to Dean’s head and smoothed back his own shaggy locks, fully exposing his line of sight and his heavy brow.

“You like getting your hair touched too.” Seth noted softly, Dean’s eye’s flickered slightly, but still pointed forward, looking at Seth. “I still think you looked nice with long hair.”

“You’re the minority.” Dean croaked, letting his eyelids droop a little, enjoying the treatment. It was the first time, hell, perhaps in days that Seth hadn’t watched him nervously scratch himself. They lay together for awhile, both just enjoying the fact that they were lying just inches from each other, hearing each other’s existence. 

It felt a little played out, a little tacky, but Seth leaned in kissed his forehead. Pressing his bangs back and letting his lips rest for a moment, closing his own eyes. He felt Dean exhale deeper, accepting of the gesture.

“You wanna kiss?” Dean asked sleepily, his eyes opening again, mouth twitching as Seth peeled back, his heart rate racing.

“Do you?” He responded stupidly. The answer was written all over his features, plainly obvious. Dean just beckoned him back with two fingers and he dipped his head low without thinking.

It was slow, meticulously so. Both men a little fatigued, but more-so cautious and intrigued. It felt like ages before Seth even added his tongue to the mix, going against his usual inclinations to hurry up, get things heated and start groping and moaning his way into something. Occasionally, their eyelids would flicker open and dare to catch the gaze of the other, looking deep until they couldn’t stand it and they closed themselves off or looked away. 

Dean’s hands cupped his face and Seth panted, emboldened. It was scary and difficult for a moment, but the fear that typically took ownership of his thoughts seemed to wrinkle. Looking to Dean, feeling the shiver of his mouth aching to find contact again, he swallowed hard. 

“Hey,” Dean grinned, “Look at me.”

Seth’s eyes were wide. He stared, his chest inflating. Something was shifting inside him, he was hard, certainly, but the micro-commentaries inside his mind all started to unite, wants and needs suddenly harmonizing. 

Their lips locked again, but Seth turned, pinning Dean down to the bed in an effort to assert himself more. Dean’s hands found his waist and they rocked, enthusiastic, but entirely focused on their mouths. Hard, fast, Seth pushed deeper and deeper, Dean bit his lip lightly, nibbling right into his beard, holding him captive.

Decisively, Seth broke the kiss and went down, tugging away Dean’s sweats and throwing them to the floor in a rush. He attempted to sit up, making to do the work himself, but Seth pawed him back, urging him flat. Without speaking, Dean obeyed and as soon as Seth freed him, he choked down his cock. 

Dean moaned, his fingers tapping the bed then Seth’s shoulders. He loosed his throat and drew him all the way in, trying to pull him in as deep as possible. It didn’t matter to him that Dean’s hair was a little unkempt, that they’d been walking around and weren’t at the highest possible peak of their hygiene. His focus was drawn entirely around wanting to show Dean he was there, that he was appreciated and admired. Seth’s technical craft for giving oral was typically self serving, he was energizing and slicking up a dick that would be for _him_ , his own pleasure. This was letting Dean make love to his throat, a world of difference.

“Ah-hhh!” Dean couldn’t help bucking a little, his lips red, face straining as Seth pulled him up and down. He hadn’t done this in a long time and it took a lot out of him, but clearly it was doing what he wanted. Dean fisted his hands in his hair, pulling hard enough to smart.

He licked his shaft up and down, taking a ball in his mouth at a time and licking playfully between his legs. Dean shivered and shook, humming, very clearly feeling the pressure mount, but Seth didn’t urge him to come faster. 

“The fuck!” Dean cried, making Seth wince with how aggressively he pulled his hair. Dean laughed maniacally, his hips turning and buckling on the bed. “I can’t, whoa, I fuckin-”

Seth laid flat against him, feeling his gag reflex twang aggressively as his nose leveled against his Dean’s pubic bone. Dean gasped, or tried to, the noise falling out of his effort as he quaked, laying mouth open and rocked. Seth coughed around his dick, just as he began to twitch, come shooting out of him in rapid bursts, straight into his mouth.

Dean hummed his way through, his grip loosening and tightening with each contraction of his stomach. Seth grimaced, but took a deep breath, licking his lips and swallowing hard. Neither the most disgusting or pleasant thing he’d ever tasted, he just wanted to collapse into his own bed. He didn't much care how sweaty they were, that there was laundry downstairs to take care of. All he wanted was to be finished. 

“Baby,” Dean breathed, pulling him close, his hands cupping his chest. “Jesus- I-”

Seth hummed back, pinching his own erection between his thighs. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he knew that Dean was tired, they both were. His belly ached a little, his dick desperately wanted a taste, some kind of treatment. Dean’s hand drifted down to his hip, kneading carefully, but Seth wouldn’t turn or offer himself.

“You…. good?” Dean mumbled after several minutes, still rubbing sweetly. Seth turned his head.

“Yeah,” he said gruffly, clearing his throat. “It’s ok, you needed it.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed a little. 

“What? You did!” Seth laughed, tugging Dean closer, “We’re both sleepy, yeah? It’s no big deal.”

“Not-” Dean looked at him meaningfully, tapping his chest. “Not. A. Charity. Case.”

Seth closed his mouth, Dean’s smile read playful, but his eyes serious. It was tense.

“I l-like you.” Seth blurted, wanting nothing more than to get Dean to stop looking at him so intently. “I wanted to show you how much I… did…”

His heart felt like it was going to explode, was positive it was beating so loud that Dean could clearly hear it, would be able to read between the lines of, well, _whatever_ it was that Seth was implying. 

“Cool,” Dean whispered, his mouth barely moving. He gripped Seth tighter however, his thumb rubbing circles over his shoulder. 

Tired, jittery, still confused, Seth turned and shut off the light, feeling Dean spoon closely and the little footsteps of Kevin trying to find somewhere comfortable at the foot of his bed. It took awhile to fade into sleep, Seth kept half expecting Dean to murmur something in his ear, to ask, ‘So… what do you mean?’ ‘When you say like…’

His eyelids fluttered open with a start when he realized Dean had left the bed. He turned in the blanket blindly, searching. It was still dark out, Kevin had curled up and fallen asleep in front of him. There was a light on in the closed bathroom, the vanity bathed in shadows. Seth sat up, eyes squinting in the darkness.

“I’m going to figure it all out in the morning.”

Dean’s voice. 

“Well, I hope not. I hope it’s just like… a one in done deal. Nothing too complicated.”

He was on the phone?

Seth rubbed his eyes, tearing up slightly from looking toward the light. The clock at his bedside table read 2:47. He’d been sleeping for that long? It felt as though he had just drifted off, had barely remembered actually falling asleep. He must have been tired if he’d clunked out that fast with another person in his bed.

“Well, believe it or not? I haven’t had to deal with this before. I dunno how to do it. Oh yeah, just look it up on the internet. Why is that the answer to everything?”

Seth’s heart went cold. What was he talking about? Who was there? Dean was talking low, probably making a real effort not to wake Seth up. His first guess was Roman, but as Seth’s bleariness cleared, he wasn’t really sure. Dean’s voice seemed a little higher, more perky…?

“Well you’re right.”

“Gross, I don’t wanna know that.”

“Yeah I know I called you, but that’s cause I was freakin’ out.”

Seth shivered, sinking down low again and clutching his blankets. Why had he woken up? Why was he hearing this?

“You can go to bed if you want. It’s really not that bad, you know me, just fuckin’... awake at odd hours. I’ve got people lookin’ out for me, this guy is nice, I didn’t want to wake him up with my bullshit.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Well look, I’ll give you a call at like, a normal person time and maybe we can meet up. I owe you a beer… I think…”

Seth squinted his eyes and opened them again, wondering for a moment if it would be worth trying to fake out a need to piss. Would Dean tell him who he was talking to? Was it really serious?

“Goooooood niiiiiiiight Renee.” He sang in a quiet mocking, sing-song voice. Seth’s heart plummeted, he curled into the fetal position. Dean’s conversation stopped, the noises of a toilet flushing and tap water flowing were heard and the light and the fan in the bathroom died.

Dean rejoined him on the bed, curling back into the sheets, laying back to back with Seth, who made no effort to make him believe he was awake. He stared out his window, looking to the moon in a moment of silent prayer.

What was he thinking? Dean definitely had friends Seth wasn’t aware of, why wouldn’t he? What was there to assume that the call hadn’t been anything more than a friend talking to another friend?

_Dean plays for both teams_ Roman’s voice echoed in his head, haunting him. Dean was bisexual, or something… Had certainly never mentioned a Renee before. 

The clock moved past three-fifty before Seth was able to drift off again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me awhile to write this but once I finally sat down and did it, it went down pretty smooth. 
> 
> Lighters up if that Seth 24 special got you fucked up !!! (Review, etc)


	36. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth reconfigures his usual domesticity to include Dean, struggles with his feelings (the usual). But also, a surprise library trip?

"I just don't know if he's holding anything back." Seth mumbled against his forearm, spinning idly back and forth in the office chair he was sitting on. "Does he ever seem more open with you?"

Roman stopped typing on his computer and leaned back, thinking. Seth had carpooled with Dean and come in earlier than his shift mandated. Sitting up in the quiet office of the adaptive pool, Seth had recanted the night and Dean's rather neutral reaction to finding out he had bed bugs.

"Maybe," Roman thought aloud. "I've known him longer, but he's just a pretty open guy."

"We went to that park," Seth explained further, tip toeing around the word 'date'. "Lake Eola, the one I guess that he… lived at?"

Roman sighed, nodding. Seth watched him carefully, he wouldn't have thought Roman would lie to him or hold back information, but it was all very… complicated.

"Yeah, he was homeless for a stint." Roman confirmed, drumming his fingers on his desk. "I didn't know him back then, it's hard to imagine what that would've been like."

"Right?" Seth agreed. "But did he just have no money you think? It doesn't sound like his parents were good people."

"Oh, no," Roman snorted shaking his head. "But he was all messed up on drugs I guess." He regarded Seth carefully for a moment, giving him a sort of 'if I'm going to tell you this, don't go blabbing about it' sort of glance.

"Yeah?" Seth asked innocently, planting his legs firmly on the ground.

"Well, from what I've gathered, he was certified as a guard-" Roman explained, "He was working at hotel pools and he was selling cocaine at the same time. He told me once he'd work at four or five different pools a day, swapping through all the different shifts between the different hotels and then he'd go home and cut like, huge amounts of drugs."

"No kidding." Seth's eyes widened.

"Yeah, so I guess he probably wasn't _dealing_  them." Roman amended. "He'd cut all the stuff down into lower grades and then take his share off the top while other people sold it for him."

"Why even be a lifeguard?" Seth choked, "If you have drug money-"

"I dunno man," Roman chuckled darkly, "Maybe he needed a straight job? I don't think he was nearly as big a fuck up when he initially got certified, but he fell into it while he was working. Sort of hard to be coked up sitting through a course."

"Yeah…" Seth sighed, "That's crazy."

"Yeah, and then he moved down here-" Roman continued, straining to remember exactly what happened. "He moved because he wanted to straighten out, maybe he was getting paranoid. But he moved and the job offer he had fell through and I guess the people that he was staying with tossed him out. He was homeless for a week or so and got picked up and put through some sort of drug program. Not like rehab-" Roman added, "I'm not sure if it was the sort of thing where he was legally obligated to go, but they talked to him, got him clean and got him on medication and once they found out he was a lifeguard they were trying to get him a job at a pool."

"Damn," Seth exhaled. "That's insane."

"I've asked Hunter about it." Roman muttered, looking a little downcast, "He actually reached out to Dean once he was like, a month sober or something. Dean actually stayed at his house until he got his place. I guess it was rough at first but since he was around people that were pretty wholesome and understanding he hasn't really tripped up since."

"But he still drinks though?" Seth said incredulously.

"Well," Roman shrugged a little. "It wasn't his vice of choice, I dunno." he paused, "But then his parents were alcoholics… huh. I've never seen him as a problem drinker though..."

"You don't have any of that in your family, right?" Seth asked carefully. "I feel like I'm such a sheltered kid, like I don't know what to make of any of this."

"I've got some questionable cousins and stuff," Roman shook his head. "My family is huge though, there's more productive, sane people than not."

"I feel so bad for him, I can't help it." Seth admitted, folding his arms against the back of his chair. "I don't think he likes us doting on him at all."

"Oh, not one bit." Roman laughed. "I think he's got this though, he's called the landlord, they said they'd spray and hopefully that will be the end of it."

"Yeah," Seth mumbled. It was still hard for him to be too optimistic, he hadn't mentioned anything about the mystery Renee person. It was probably really stupid, Roman might know exactly who Dean was talking about, but asking the question was something Seth didn't want to do. He knew how it would make him sound.

"He can stay with me if it's getting to be a lot to handle." Roman offered, quitting out of the spreadsheets he'd been looking at on his monitor. "You've done your good friend duty, I don't know how big your place is, but I've got a lot more space and I could probably get him to clean out my back yard or something."

"I'm fine," Seth said quickly. "I can… ask him if he wants… but, I'm doing alright."

The door to the office opened up and AJ came in, dripping slightly, a towel around his shoulders. He set his clipboard down on his side of the desk, looking around quickly.

"Oh, hey Seth," He smiled, leaning over Roman to grab a binder from the shelves over their space.

"Hey AJ," Seth said, making to stand up, "You didn't need your chair, did you?"

"No, no, 'm fine," he flipped through the binder. "Just wanted to check n' see what Baron put down for notes this morning…"

The day felt a little strange as Dean and Seth were in the same orbit for time and transportation. It was officially October and, to be helpful, Seth went about helping Roman put up all the new monthly schedules around the building, tearing down old postings and flyers.

"I have you next on the rotation to do the baby classes." Roman grunted, slamming his hand hard on the cheap plastic frame to get the lobby's master schedule posted.

"Wait, what?" Seth dropped the stack of papers he'd been carrying, cursing as he stooped to grab them. "I haven't done any of those yet."

"You'll shadow me once or twice, but then I'll need you to do it." Roman said simply. "Randy's almost only here at night now and me and Dean are swamped. It's good and all, we went over our goal projection so I get this nice lil' pay bump, but we really need instructors."

"I guess I'm game." Seth blinked, rubbing his face a little. There was a harsh knocking on the glass by the observation area and they both looked over. Dean was up against the pane, suited up to guard, except for a tube. He breathed hard on the glass and with his finger, began drawing in the fogged up surface.

Roman and Seth came over to watch, amused, as Dean drew a circle within a circle, looking expectant, both men stared, confused.

"The hell is that?" Seth laughed, Dean rolled his eyes, breathing hard on the glass again to continue his drawing. Scrawling carefully, reading backwards on their side, Roman laughed.

"Bagle?"

"He means bagel."

"There's bagels in the break room." Roman laughed, he pointed toward the break room door and Dean's face lit up, nodding eagerly. Seth gave him a sarcastic, animated thumbs up.

"Would you stop that?" Kevin barked from the lobby side of the glass, teetering through the area with a wheeled garbage can. He waved Dean off. "Get your dirty mouth off the windows, for crying out loud!"

"He's still Dean," Seth laughed, walking quickly with Roman to the break room, away from Kevin's wrath. Every Tuesday, the local bagel shop donated dozens of day old's to White Water, indebted to Hunter for some reason or another. "His bites look better too, even just after a day."

"Yeah, but I'd still watch out for him." Roman said wisely, looking through the bag to see the selection of bagels. "Until he can move back in, it's going to be difficult."

"Well, yeah," Seth sniffed, starting to get a little worn of Roman's mothering. "But it's like you said, the landlord will take care of it and that'll do it."

The scheduled extermination was pushed until Thursday, giving Dean two days of living in limbo. Without hesitating, Seth immediately offered up his bed and home to his friend, feeling a little apprehensive about including Roman in the whole affair. Roman hadn't been wrong, his house was a lot better suited to occupying more than one person. Seth really only had the one set of keys, so any time one of them wanted to do anything, there was some amount of coordination that had to occur between the two. He didn't want to admit he was jealous, but it was probably the biggest reason why he was guarding himself.

It was just that Dean and Roman were such good friends, so relaxed around each other. Seth could only chalk this up to how long they'd known each other and the little moments of playfulness they enacted. But still, he yearned for that sort of connection.

"You good?" Seth asked, pausing the pushing of the grocery cart. He'd thought it best to stop by Publix on the way home from work so they could pick up some things. Dean had stopped at the beginning of the row on his phone, texting.

"Yeah's just Rome'" Dean mumbled, pocketing his device and looking, bewildered around the open racks of fruits and vegetables. Seth picked up some fruit juice and looked thoughtfully at the fresh produce.

"We could make a nice meal if you're down." Seth offered, feeling a little warm in contrast to all the cooled food. "I like to cook but I don't bother much if it's just me."

"Nngh, sure." Dean shrugged. "I dunno how to cook. I don't really-" He wrinkled his nose as Seth picked up a bag of pre-packaged salad. "I don't eat that stuff."

"Picky?" Seth laughed, setting the bag down. "We could make a big pizza. It's not hard and we can choose what we want for each half."

It was fun to have someone to go to the grocery store with and to kill the silence in the evenings. Since he'd broken up with Marek, Seth struggled the most with just fighting off the loneliness of these moments. At first it had been wonderful, liberating even, to do things solo. But once the convenience of all of these things became boring, occupying himself just became tedious.

Hair pushed up in a high bun, stripped down to just a tank top and some shorts, Seth hummed along to the song on his kitchen speaker and cut peppers for his pizza while Dean grated cheese mechanically. They'd stopped by the liquor store and Seth had purchased some fun seasonal craft beers to sip on. If it wasn't for the fact that Dean was sleeping over for such an abysmal reason, Seth would've been skipping for joy.

"Tomorrow I wanna run by my place, I gotta grab stuff to return to the library." Dean tapped off the cheese grater and set it aside.

"Oh yeah?" Seth scratched his nose with his wrist. "You like to read?"

"Oh, ah, no." Dean smirked. "I get movies from there 'n stuff. My friend Renee works there though an' she's always tryin' to push books on me like she's makin' commission off of 'em or somethin'"

"You have a friend at the library?" Seth stuttered quickly, caught off guard by the mention of the mystery woman. It wasn't really even a question, just a nervous rambling, Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... I don't start on fire when I walk in or anything..."

"No, I mean," Seth set down his knife. "It's cool, I guess that's what I meant."

Things felt a little awkward until the pizza was finally assembled and put in the oven. Seth's side heaped with just about everything he possibly could, Dean going for a more minimal approach with some meat and cheese.

"If you wanted you could come workout with me," Seth offered optimistically, toying with the label on his beer. "My box is sorta by where you live, you could do that and then we could go to your place and the library."

"Mmm… maybe…" Dean said thoughtfully into his beer. "I do need to go workout. I dunno about whatever Crossfit stuff you do but I should do something."

"If you don't… well…" Seth drank from his bottle, still thinking hard from the mention of Renee. "It's no big deal, you're seeing a lot of me right now and all."

Dean just cocked his head, chewing. Seth wasn't really sure he wanted to chase after Dean just to find out who this person could be. If he was actively trying to hide something, surely he would outright object to Seth seeing her, right? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like Dean was just friends with this woman.

The lingering anxiety seemed a little prejudiced the more Seth turned it over in his mind. Would he be worried if Dean had a male friend or was talking to a guy on the phone that night? Just because Dean was bisexual or otherwise didn't mean he was inherently untrustworthy. It was stupid of him to be so caught up on someone he hadn't even met, someone that appeared to be helpful to Dean when Seth hadn't been a resource he was ready to use.

That did seem to be changing though, however slowly.

"Thanks... a lot," Dean said quietly, sitting on the bed in a pair of sweatpants, dabbing a little ointment on the last of his bites. "For everything, really. I'm fuckin' pissed that all this shit is happening but at least I got some good people."

"You're welcome," Seth said strangely, chest feeling like it was full of Fourth of July fireworks. He finished brushing his teeth and plopped down into the bed. Wordlessly, Dean pulled him up against his chest, smoothing his hand over his shoulder and rubbing softly. "'s no problem, I dunno what I'd do if I got bugs."

"Get pissed off and come stay with me or Rome'" he snorted, turning slightly to put his phone on the charger by the bed, Seth felt a little lightheaded and warm at the thought.

"You'd let me stay with you?" He asked playfully, trying not to sound nervous, Dean didn't stop touching his shoulder.

"Yeah why not?"

They fell asleep twined together with Kevin pushing in for territory. Seth snoring into Dean's armpit while Dean grabbed all of Seth's pillows. The bed was a comfortable size for the both of them, gave them each space to pull apart sleepily, resituate, then find each other with time before dawn. Dean, the lighter sleeper, usual stirred up before his alarm and tucked Seth onto a pillow before using the bathroom first. Depending on who had to work and when, they would start their day, trying their best not to sleepily bump into each other.

"Where do you normally work out?" Seth asked as they loaded gym bags into the backseat of the cadillac. He'd texted Cesaro about bringing a guest, trying to remember if his membership allowed for a buddy. It was fine, but they signed up for a blended foundations class for the afternoon, not looking to do anything too intermediate.

"There's this guy I know who runs a place," Dean adjusted the seat back a little farther. "Just a sweaty lil' gym with a couple squat racks and free weights and stuff. I should get over there more often really, he was talkin' about just givin' me a key so I could go whenever I wanted."

"I didn't look at the posted workout," Seth admitted, "But they like to keep stuff fairly simple anyway. Hopefully it won't be too intimidating."

"I don't need nothin' fancy," Dean mused, rubbing his forearm. "Just gotta get my heart rate up a little bit."

Cesaro was ecstatic that Seth had brought Dean along and didn't even take it as an opportunity to tease. They sat and stretched and Dean watched, slightly disturbed as the trainer yelled at the 2:30 class as they threw down their weighted bars and charged out of the service entrance, gasping for breath.

"Where the hell are they going?" Dean turned his head, watching as the class tore around the corner of the building.

"400 meters," Cesaro snickered devilishly. "They will run down two blocks and then come back."

"You ready for this?" Seth laughed at Dean's look of apprehension.

Dean, despite having never really done any Crossfit classes before, held his own. A lot of the warm up activities he was familiar with, having no real trouble keeping up with Seth and Cesaro as they rowed and did lunges across the room, getting ready for the bulk of the workload.

"Excellent Dean, that's perfect!" Ian, the head trainer yelled as Dean rowed, blushing suddenly and looking around, indignant.

"You guys pay for this sort of treatment?" Dean griped, Cesaro and Seth just snorted, wiping down their handles.

Three rounds of double unders, Sumo Deadlift high pulls and a bit of outside running did them all in nicely. Dean made it all the way to the end, only coming up a little slower than Cesaro. Seth finished first, to the chagrin of his friends who could do little else than lay sweating and staring on the ground, hearts racing.

"You can be faster Rollins," Cesaro panted, "But I can lift more than you can."

"Didn' matter today!" Seth laughed, wiping hair out of his face, breathing like a winded horse. "What... about you Uce? You did… really well…"

"You guys…" Dean panted, smoothing his hair back, out of his eyes, "You do this everyday?"

"Three or four a week," Cesaro shrugged. "You feel very nice... once you get your breath back."

"You're gunna get hurt doin' this shit." Dean swallowed, nodding at Seth. The trainer looked over his shoulder, clearly listening in. "Y'all are insane."

"Yeah yeah," Seth wiped his brow. "Lemme rinse off quick and then we can go."

Cesaro left after wishing Dean luck regarding his bed bug situation and after spending a quick few minutes in the single shower that the box had, the two left to swing by Dean's and then make their way to the public library.

"Weren't they supposed to spray today?" Seth asked, half glancing at his GPS. The apartment, while warm and stuffy from being uninhabited for a few days, looked relatively untouched, no notices had been left behind regarding any sort of service.

"Maybe they just haven't come by yet," Dean sighed, looking at the videos he was holding in his hand. He turned the tapes over, distracting himself with the old, beaten up covers, taped together by the library staff.

"Did they say…" Seth paused. He didn't want to sound like he was questioning Dean at all, was just simply curious, "...When the place would be safe to go back inside? Doesn't it need time for the pesticides to settle or something?"

"I dunno, probably a day or so." he mumbled. "I'll call 'em, don't worry. I won't be in your hair too much longer."

"That's not what I meant," Seth said quietly, seeing the public library a block ahead, he got into the right lane. "I'd rather you don't hurry back and asphyxiate on poison or something."

"Rome' texted me too," Dean admitted. "Said I could stay with him too if I needed. Might be a little easier since he's got the house and stuff. Wouldn't be nearly as big a hassle trying to steal your keys from you any time I got to work or go out."

"Y-yeah," Seth shifted, "I guess we'll just see."

Once they parked, Seth kind of hoped Dean was just going to run to the drop box outside, deposit the movies and leave.

"I wanna see if my friend is working, is that cool?" He leaned in, looking to Seth who sat, considering for a moment. He was still shaky and a little bleary from working out, insecure and sort of timid about talking to Dean about anything even five minutes into the future. However, he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to figure out this Renee person, and although Seth didn't read very much, he figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get an Orlando library card. By way of an answer, he just got out of the car, walking through the humid parking lot at Dean's side.

"Do you think-" Seth bit his lip, looking at the movies in his friend's hand, "You don't think there's any risk of those having bugs in them, do you?"

Dean stopped in his tracks, thinking for a moment, he raised the movies in his arms as though he might find a bug clinging to the bottom of the stack.

"Yeah?" Dean asked carefully, his face falling with obvious exasperation. "Guess I better ask…"

"I'm sorry dude." Seth said, holding himself back from letting off a dark chuckle. "I don't want to make you too paranoid."

"Nngh, well," Dean carried the tapes a little more warily. "Might be too late for you to try."

The library branch was large, probably servicing a few different neighborhoods. They were impeded on the way in by a class of children all lined up on their way onto a bus, hands laded with books. The building was cool and refreshing, with smaller community art exhibits and lots of advertising space devoted to local culture and events.

"Did you want to look at some stuff to pick up too?" Seth asked as they made their way to the service counter, he watched carefully as they walked by any staff person, reading their name tags carefully. Most folks who worked at libraries seemed to be a little older, he privately hoped Renee was a nice old lady who just happened to have established a good relationship with Dean, perhaps in a sort of mothering way.

"Maybe," Dean said, perking up. "You got one of those DVD players, right?"

"Yeah, we can watch Blu rays if you want," Seth laughed, amused by Dean's confusion. "The ones that are smaller than the DVD discs?"

"They got a way better selection of that stuff," he admitted. "I think I've rented just about all the tapes they got."

"Dean!"

Seth's heart sank as he saw a very young, sweet woman, coming out from an aisle of books behind them. She was very light blonde, small, dressed modestly and holding a thermos of coffee in her hands.

"How're you doing? I got that 'squatch book I was telling you about!" Seth's heart felt like it was falling down a stairwell as Dean opened up his arms and the woman hugged him around the middle.

"These tapes might have bugs 'n em." Dean mumbled, "I'm good though."

"It doesn't matter," She waved her finely manicured hand, "We're gunna throw all of those out at the next library sale anyway. I won't fine you."

"Renee," Dean pointed from Seth to his friend. "This is that guy I told you about, works at the pool with me. Seth Rollins."

"Oh hello!" She beamed at him and Seth couldn't help but smile back, even though he felt a little nauseous. She was adorable, she was sweet and helpful and nice and well mannered… He felt terrible.

"Hey," Seth managed, "Nice to meet you."

"And you guys are staying together? How long until you can go back?" She looked between them.

"They're supposed to spray it today and it'll probably be a day before it's ok to go back inside." Dean explained. "But yeah, Seth's lettin' me couch surf."

"They couldn't do it any sooner? That's such a drag man," She nodded her head at Seth though, "Though I'm sure you guys are making the best of it."

"Perv," Dean snorted. Seth was red from his cheeks to his ears, Renee just giggled.

"What? You went there! Not me!" She laughed, tapping Dean with her thermos.

"Show me where this dumb book is," Dean shook his head. "Should I just throw these in the trash?"

Renee took the tapes from Dean and led them to a display rack of new additions to the collection, close to where the kids books and the help desk. From the bottom of the display, Renee pulled out a heavy book, made to look even larger by her dainty hands.

"This was the one I was talking about-" She set it down on a nearby table and flipped it open. "I knew you would like it when I saw it in the catalog."

Dean peered over her shoulder, eyes widening as she flipped through the large glossy pages with nice color printouts of maps, diagrams and…

"Bigfoot?" Seth exclaimed.

"Yeah," Dean said, eyes widening as she continued to page through the massive tome.

"It's like, the most definitive thing out there right now," She explained. "It goes chronologically by sightings but then you have these chapter by chapter breakdowns of all the different cultures that have a bigfoot mythos."

All of the pages had a fair balance of pictures and text. Dean slid the book over so he could look at it and Renee smiled.

"You a bigfoot fan?" Seth asked, amused by how instantly interested in Dean had become with the book. He'd never heard him speak a word about anything related to sasquatches.

"Oh yeah," Dean said, distracted. "I can check this out?"

"Yup!" Renee nodded. "I just got the codes on it today, it came in yesterday. You'd be the first." She turned to Seth, grinning. "He comes in here all the time just looking at old dumb action movies and I told myself I could find a book that he would like."

"Ok, but I gave you hints," Dean paused, affronted. "This is more of a guide than a book."

"It's under non-fiction." She pointed, "It's a book."

Seth chuckled, watching Dean struggle to take his attention away from the pages in front of him. He liked Renee, he couldn't be upset. This woman probably just found Dean amusing, watched him come into the library for years and teased him about his entertainment selection. She was technically stunning, her enthusiasm infectious, Dean didn't make him feel worried.

"I've only lived here for a couple months now," Seth turned to her, thinking, "I was wondering if I could get a library card?"

"I can do that." She offered, looking guilty. "I'm supposed to be upfront, I've been on my break for awhile now."

Seth would've waited for Dean, but he was clearly too ensconced in his book to care about much else. He followed Renee up to the front after mumbling something like 'be right back'. He mingled in front of the desk as Renee logged into her computer and sat down.

"Has he been doing ok?" Renee asked sweetly, flicking her eyes back from where they'd just come. "You really are an angel for helping him out."

"Oh, he's alright." Seth shrugged, getting out his wallet. "It's not great of course, but there was that period where he didn't know what was biting him and that was probably a lot worse, all things concerned."

"Right," Renee grimaced. "Ugh, I get creeped out just thinking about it."

Seth filled out the form, jotting down his info and handing over his driver's license. Renee hummed and chirped away as she worked, talking to herself and narrating her way through the process while Seth stood, passive.

"How long have you known him?" He asked carefully, alternating the weight from one foot to the other. It sounded innocent enough.

"Oh, pff," Renee thought hard. "Awhile now, pretty much since he moved down here. I had a different job then, kind of a past life." She blinked thinking. "Yeah, a good while. Has he never mentioned me?"

"N-I don't think so." Seth said quickly, Renee just rolled her eyes.

"Well, we haven't been as close as we used to be," She admitted, handing Seth back his license. "I moved too, that was part of it. I used to be close by so I would make him buy me dinner a lot."

"O-oh," Seth said, not entirely comforted. He felt daring for a moment, he respected Renee and didn't want to intrude on her privacy, but he wanted to put the nagging thoughts out of his mind. "Well, I don't know… I'm not sure how appropriate this is-"

Renee had a pen and a new library card in her hand, she looked up suddenly attentive.

"I-" Seth swallowed. "I think I really like Dean, you two aren't- you're not-"

"Involved?" Renee smiled. "Oh, honey, no it's not like that. At least-" her jaw twitched. "I'm not doing anything with him, it's nothing like that."

"Oh-" Seth's shoulders slumped, relief pouring over him like a warm shower.

"That's so sweet of you though, I'm happy for you!" She grinned. "We kinda fooled around for awhile but it's nothing I'd be coming back for."

"I'm sorry," Seth apologized, "I shouldn't've pried, it's just- nothing's even really official-"

"It's totally alright." She nodded, holding out the card. "Just sign this, it's your copy."

Still feeling vaguely dirty for having asked Renee about something so intimate, Seth pocketed his new library card and went back the way he'd come to find Dean. Renee had given him her best, assuring him that she had his blessing to do whatever he wanted with Dean, even though he spluttered his own promises about how he couldn't promise anything. All in all, it had been a very strange, emotional day he hadn't anticipated having after finishing up a workout. Dean still had to teach later in the evening though, so they couldn't spend too long in the library.

"He went back there," The old man at the help desk pointed to the video section as Seth looked around at the seat that Dean had vacated. He nodded, passing by some girls in the young adult fiction, before finding his friend on the floor with a huge stack of movie cases.

"You good?" Seth laughed, Dean was rifling through the movies with glee, muttering _hell yeah_ and _Oh fuck_ under his breath as he stacked them on the floor.

"You can watch these, right?" Dean pointed at the stack to his right. "You got that player that you need for it?"

"Yeah," Seth snorted, "Do you got enough hands to carry all this out?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra long chapter? Kinda fun and cute. Shoot Dean loves big foot, it's really great actually. Thanks to everyone that assures me they are on the edge of their seat with this stuff, eagerly anticipating my updates. I thought seriously for five minutes about writing a bit where Seth has to go to the DMV and renew his DL, but then I remembered I loved you guys and I wouldn't put you through that XD
> 
> Haven't reviewed yet? That's ok too. Maybe save it for a chapter you really like. It does help me write easier though, I update pretty steadily so maybe the incentive is sort of lost, but if you review you make me think about it more and then I'm able to write faster once I actually sit down at my computer. 
> 
> Peace, love, etc.


	37. Castles in the Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys part ways and Seth tries his hand at teaching the little ones. How much can a week really change things?

The scheduled extermination didn't actually occur until Friday. Dean became very sullen and grumpy about it, had gone so far as to try to talk to a representative in the rental office of the town home complex, but each time he stopped by, the offices had been suspiciously closed.

Seth tried his best to be cheerful, rather pleased that he could expect Dean to be around into the weekend. Kevin had started to get used to having two sets of hands petting him, and Seth himself had rolled right back into the habit of sharing his bed like he hadn't been alone for months. 

"I could make something for dinner if you wanted." Seth offered from behind the couch, Dean had just hung up the phone rather angrily, getting another answering machine. He sat, fuming, ignoring Kevin's begging advances for touch, kneading his own forehead.

"What do you want to make? I don't care." He sighed, pocketing his phone. 

"Mac and Cheese... bake?" Seth suggested. It was difficult for him not to pretend like he _hadn't_ been guessing things that Dean might like that he could whip up. If Seth didn't offer to cook, Dean's diet mostly just consisted of hostess snack cakes, sugar free red bull and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Personally, this disgusted Seth, but he knew that ribbing his friend for his limited palette when his house was infested was a little harsh. Instead, he settled on trying to make slightly more thought-out meals for the both of them, scouring the internet for recipes they would both enjoy.

Dean just grumbled, slumping against the armrest of the couch and finally inviting Kevin in. Seth took this as an affirmative and returned to the kitchen, leaving Dean to sort himself out. He had worried he was coming off a little too enthusiastic and helpful, taking up too much of Dean's time. Both men were used to living alone and having some time to breathe and think.  

""S good," Dean muttered, setting his plate on the floor for Kevin to clean up. "Thanks, again."

"No prob," Seth said simply, it was going to be one of their lasts nights doing this. There was no need to make a big deal out of it, Seth had no idea what to expect of their friendship once Dean returned back to his place and back into the rhythm of what he had before. He'd thought about it, and he felt it would be pretty crummy to start pushing Dean for anything beyond what they had at current. It was a lot to ask, emotionally, for a person going through trouble to sort through additional romantic matters. Despite it all though, Dean seemed willing and open, once he cooled down from being upset. 

"That feel good?" He mumbled through the bulges of Seth's behind, his hands palmed the flesh gratuitously, ever the admirer. The last few nights had ended in bed with plenty of ass appreciation and blowjobs. Seth just moaned lightly, sagging on his knees and fisting the sheets.

"I'm ready," he sighed dreamily, whipping his head to the side just in time to catch Dean dumping lube all over his cock, condom already on. His bed was starting to get a little stinky from their nightly 'workouts', but the answer just seemed to be dirtying the sheets some more.

Dean slid in slowly, easing Seth's legs apart with his hands and exhaling at the smoothness of the glide. Seth's cock was firm as ever, rubbing up against the mattress crudely. He didn't want to think of himself as the type of person to become attached to another for such physical reasons, but Dean fucked him so well that it was starting to drive him crazy.  

"You good?" Dean asked quietly after a few minutes, pawing his ass and delivering some lazy, long strokes. "Been hittin' it… pretty hard lately… wouldn't want you to-"

Seth's breathing hitched from under him and Dean sped up, feeling the clenching around his dick, laughing out loud. 

"That was quick," He snorted as Seth sighed, coming all over the top sheet and ruining the bed. "Fuckin' A,"

"You c'n keep it up." Seth purred, "Just snuck up on me is all."

Dean would come not long after and they'd cuddle until they'd couldn't stand the mess. Luckily, Seth had a spare sheet in reserve and both men fell fast asleep, spooning or flopped apart, whatever the temperature of the room mandated, with Kevin somewhere in the mix.

It was hard not to feel blessed, or at least grateful, for the time that they'd had.

"That… everything? You think?" Seth asked on Sunday morning. Over the weekend they'd both done a lot of cleaning and laundry folding, scouring the apartment to separate all of their things so Dean could return to his place. It had gotten pretty messy, mostly because they both hadn't bothered much, knowing that the day would come where they'd have to pick up all the clothes off the floor and return to normalcy. 

Dean sniffed, looking around the clean apartment thinking hard. He slung his bag over his shoulder and picked up a plastic bag full of all his library loans.

"Yeah, I think." Dean shrugged. "If not, you can just bring it to work." 

"What about your nutty bars?" Seth fidgeted, "The uncrustable things? Those sandwiches?" 

"Keep 'em," Dean scratched his nose, "I don't care." 

And just like that, he was gone. Kevin's little shuffling broke up the silence, but Seth sat for about an hour before his pool shift on his couch, staring absently.

Had Dean felt it? Had he felt anything? At the moment in which they'd awkwardly hugged goodbye, Seth's heart had been doing a jig in his chest, his eyes wide and unseeing. He wasn't dumb enough to kid himself and think that Dean could really stay, they both had to get on with their lives. 

He frowned, listening to the hum of the refrigerator, feeling Kevin sniffing the arm that was draped over the side of the couch.  

_This is lame_ Seth thought stupidly, rubbing his face. He had to get to work.

Sunday meant guarding and lessons, the first sessions of which Seth would be starting Sea Turtle classes under Roman's supervision. The prospect didn't worry him too much as he went the class skill sheets, reading through the rather simple list, it was just that he didn't have as much experience working with tiny children.

"They're the cutest, they really are." Nikki cooed, relieving him from the guard stand, "I would have done it but I'm probably going to be out for swim meets later so I didn't want to start something I couldn't finish."  

"All I'm worried about is if some kid starts crying." Seth sighed, unclipping his fanny pack and stretching his arms a little. "What are you really supposed to do if that happens?"

 "Their parents are right there, most of the time they'll deal with it." She nodded. "Most of the time you just need to distract them though, make them forget what's bothering them."

_It all sounds so easy when she says it_ , Seth thought antagonistically, taking a long sip of warm water from his thermos. Thinking back to when he worked at the community center in Iowa, Jimmy had been surprisingly amazing with really little kids. People were always asking him how old his own children were, oblivious to the possibility that he didn't have any.

"You ready?" Roman asked, smoothing out his own rash guard. "You look tired, slumber party wearing you out?"

"No," Seth snapped a little unexpectedly. He blinked and Roman gave him a withering look. "Sorry, I probably… am… actually. I dunno." 

"Somethin' bugging you?" He asked, crossing his arms and regarding Seth carefully. He sighed, they were both dripping wet, just ten minutes shy of a lesson, what was he to say?

"I'm fine really, I dunno." he repeated. "Maybe just a little unsure about babies."

"Oh, well," Roman shook his head, shoulders slumping. "You'll be alright, trust me. I think Holly's honestly more difficult than this. You just gotta try to keep some high energy."

 "Oof," Seth rubbed his eyes, Roman stopped again, setting down the box of rubber ducks and raising an eyebrow.

 "You need a break." Roman diagnosed, walking over and clapping his hands on Seth's shoulders. "I should take you out."

 "What? You don't-" Seth laughed woefully.

 "You've been such a good pal to Dean," Roman said lowly, looking around to make sure they were unheard. "Now, I'm sure it hasn't been _all_ bad, but I can imagine you're a little worn out, yeah?"

"Where… can we go." Seth blushed, looking down. Roman chuckled, rubbing Seth's arms. 

"Ichiban," Roman mumbled. "All you can eat Sushi?" 

Feeling significantly uplifted, Seth waded around in the shallows while Roman went through the class roster sheets, peering at the names on the clipboard and checking his phone. Before long, parents started to arrive with their babies, all wearing swimsuits and looking a little lost for their first day. 

"Welcome," Roman introduced himself to each one of them. "I'll be co-teaching today, Seth here will be your instructor for the full session."

"Seth Rollins," Seth tacked on, trying to muster up some excitable, confident teaching voice that he'd heard Dean and Roman employ. The parents shook his hand warmly, most of the toddlers stared, confused and inherently distrusting.

Five children with some sort of guardian each and two teachers meant the shallow end was fairly full. Nikki watched, smiling from the guard stand as each pair of baby and mom or baby and dad sat down on the wall with legs dipping into the water. Roman handed out a cup to each parent while Seth walked down the ramp, anxiety making him feel a little colder than he actually was.

"Alright, hello everybody," He said loudly, taking a wide stance while Roman slid into the pool, "My name, if you forgot is Srhet- S- _ughblugh_ -" He laughed nervously, untying his tongue, "Seth Rollins!"

"And I'm Roman, I'll be here helping for just a couple classes," Roman assisted, "I'm the health and wellness facilitator here, so if you have any extra questions about the class when we're finished, you can come talk to me."

They went down the line, each parent introducing their child. There were three boys and two girls, Stanley, Emmanuel, Rudy, Marianna and Tabitha. There had been some mention on Stanley's paperwork that he might be developmentally delayed in some way. Emmanuel and his mother were both Haitian and didn't speak english perfectly.

 "First, uh, we just want to practice getting wet before we get in," Seth grabbed one of the plastic cups from the bins by the side of the pool and began demonstrating, filling the cup up with pool water and dumping it on his chest and arms. "That way we can get used to the temperature before we get in."

 "We sing a lot of songs in this class too!" Roman boomed enthusiastically, grabbing his own cup and going down the line, tipping water on the baby's toes, " _This is the way we wash our toes… wash our toes… wash our toes…_ "

 Begrudgingly, the parents sang softly and the babies squealed, kicking lightly while everyone sang and they worked their way up through their chest and arms. Seth turned pink, following suit and trying his best to smile encouragingly as the babies grunted and squawked with excitement and fear. 

" _This is the way we wash our face…_ " Seth continued, anticipating failure as the parents mimicked him, splashing water over their children's heads. Roman assisted again, coming by where soft crying erupted and smiling wide, wiping the water from their eyes. Surprisingly, everyone seemed alright and, now wet, they worked on entering the water safely and using proper holds for lessons.

 "When we swim on our backs, we'll do a back to chest position like this," Roman grabbed Tabitha from her mother and sank low, resting his head to her tiny one, floating her on her back. She struggled for a moment, but he quickly put her back in her mother's arms. "Let's practice that."

Predictably, some of the children kicked their feet up, uncomfortable with the sensation of water near their ears. 

"O-oh, like this-" Seth shook his head at Emmanuel's mother who was swimming with her son resting on her chest, she picked him back up, mutely confused, letting Seth cautiously hold her boy and demonstrate the hold properly. "So… for when we start to do kicks..."

She nodded, accepting her baby back to practice again. It was hard to tell if she understood him, but was able to follow along with the motions of it fairly easy.

"And then, we'll also do these hip holds-" Seth grabbed Tabitha from her mother again to show, she seemed easy going enough. Seth lowered her carefully so her side was at his waist, "So that way she's able to move her arms and legs freely, but I'm still supporting her here." 

It seemed simple enough, introducing the proper placement of the hands. The babies seemed to grow tired of being manhandled without explanation however, sensing this, Roman quickly transitioned, hoisting Rudy into his arms and bouncing up and down with him.

"Just like this, yup!" He said boisterously. " _The wheels on the bus go up and down… up and down…_ "

The class worked on some floating and front crawling, alternating quickly between activities and using toys as incentives. The most that the class was ever disrupted was over minor disagreements about rubber ducks and who should have them. Stanley and Rudy each had short tantrums as their parents pulled the ducks from their hands, tossing them and encouraging them to paddle for them, causing them enormous mental anguish. Despite this, the adults stayed collected and Roman and Seth had little to actually address.

 "For the last few minutes we'll work on jumps." Roman explained, glancing at the clock on the wall. Everything had gone by so fast Seth's heart leaped, he'd worried himself unnecessarily, this wasn't _that_ hard. 

 "We want to always do a queue for jumps," He remembered, voice a little bolder. "That way we can be prepared and there won't be any unsafe jumping from the deck. This early on, we want to support the child and make sure they keep their head above water, but if they DO submerge, let's try not to make it a negative experience- just acknowledge it and move on." 

Seth demonstrated with Emmanuel and the parents clapped and encouraged him, making him giggle and kick excitedly. The parents held their baby's hands and counted, pulling them into the water gently and trying to elicit positive responses.

"Yup- and if they don't really jump, just glide them in, right." Roman nodded, watching Marianna and Rudy both wiggle tentatively on the deck. 

Soon enough, the class had wrapped and the parents all beamed, happy. Each of them thanked Seth and Roman and trotted their children out of the pool, heading to shower.

"That was ok." Seth said, surprising himself. "Parents did all the work."

"Exactly." Roman nodded. "You're fine, just be yourself and sing along. Eventually the parents get the rhythm of the class down too, so it really just becomes fine-tuning the little things and then getting them to put their faces in the water."  

The second class went through similarly smoothly with Seth being leaps and bounds more confident. With just three toddlers, Bethany, Pharah and Zoe, Seth took the active role of leading the class while Roman supplied extra tips and a singing voice that wasn't tone deaf. When it came to some of the hip holds and back floating, Pharah began crying hard, clearly very uncomfortable in the water. 

"It's alright," Roman said, trying his best to comfort her, bouncing her on his hip while her father looked on, dumbly. Pharah just cried louder and the next few minutes of singing felt strained and awkward.

"She might need a moment," Roman shrugged casually, holding her higher on his chest while she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Not about it, huh?" 

After some time away, she seemed to calm down and rejoined them for some jumps. 

"You just gotta roll with it." Roman explained, sighing hard. "It's not fun for anyone when a kid flips out, but as soon as you turn it into a big deal, then they get wise to crying and associate the pool with fear and stuff. Can't do that."   


"Nope," Seth agreed, holding out his hands for Bethany. "Big girl, yup! 3, 2, 1…"

Another class wrapped and they picked up the toys that had floated away, waving off the children and their parents. Seth was happy but exhausted, as he usually was after teaching, but especially so from all the over-enthusiastic smiling and singing. Even if it was easier than the other lessons in some ways, he definitely understood why Roman and Dean had been trading off teaching these sessions. 

"Sushi tomorrow?" Roman asked. "I didn't think you worked."

"Football's on," Seth bit his lip dramatically. "I'll have to DVR it."   


"That's right, I forgot." Roman said, thinking. "I'll wanna catch that too actually, maybe we could eat and then zip over to my pad and catch it. I gotta pay attention this year, Hunter's got a whole fantasy league set up so I gotta watch my draft picks."

"Really?" Seth said excitedly. "Nobody told me! I organized all the leagues back at my old place! You think it's too late for me to sneak in?"  

"I dunno you'll have to ask him." Roman chuckled. "He's pretty serious about it, actually puts money on the line. You wanna set this in the office?" He passed off his clipboard and Seth took it, making to set it on the mountainous tower of papers that was Dean's desk.

"Maybe we should help him clean in there," Seth suggested, grabbing his towel from the bench. "It's only gotten worse since the bugs."

"Yeah," Roman agreed, unhearing. He was glancing at his phone. "Looks like they sprayed it alright. Dean just texted me."

"Oh good." Seth agreed, his voice a little more gruff than he would have liked. He wondered if Dean had bothered to text him too- his phone was in his gym bag, in the back room. "Am I good to go shower?"

"Yeah, go ahead, good job today." Roman mumbled, typing out a message. Seth chewed the inside of his lip, walking to the locker room to clean himself up.

By the time he got home, Seth couldn't really think of much else to do. His apartment had been rigorously cleaned, his dishes dried and his laundry folded. It was starting to get darker earlier, but there was still enough light out for a quick stroll around the block with Kevin. Seth barely felt his feet coming in front of him, too absentminded to make much of an effort to go farther than down the block and back. His head was blank, his heart heavy. His behind actually ached a little, but Seth knew that was from night after night of slow paced love-making. Another day and he'd snap back alright.

He checked his phone a few times to nothing, no messages or notifications to make him believe anything was happening. He thought about asking Dean if his place seemed any different, but faltered each time he tried to text. His thumbs hovered over Roman's contact information, wondering idly if he wanted to chat about football, but nothing he thought up sounded right.  

There wasn't anything particularly nagging at him, nothing Seth could really place. Less than a week ago, this had been his life. Quiet nights, relaxing after work, petting his dog. Things were back to the normal he'd entertained steadfast for nearly two months. He wasn't even thinking specifically about Dean, wasn't fondly trying to imagine him there or recall some idealized conversations. All they'd done was watch movies, mumble and fuck each other… _right?_  

Kevin came to the side of the couch where Seth sat, tail wagging expectantly, but Seth trembled slightly, vulnerable with himself. He exhaled shakily and screwed up his face, feeling a single tear falling out of his eye and into his beard. Kevin watched him carefully, sniffing his large foot and bowing his head. 

"What?" Seth snapped, rubbing his face and withdrawing his feet, letting out a jittering breath. Kevin retreated, it had been the first time he'd so much as raised his voice to the dog. He swallowed hard, staring at the ceiling, wondering to himself if this would ever get easier.    
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, my life has been a whirlwind of crazy (amazing) things happening and the sort of muddied horror that is the world at large right now. If it's not obvious, I'm based out of America, and at this point you've heard about the Pulse Night Club shooting. Now, this might seem horribly shoe-horned in to some of you, but this is a fanfic I've constructed with a lot of care in rendering _lifelike_ gay men that I try to write in realistic situations, encountering things queer people encounter. I don't honestly believe in my head canons so strongly as to want to try to associate my fictional Orlando with true tragedy, but I believe as a queer community, as readers that support gay people both real and fictional, we have a duty to uplift others and help when we can.
> 
> If you have some money, especially if you enjoyed this chapter, please consider donating to the victims relief gofundme. It would mean a lot to me, at the very least.
> 
> https://www.gofundme.com/PulseVictimsFund
> 
> I'm also REALLY sorry this wasn't a happier chapter! If anything I'd have liked to have delivered something a little more light hearted and simple... but it didn't shake out for this week. I've been traveling a lot with my work and been talking to really important people in my field, so I'm gunna be busy all over again, but I'm still gunna update this thing cause it's great. 
> 
> Review! Enjoy life. Do things that make you smile and don't be afraid to talk to me on tumblr. 
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	38. A little help from my friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neville returns! Seth finds peace of mind in the zen den of Ichiban Sushi, only to have it shattered by some all-caps text messages.

Before Seth could wake up and think too much on what his day might involve, he got a text from both Hunter and Randy, looking for guarding assistance.

**P Pool needs some eyes for a few hours! Can anyone come in? Extra pay!**

Seth rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, glancing over the top of his pillow at his phone. He didn't have anything to do until his sushi date.

**I dont want 2 work pls come in**

At least Randy was honest, Seth chuckled a little. His dreary thoughts had mostly calmed, but working for a few hours, getting up and rolling around could only help. He returned the messages and sat up, mentally preparing himself to start the day.

It was a pretty typical weekday morning for White Water, the usual patrons coming and going as their regular schedules mandated. It was the first day that Seth actually felt a little chill coming on from being outside, the sun was out, but there was a cool breeze breaking through the usual humidity.

"Thank christ," Randy slumped a little lower in his seat when he saw Seth, slipping down onto his toes to let him assume the stand.

"That bad?" Seth teased, taking off his sunglasses and setting down his bag. There would be a school group coming through in a few minutes so there were supposed to be two guards. Looking across the deck, he was surprised.

"Neville?" he waved, Neville turned and smiled bright, walking down the deck at a speedy walk.

"Ankle's better!" He chimed, Seth gave him a friendly pat on the back. "How've you been?"

"Alright," he grinned. "It's great you're back, man."

Randy left as quickly as he could, complaining all the while about how weak his gas station coffee had been that morning. Seth geared up and mingled by the stand while the fifth graders from the local elementary school filed in and sat on the deck, waiting for their teacher. Neville, eager and enthusiastic to be back, agreed to talk them through the majority of the rules while Seth broke down the single lane line on the opposite side of the pool.

"You talk funny!" One of the younger boys cried out excitedly as Neville introduced himself, Seth snorted louder than he meant to. "Are you from England?"

"Y-yes," Neville shrugged, "But more importantly, what are some of the rules of the pool?"

The children raised their hands and gradually worked their way through the the expectations. Occasionally, their teacher would cut in, shushing a student or correcting a behavior. However, most of the kids had been to White Water before and knew how to act properly.

"So, when you get in-" Seth started, addressing the line of students that wanted to test for the deep end. "You're gunna tread water, right? Like you're running in place. Then just float on your front with your head in the water."

The teacher stood by as the children finished and got out of the pool, giving each of them a wristband and marking a check by their name on the roster. There were only two boys that hadn't passed the test before and Seth was glad he was quick on the draw, the moment one of them let go of the wall he sank. Seth squatted, grabbing him firmly by the arm pulling him back up to the surface.

"Better luck next time bud," He patted him, "Go sit by the shallow side."

Once all the kids got in the pool, Seth took the deep end and Neville watched the shallow. Overall, the group was pretty laid back, playing their own games and managing to stay within a reasonable volume.

"Wait until it's clear!" Seth called to the students on the diving board, the girl on the board paused, giving time for a swimmer to shift out of range.

"You bein' good Laura?"

Seth whipped around and Roman was standing by the entrance to the family locker room. Laura, the girl on the diving board shifted awkwardly, ignoring Roman. He chuckled, rolling a length of rope buoys in his hand.

"What's up?" Seth mumbled, half glancing over to his friend before looking back to the water.

"Got some rope for you guys." Roman explained. "We got a new one upstairs so I figure you guys could use an upgrade."

"No foolin," Seth agreed, his eyes darting over to the current length separating to two section, the floatables cracked, the threads fraying. "Seems like Dean shoulda' ordered one."

"Yeah, well," Roman shrugged, standing shoulder to shoulder, watching the water. "He's been a little preoccupied lately. You still down for dinner?"

"Yeah definitely." Seth muttered softly, "When were you thinking? I'll be done when these kids leave."

"I'll be off at four, could be ready by five." Roman nodded, nudging him playfully on the shoulder. "Wear somethin' cute."

Roman was obviously just teasing him, but all the way through the rest of his shift and a Crossfit WOD, Seth just pondered his wardrobe. He considered one of his newer band tees, thinking that if he was going to wear a shirt, he didn't want any stains or fading. But by the time he and Neville blew their whistles and signaled for the students to leave, he thought a band tee might look a little tacky for a date.

 _But is this a date?_   Seth thought, turning the radio down in his car, rolling his neck a little as he pulled into the lot of the gym. A nice dinner certainly sounded like a date.

 _More formal then,_  he supposed, breathing hard through a hand stand push up, squinting his eyes hard and trembling. A button up shirt? A button up shirt with jeans?

Leaving the gym, the air was even more chilly. Seth had to feel a little grateful however, imagining how cold and blustery Iowa was this time of year. He turned off the air conditioner in his car and headed home, not entirely settled on any one idea.

**Is this place really nice?**

Seth texted Roman, digging through his drawers after taking a shower. He rifled through tanks and tees, wishing he had a better mind for fashion.

**Oh nah it's a buffet lol**

Seth checked the time, it was 4:15 already, he sighed, biting his lip and looking at the choices he'd splayed out on his bed.

_Fuck it…_

Ichiban was a large restaurant wedged between a beauty supply and a bookstore inside a strip mall. Seth had settled on just wearing some jeans and a sweatshirt he liked, almost all of his clothes were hugging his frame pretty well with all the Crossfit he was doing. He wasn't really sure if he could be called ' _cute_ ', but he'd elected to wear his hair down for once since it wasn't unbearably hot.

"Hi! How're you doing!" A very enthusiastic hostess addressed him as soon as he came through the door.

"Oh, uh," Seth craned his neck, looking over a frosted glass barrier shielding the table space. "I'm good. I'm with- uh, I'm waiting on another dude that has long hair…"

Roman had already arrived and was sitting in a booth by the back of the house, texting on his phone. He smiled, standing up to greet Seth.

"Hey," He pulled Seth in, giving him an over-long, brotherly hug.

"H-hey," Seth mumbled, setting his chin on Roman's shoulder. "How was the rest of your shift?'

"I's good." They broke apart, settling down. "Quick day. This week will be pretty light for me I think."

"Nice," Seth looked around. There was a variety of hot and cold tables at the buffet line, a broad selection of different types of sushi with some other generalized ' _asian_ ' cuisine options. "Do we just…?"

"Yeah," Roman nodded, "Let's grab a plate."

Roman pointed out all of his favorite options, clearly a seasoned customer. Seth tried to wander around, exploring his options, but he got pulled back before he got too far.

"These ones have avocado-" Roman pointed out a row of little rolls, immediately dumping one on his and Seth's plates. "And these-" he switched tongs, grabbing another couple, "Their California rolls are so damn good."

"We can go back for a seconds." Seth snorted, watching as Roman made a veritable mountain of sushi on his plate.

"Oh, I will." Roman laughed. "I don't mess around here."

Seth got a little bit of everything and sat back down, sipping at the ice water on his table. The booths were plush and comfortable and they were seated opposite a big stone fountain that dribbled water serenely. Aside from the tinny pop music coming out of old, blown out speakers, the place had a decent atmosphere.

The food was alright, which mattered most. It had been awhile since Seth had had any sushi, but he did like seafood. Deciding to challenge himself with a pair of chopsticks, he sat, trying to get his hands to hold them properly just as Roman sat down.

"I come here way too much, they oughta give me a punch card." he set down his heaping plate, grabbing a fork out of the utensil tray on the side of the table.

"It's great," Seth agreed, swallowing a bite of egg sushi. "There aren't a lot of Sushi places back where I was at. The midwest isn't really known for its… seafood…"

"Man, I love fish," Roman admitted. "Not a big shell fish guy, but I can smoke some mean tuna on a grill."

"Nice." Seth said dumbly, trying to think of something interesting to add. Roman's presence always made him go blank, struggling for the right thing to say. "How's... Crispy...?"

"Crispy's good," Roman chuckled, "Just being a chicken."

"...Does she stay outside all winter?" Seth asked, wondering. "I suppose it doesn't get too cold."

"Yeah for the most part. If it gets a little frosty I have this warm lamp thing I stick in there. Honestly though?" He chewed for a moment, considering. "I'm kinda thinking she might be done by Thanksgiving."

"She sick?" Seth raised an eyebrow, thinking. "Do chickens sneeze?"

"No," Roman laughed. "Well, they DO sneeze, but I was thinking of getting her processed."

"Like, to eat her?" Seth's voice got a little higher, "But then you wouldn't have any eggs!"

"She doesn't lay any more! She's too old." Roman said defensively. "Her eggs were great, but if I want more, I'd have to get another chicken. They're weird too cause you gotta get a few at a time if you get chicks, otherwise they just die. Problem is…" He bit his lip, "Dean would flip if I ate her."

"Oh yeah?" Seth frowned.

"Yeah, she's kind of his bird." He took a bite of sushi, thinking. "Me, Dan and Dean all got chicks and Crispy was his chick and she's the only one that's lived this long. Well, Peep was mine, but he was a boy, so we didn't keep him, and then Josie was Dan's and she got eaten, they were a little experiment and I think it kinda failed."

"Well, all I know is that organic eggs are the best." Seth licked his lips. "But then, I guess organic chicken probably tastes great too."

"We'll see," Roman sighed. "It's a phone call I don't really want to make, but I'm getting tired of cleaning up chicken shit." He grinned, sniggering, "Chicken talk."

"Chicken talk."

Bringing up Dean didn't make Seth feel uncomfortable, really it was better than pretending that he didn't exist or something, but it made him wonder what exactly they were doing. As easy as it was to just say 'don't worry' and play it cool, the idea of seeing two men (who were good friends no less) at the same time, worried him.

"Do you know someone named Renee?" Seth asked carefully, stuffing a bunch of sushi in his mouth as if to punctuate the question. He wasn't sure what he wanted Roman to say, had really put his thoughts regarding the woman to bed anyway. Though, he thought it might have saved him some time and worry asking his friend from the get-go.

"Why?" Roman wiped his mouth, looking curious.

"Dean has some friend named Renee," Seth explained, covering his mouth which was still a little food-heavy. "I met her and she seemed nice enough, it's dumb really…" Seth watched Roman's face and he nodded, thoughtfully. "It's just that I thought that they might have dated once or something."

"Yeah, yeah." Roman blinked. "She's just a friend now though. They had been kinda seeing each other when I first met him." Roman exhaled, eyebrows wide. "At one point I was trying to get them to double date with me and Dan… _woo_ … that was a long time ago…"

"It's dumb," Seth repeated. "I don't know why I care. She was nice."

Roman's hand twitched on the table, both men looked downcast, caught in thought.

"Dean's really-" Roman tried, wiping his beard with his thumb. "Dean's got the emotional intuition of a ten year old, if you hadn't figured that out yet."

"Oh yeah?" Seth fidgeted, not really sure what to make of his friend's assessment.

"Yeah, I mean, I love the guy." Roman sighed, "He's great, he's the funniest dude I think I've ever met and I care about him… a lot…" Seth grit his teeth, even more apprehensive by the honeyed look in Roman's eyes. "But he's completely tactless and unless you sit him down and literally spell out abstracts, he's not going to pick up on them."

"I kinda got that vibe." Seth admitted quietly, "Whatever, just comes with the territory I guess."

"Yeah, but... you wear your heart on your sleeve."

He looked downcast, frowning. His mind a torrent of _Shut up, no I don't!_ And, _What makes you say that?_ Seth knew it though, deep down, past whatever he told himself. It was all difficult and he didn't want to admit it.

"I'm ok," Seth managed, trying to find something that was the truth but not desperate. "I don't really know what I'm doing either."

"Is _this_ all ok with you?" Roman asked him cautiously, neither of them really making much eye contact. He didn't have to elaborate.

"I…" His heart raced, "I don't know what this is. I don't know-"

Roman looked up and Seth blushed, his knee jiggling wildly under the table. He felt like he was on a precipice, a fork in the road. What was the answer that got him what he wanted?

"I can't tell the future." He settled lamely, picking at his food. Roman continued to look at him carefully, his gaze making Seth's hands heat, his palms sweaty. It needed to be discussed but Seth wondered if Dean was supposed to be there too, if there was really anything he could talk about. Until he figured out what he wanted, was there much to say? That is, unless Roman knew what he wanted…

"What do you want?" Seth asked, maybe a little louder and more interrogative than he meant. Roman scratched his nose, clearing his throat.

"Well...I don't have anything in mind per say..." he explained. "I think that, the way I live my life and how my family works, there's these expectations and rules I gotta respect, but I've lived a certain way for a long time and I know what that's like and I don't think I want to get into something similar all over again."

Seth paused, it was a completely different answer than he had expected. His mind cooled, his heart stopped pounding as fast. He was expecting something like, _"Me and Dean are more connected…"_ or, well, something more specific…

"My family loved Dan a lot, so they were kinda mad I didn't make it all work out and settle down with him forever." Roman continued, "I think they were the reason we were together so long, they wanted the whole nine yards. Kept asking when I was going to marry him and all."

"Whoa," Seth blurted, Roman just laughed darkly.

"Yeah."

"I guess… At least they're accepting of the whole gay thing?" Seth tried. "My family is cool but they still don't get a lot of stuff."

"I had a cousin that was gay first," Roman shrugged. "So they came around to that and then I was allowed to do it too, I guess."

They laughed a little, the mood lightening. Once Seth got over his natural inclination to be awkward around Roman, it really was easy for him to talk with a manageable level of communication. They nearly finished their plates, working heartily through the mounds of food they'd stacked.

"I think I feel pretty much the same though, the way you put it." Seth admitted, pulling a stray hair off his sweater. "I was in a long term relationship for as long as I can remember and I've only just recently sort of figured out how to go it alone. I like it, I think. I can live by myself and I like a lot of what that means, but I know that I want to be with someone, with people, I just don't-"

He wiggled his fingers, thinking. Roman sat patiently.

"I dunno, I just screwed everything up so bad last time." he conceded. "I'm not gunna cheat on anyone again, I learned my lesson, but I still feel like I'll fuck up some other way. Or like, I'm not going to know _how_ to handle myself right and I'm going to just hurt somebody else."

Seth's own eyes widened, slightly surprised by his own words. Saying it out loud to a human being felt amazing.

"You're a smart guy." Roman patted his hand on the table. "Don't be so down on yourself."

"T-thanks." Seth stilled, "I think I just got a little traumatized, you know what I mean?"

"Sure," Roman nodded, tapping his other hand on his nearly empty plate. "About time for seconds though. You good? Didn't want to kill your train of thought."

"No, go ahead." Seth waved him off, smiling a little.

Talking had never felt so productive even it it was a little scary. Seth shifted in his seat, trying to settle down his nerves. He didn't like talking about his feelings, generally because he was just so bad at it, any time he did so with Marek he'd just sounded selfish and then they'd gotten into stupid arguments...

A moment alone, and Seth's eyes wandered to a soft serve machine in the corner of the restaurant. He finished what was left on his plate and strode over, grabbing a cone from a stack on the counter and trying his hand at getting a vanilla chocolate swirl.

Both men were making their way back to the table with food when they each felt and heard a familiar buzz from their back pockets. They paused mid step, looking to each other, mirroring their movements as they reached for their phones.

"Hunter?" Seth joked, taking out his phone. "I already worked for him today, he can't pull me back in-"

Roman's mouth became a thin line and Seth looked to his own phone. It was Dean, texting the two of them a picture of his hand running through the fibers of a carpet.

**Spray didnt do fuckin shit fuckin bugs r still everywhere**

His hand even bore some of the bites he'd had before they'd known about the infestation. Seth bit his lip, setting his ice cream down on the table, he wanted to message him something but was at a loss for words. Roman's thumbs flashed however, putting his plate down to type out a text, mutely.

**Did you call the landlord? They left a note that they'd sprayed right? How can I help?**

**I DONT FUCKIN KNOW**

Dean replied back almost immediately, grey text appearing and disappearing in a flash.

**I GOT TH FUCKIN NOTICE THE DAY OF N I CAME BACK WHEN THEY SAID N THEY SAID IT GOT DONE**

"Poor Dean," Seth mumbled allowed, looking uncomfortably at the still unfolding messages. Roman just grunted, sitting down and sighing, holding his palm to his forehead.

**GOT BIT ALL NIGHT LAST NIGHT TOO I GUESS SPRAY DIDNT DO A FUCKIN THING**

"This is what I thought would happen," Roman admitted, sinking back into his seat. "Happened to my cousin the same way. Bed bugs are just too difficult to kill."

"Well… he can call the landlord right?" Seth suggested. "Get a hold of the landlord and then have them come back? Re-assess the place?"

**Did you call the landlord though?**

Roman added to the group text. Seth wouldn't have suggested it, the moment he saw it pop up on his screen, Dean was typing again, viciously

**THEY DONT HAVE ANYONE THERE!!!! THEY WNT RETURN MY CALS!!!**

"What should we do?" Seth asked, leg tapping anxiously again. "We should go see him, right? Make sure he's ok?"

Roman nodded immediately, looking at the food on his plate and standing up, shoveling a few quick bites in his mouth. Seth looked at his own cone sadly, a single tear of soft serve melting down the base of the cone.

"I'll drive," Roman offered, putting a few stacks of bills on the table. "I'll bring you back to your car later, it'll be fine here."

He nodded, grabbing the ice cream and licking up the drops as they made their way out the door.

It was a tense drive, Roman wasn't offering much conversation, navigating hurriedly and weaving through the late-day traffic. Dean's place was a little out of the way and they had to duck through the highway quickly to get to the right neighborhood. Seth finished his treat as fast as possible without getting brain-freeze and stared at his phone, heart aching a little.

What would Dean need? How could they possibly help? If they were heading over they needed to let him know, but would Dean even want their assistance? The way he was talking, he seemed just generally upset, not mad at Roman specifically.

Though, knowing Dean well enough now, Seth knew Roman's worrying would probably just blow everything up in the worst way. Boldly, daring himself, he scrolled through his contacts.

"I'm gunna try calling him." Seth said quietly. "Let him know we're going to come by."

"Ask him if his property has a 24 hour-"

Seth raised his hand up, hearing the dial tone. Surprisingly, Roman quieted, his hands tightening on the steering wheel. He seemed to understand, turning the radio down and focusing on the road.

"Dean?" Seth said gruffly when he heard the call pickup. "Hey-"

"They sprayed one room." Dean grunted. "That's all they did, they sprayed one room."

Seth's heart dropped, hearing how cold and detached his friend sounded. He knew Roman was listening like his life depended on it, leaning hard toward the passenger's seat.

"That's- That's what they said?"

"Yup. They sprayed the fucking living room, didn't spray the fucking bedroom, where the bed is, where the fucking bed bugs are."

Seth could hear shifting, heavy breathing. It sounded like he was pacing or walking fast.

"You're home though, right?" he asked quietly. "Me- We're… we're coming over."

"You can't do anything-" Dean scoffed, his voice actually shaking. "Neither of you can do shit, don't come over here, don't get this shit on you man, you don't want to deal with this fucking bullshit."

Seth bit his lip, his muscles tensing, Dean's voice was growing louder and louder, more vicious than he'd yet heard.

"We already are- we'll do something." Seth promised. "We can go get your clothes de-bugged or just get you out of there or something. You'll let us in, right?"

He couldn't tell if Dean had managed to hear everything he'd said. He'd hung up and the line had gone dead at some point and Seth just pulled the phone away from his ear, unsure of what to do. Dean was really upset, rightfully so. He had no idea what he'd be doing if he'd come upon the same realization.

"He hang up?" Roman asked, Seth just nodded, sighing and pocketing his phone. "He'll let us in, don't worry."

"You seen him like this before?" Seth asked, wondering what exactly they were going to expect. A lot of emotions had already been tossed around that day, he wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond. He wished he'd felt better about having Roman there with him, he wasn't answering either. 

They pulled up into the maze of the town home complex and the sun was starting to set over the rooftops and the trees. Seth's blood pounded in his ears once they passed by the communal courtyard space and right up to the little apartment home, Dean was sitting on the steps to the front door, smoking a cigarette and speaking into his phone. They parked and approached quietly, not wanting to intrude upon his phone conversation too heavily. Though, as the got closer and listened, it seemed as though Dean was really the only one talking.

"Call me in within twenty four hours-" He demanded angrily of his phone. "It says right on my goddamn lease agreement- it says you check the phones multiple times a day and you'll get back to me in a timely manner. I don't give a flying fuck about your office hours. I pay my rent, call my ass-"

He tore the phone away from his ear, his face contorting angrily. Both men just stood awkwardly, equally unsure about what to do or what to say. The tension, the stress, hung like static in the air. Dean took a long drag off his cigarette, scratching his arm furiously and fidgeting his toes in his flip flops. He wouldn't look at either of them, but rather kept running his free hand through his messy hair, anxiously.

"Hey," Seth said, choking a little on the words. Dean heaved a breath and looked up at him, suppressing a dark chuckle. Without thinking, throwing all caution to the wind, Seth came closer and stooped to hug him around the shoulders, squatting awkwardly on the steps. Dean stiffened a little holding his cigarette out at arm's length so as not to burn him.

"What're you doing." Dean croaked, Seth's body went slightly numb.

"Trying to help." He muttered stupidly, flexing his hands a little tighter. _Wasn't it obvious?_ "Is that ok?"

"Mmmm," Dean grumbled, dropping his smoke on the concrete in defeat, hanging limp. Roman came a little closer, but didn't bring himself to enter in on the uncoordinated display of endearment.

"Nothing, huh?" he said lowly. Seth rose up again as Dean shook his head, still running his fingers through his hair and wiping his face.

"I left them probably fifty goddamn messages." Dean explained. "I'm sick of this fucking place. They don't return my calls, can't get anyone over here in a hurry. All of my shit is full of bugs."

"It's fucked," Seth mumbled. "But we're here. Have you eaten or anything? We just-" Seth waved loosely to Roman. "We just ate but we can take you somewhere or whatever."

"I just… want-" Dean buried his face in his hands, sinking inward and folding into his knees, sniffing loudly. "I just want to eat my own fuck'n food and-" before he could sob, both Seth and Roman were at his side, sitting and placing a warm hand on his back. "-b-be in my own fuck'n house with'iut g-g-goddamn fuck'n-"

They soothed him for as long as he would allow it, which was still a surprisingly long time for Dean. Seth and Roman each pressed their faces close, almost in competition to see who could close the distance between them the best. Dean didn't cry for long but took some time to rally, drawing raspy, shuddering breaths. Eventually, as he became unglued from his knees, they leaned in on him, holding his arms and hands, letting the wind and the croaking of frogs and lizards pacify his frayed nerves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lengthy! Dialogue heavy! Nothing is resolved! 
> 
> What's Dean gunna dooooooo????? At least Neville is back though, right?
> 
> Review if you liked it!


	39. Windswept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean's problems put help put Seth's life in perspective. Chickens abound. Family comes first.

The activity of Dean's landlord's bordered on suspicious to illegal. Dean's constant calling could be perceived as over the top, but if his account was correct (Seth and Roman didn't have any reason to believe he was lying) then the property management was suspect.

Dean had told the landlord where he had actually _seen_ the bugs, which was in the bedroom. Though anyone who was aware of how infestations worked knew that the whole house was at risk. Aside from being difficult to get a hold of and dragging their feet on scheduling the exterminator, the notice that had been left said only that the living room had been sprayed.

"Get this-" Dean laughed darkly, whipping out his phone and going to his voicemail. Roman sat up in his chair and Seth stepped closer in Dean's little office space, listening in. "Fuckin' unbelievable."

"-We got your message about the apartment 1400," A dull, drawling accent crackled over the recording. "We aren't sure about the notice that you had described but the address you've provided us with got a complimentary, all-around spray. If you wanted to get a reassessment from the exterminator we could have one come to your unit this week-" 

There was a shifting on the other side of the phone, what sounded like another call coming through. The lady was so calm it was unnerving.

"We could get 'em out your way by Thursday if you were interested. Go ahead and give us just _one_ call back and we'll put you on the schedule. Thank you and have a nice day."

"And then!" Dean cackled, "They. Don't. Pick. Up. The. Phone!"

"Complimentary spraying?" Seth spluttered, "As if they're doing you a huge favor!"

Roman just shook his head, turning back to the roster sheets he was filling out, lost for words.

"I want to know who the bitch is," Dean growled, pocketing his phone. "She's not the landlord, as far as I know, she works in some off-site office. I'm tempted to tell 'em I'm not paying rent. That's when they'll pay attention. Not like I can actually live at my place right now." 

"Do you think-" Seth blinked, lost for a moment in thought, staring out at the pool outside the office. "They said complementary, are they going to make you pay for the assessment and the next spray or something?"

"I'm not paying them." Dean swore. "No way in hell."

Roman and Seth had picked Dean off his own concrete step and helped him gather up another bag of essentials he could take. Seth walked gingerly through Dean's home, paranoid about getting bugs on his shoes. The whole place was depressing and stale smelling, the food in the fridge had been left to rot and a huge pile of junk mail had accumulated on the little folding table in the living room. Everyone dusted off their feet and ankles before getting into Roman's car.

"I've got him," Roman nodded to Seth, pulling toward the direction of White Water and Seth's own car. "It'll be easier for everyone."

Seth just nodded, aware that it really was for the best. Roman had a guest bedroom and a substantial amount of space, there was no reason to fight him on this. As fun as it had been to have Dean stay with him, Seth wanted to make sure his friend was comfortable and happy. Even if that meant ending his night with Roman to let both of the men go off and figure out how to make that happen.

Rather than slipping into a similar fit to the one he had entertained when Dean had left his apartment, Seth was distracted by a phone call, from his mother of all people.

"H-Hello?" Seth answered, halfway up the stairs to his apartment. "What's up mom?"

"Hey sweetie," His mother's voice cooed over the line. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, is everything ok?" Seth asked, a little confused. He texted everyone in his family from time to time, trying his best to keep in touch since he was living so far away now. His mom would have likely been getting ready for bed soon, older as she was.

"No, I just thought I would call." She admitted. "Hadn't heard your voice in a while and I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were doing." 

"I'm… great." Seth said, not wanting to lie to his mother, but also knowing deep down that he wasn't floundering. "Work's going great. Dog's getting settled in fine. It's still pretty warm here so I'm enjoying that."

He talked his way through the finer points of some of the fun things he'd been up to since he'd moved, enjoying the sound of his mother's voice on the other side of the phone and hearing his step dad mumbling a hello from a few feet away. He talked about doing Crossfit with Cesaro and seeing the swampier parts of the state with Sasha, all the while skirting around the mentions of love interests and boyfriends. His parents, open minded but were invariably awkward about any mention of his sexual identity. It took them years to stop calling Marek his 'buddy', and they still had the awkward habit of reminding Seth to visit his doctor, reminding him how important it was to 'get tested' more so than the parents of a straight man would. 

So Seth just didn't bother, and he honestly didn't much care.

"They really love me at work." Seth boasted happily, filling Kevin's bowl up with Kibble dinner. "I just did a lifeguard class and helped them certify a bunch more employees. Plus, I got a pretty steady gig with a private swim lesson going on that's been really rewarding."

"That's excellent sweetheart." His mother yawned, "Well, things have been pretty much the same since you left, we think Brandon might have a girlfriend, but then he might just be going to the gym more often, we can't tell. Grandpa's hasn't been feeling too well lately though, so we're trying to make it over to Buffalo once a week to check in on him and Sammy, see how they're doing."

"That sucks," Seth frowned, His Grandmother had only just passed away in the last year. It had been right after he and Marek had broken up and her funeral had been tantamount to torture, explaining to his relatives that they had broken up. Sammy, his grandfather's old border collie was all he had left for company.

"Yeah, well, he's trying his best." She sighed, "He's been leaning more heavily on Mick lately, keeping the place in working order, but we were meaning to ask you if you were planning on coming up for Thanksgiving. Do you think you'll get time off for that? Do they shut down the pool?"   


"I- I have no idea." Seth wondered, slipping down onto his couch and carding a hand through his hair. "I mean, I'd like to, I could look at some flights." 

"We'd love it," She said meaningfully. "I know you're still new around there and everything, so if you can't get time off we'd understand, but it would mean a lot to us if we could see you for that or for Christmas. We wouldn't want you to be all alone!"

"I'll be fine ma," Seth laughed, distantly hearing football from the other end of the phone and his step dad yelling. "Ask dad what the score is!" 

"Cutlers down for a safety!" Bob yelled, Holly, his mother just paused, unsure. "I started late! Don't tell me what happens!"

"He doesn't know," She muttered, Seth chuckled, he'd have to text him later on and get his opinion. "Well, I'm getting all yawny so I think I'll let you go. It was great to talk to you sweetie, let us know about Thanksgiving, ok?" 

"For sure Ma," Seth rubbed his own eyes, "I love you lots, tell Dad I love him and tell Brandon he's a nerd, for me."

"Love you too, dear."

Laying on his couch, petting Kevin, he thought he really did have his life together and should look at the positives. He was in the best shape of his life, was doing a lot better than he'd thought he would since going out on his own like he had. His apartment _wasn't_ infested with bugs...

Later on that night, Roman sent him a picture of Dean, sitting on the guest bed. Seth laughed aloud, it was so clearly Roman's doing, he'd likely came in and told him he was going to take the photo. Dean looked confused, giving an awkward thumbs up, wearing his host's pajamas. 

**All settled in! See you at work tomorrow.**

**10-4** he texted back. He really did appreciate the update, he felt a little guilty that he hadn't done the same for Roman. It wasn't like he'd asked, but Seth knew he would have appreciated it. 

Everyone at work rallied behind Dean, making sure he felt supported, which he also suspected was Roman's doing.

"What're you doing?" Seth asked incredulously, having to suck in his chest to fit through the door to the P-Pool office. Enzo was the only one there, sitting on the floor in the middle of a huge mess of CPR dummies and rebreather masks.

"Givin' lil Annie some new lung bags," Enzo thumped the chest of one of the dummies. There was a pile of empty bag wrappers as well. "Uce' wannid me tuh go through all this stuff here 'n take inventory cause we gunna put it inta' storage, see if Deano can't have a little leg room 'n here." 

"Take the trash out while you're at it," Seth suggested, wrinkling his nose. "If we're really trying to tidy up, that's the first thing."

"That's Baron work," Enzo shook his head. "Annie needs lungs. Oh, and Hunter was lookin' for ya? I think?" 

Before Seth could retort, he saw Holly-Anne and her mother coming out of the locker room. He waved his hand in an 'I'll deal with it later' sort of way and grabbed his clipboard from the bin of teacher's materials. JJ's parents had canceled on Roman and the Swim Team was sitting on the deck, quietly listening to John and Nikki going over some stroke development points, so the pool was still as glass.

"We got a new swim suit!" Mrs. Shippley said excitedly, setting down her purse and towel. Seth grinned as Holly extended her arms and stood, blushing slightly. Her new suit was a one piece with an athletic cut, all black.

"You look like a swimmer." Seth laughed, "Awesome."

"I wanted the one with the check." Holly explained, pointing at her chest and tracing the little vinyl nike symbol. 

"The check is great." Seth laughed, "I got the check ones too."

"Yeah I know that's why I wanted it too." Holly said, Seth chuckled to himself, feeling his face going red under his beard. Without any hesitation, she sat down on the gutter, dipping her feet in. 

"Well," He began, setting his clipboard down next to where Maggie sat, "I think we're going to go start on the ramp, actually. I wanted to try something else."

Holly held his thumb as they walked over to the other side of the pool, surprisingly accepting of the change. They were getting close to a mid-term report for her lessons and Seth and Maggie both agreed that Holly's comfort with the water was the most important hurdle to overcome. Skills and specific goals were there, but her own willingness to do them was only just recently coming undone from her fears.

"So," He explained, coming out in front of Holly on the ramp and walking backwards, "What I want to do today is just to try to get our face wet." He sank down on his knees, then laid out, back up, on the tile surface of the ramp. "I got some cool goggles we're gunna try later, but first I just want to put our faces in really quick."

Holly looked at him anxiously, holding tight to the ramp post as Seth demonstrated flicking his face down in the few inches of shallow water, then looking up again, wiping off his eyes.

"Yeah? Just like in a bath when you have to clean your face, right?"

"I don't take baths." Holly murmured, addressing her toes. Seth bit the inside of his cheek, thinking.

"Well, let's try this," he thought aloud, sitting cross legged on the ramp and grabbing a cup from his bin of class supplies. If it worked for babies, it would work for Holly, right? "This is like a shower, right?" He filled the cup and dumped it on his chest. "Let's get all wet like this."

It became a game of sorts, Seth let Holly fill up the cup and dunk it on his head, then she dunked some on herself. Several cup fulls later however, Seth was soaked and Holly's face was still completely dry. 

"Ok, now this isn't fair," He admitted, Holly giggled, dumping a fourth cup all over the top of his head. "You gotta do you now, just like a shower, remember?"

She paused for a moment, standing with the full cup, but then she grinned, dumping the contents over her face as Seth applauded her merrily. Now completely wet, she seemed a little more willing to lay on her stomach, side by side with Seth, ready to attempt to put her face underwater.

"How many more-" Holly thought carefully, pushing against the title with her finger. "How many more things are there to learn?"

"In the pool or just in general?" Seth teased, resting on his forearms.

"Pool," She clarified. "I don't think I can swim." 

"I think you can." Seth said softly, resting his chin on his hands, watching her carefully. "I think that you're _afraid_ but I think you can do it."

"My brother couldn't swim though." Holly said, barely a whisper. "So I don't know if I'll be able to swim-" 

"What happened to your brother isn't going to happen to you." Seth said firmly. "Holly, what happened to your brother was really, really sad, but that's why your mom and I want you to do this stuff." Seth looked over to Mrs. Shippley, a little thrown by how open her daughter was acting. "If we can learn this stuff, you'll not only be safe, but you'll actually have a lot of fun in the water." 

"That's what dad says." Holly sighed. 

"He's not wrong," Seth added, "There's a lot of stuff that you can learn, but I'm not going to make you learn it all really fast. Heck, there are some things in the water I don't know how to do very well, things I could get better at too! But that's why we have grades in school right? You aren't learning calculus and biology in first grade, are you?"

"What's that." Holly laughed. Seth smiled.

"Really hard stuff." He said, she shook her head. "Exactly. I'm not going to toss you in the pool and ask you to swim like you're Michael Phelps. I'm going to challenge you with things I think that you can do." 

Seth stuck his nose and mouth under the water and blew bubbles. Holly watched carefully. 

"We just go slow. Let's try it."

Breaking everything down to little steps helped, by the end of the class, Holly walked down the ramp and willingly stuck her face in for a moment before whipping her hair up and feverishly trying to dry her eyes. Mrs. Shippley was as enthusiastic as ever, cheering her daughter on and clapping. 

"Baby steps." Seth kept repeating. "Right kiddo?"

Holly stuck her hand out from under her towel, tapping Seth's palm for a high five.

The only thing that could out-do a good swim lesson was Roman and Dean catching Seth on the way out of the locker room just after he had showered. They were both sitting in the observation area, playing paper football and laughing. 

"Maggie was telling Sami what a great guy you are." Roman complimented, queuing up his fingers to make a field goal while Dean stuck his tongue out, trying to get his aim proper. "You'd think you'd hung the moon or something."

"It went ok." Seth smirked, hoisting his bag higher on his shoulder. "You guys waiting for the bus or something?"

"Waitin' on you." Dean flicked the football and it hit Roman's arm and bounced off. "You take forever to get ready. I'm starving."

"What's the plan?" Seth asked, his heart fluttering. Nobody had mentioned anything to him, he'd just been banking on returning home, feeding his dog and playing video games. 

"Rome' made me marinate a bunch of chicken." Dean explained. "Talkin' about grilling some stuff."

It was a lovely evening to cook outside, but Seth didn't want to leave Kevin at home waiting. 

"Go grab your dog," Roman nodded, reading the puzzled expression on his face. "He can play outside." 

Seth didn't need telling twice, humming and laughing to himself all the way through traffic, then running up the stairs to his complex three at a time, nearly dropping his keys in his excitement to be eating good food in good company.

"Play date, Kev." Seth chirped, putting the tiny harness on his dog and holding him in the crook of his shoulder as he bagged up a generous amount of food, packing the empty dog bowl into his sweatshirt pocket. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to appear a little more hesitant, maybe play harder to get with Roman's offer, but barbecue chicken sounded infinitely better than leftover Chinese food. 

Kevin barked when Seth knocked on the door to Roman's house, He bounced him in his arms a little, laughing. 

"We're in back!" Roman yelled. Seth made his way to the fenced in yard, clipping the gate shut behind him and melting a little at the smell of charcoal and meat wafting in the air. He set Kevin down, letting him explore, walking over to the awning and flat concrete where Dean and Roman were sitting at a glass table. 

"It smells so good." Seth said, caught a little off guard as Roman pulled him into a tight hug, wearing just a pair of basketball shorts and an apron. 

"Yeah we killed it." Dean tapped out his cigarette ash on a tray on the table. Seth leaned down and hugged him from behind. The motive was courtesy, but he still really wanted to. Dean obliged, patting him lightly on the arm. 

Kevin eagerly began walking through the backyard, excitedly sniffing and peeing on just about everything that needed it. Crispy came over to investigate, clucking with concern and bobbing her head. Kevin barked, terrified. 

"I- I can put him on a leesh?" Seth offered, Roman just shrugged. 

"He can try to mess with her, but she'll stand up for herself." He explained. "She's an old timer, she should be ok." 

"Kevin," Seth said sternly and the little dog backed away sheepishly. Crispy ruffled her feathers, dwarfing the dog easily. 

"I taught her how to box." Dean chuckled. "C'mere chicken." Seth sat down opposite Dean, humming with pleasure as Roman uncovered the grill and turned all of the grilled bits, inspecting the char marks. Crispy just continued to cluck, inspecting the ground for seeds and bugs.

"Any updates on your slum-lord land lord?" Seth asked, picking Kevin up off the ground and setting him on his lap as he came by to see if he couldn't get pet. Roman offered him a beer and he took it graciously, twisting off the cap and taking a swig.

"Nope," Dean snorted, "Rome's become a conspiracy nut about it."

"I didn't say-" Roman rubbed his eyes with the heel of his thumb, closing the grill again, "I just said it was _possible_."

"He thinks they could'a put bugs in my apartment on purpose." Dean clarified. "Like, to get me to leave or somethin'"

Seth frowned, scratching Kevin's ears. 

"But why?" 

"Ok, I don't really know _anything_ ," Roman shook his head, "But I've heard of this being done. If I were you, I'd talk to my neighbors and see if they've got anything similar happening. They do this in cities sometimes, you know, when they want to evacuate a whole building. They expose the place to bed bugs and then they just become ghosts when it's time to eradicate them, what choice would you have but to leave? Especially if you were poor or something."

"You've been reading too many internet articles." Seth laughed. "I mean, _maybe_ if you were constantly late on your rent or something."

"They're just a bunch of fuckers," Dean sighed, sipping his drink. "I'm done thinking about it. I'll give a shit when they call me."

They talked about work some, Roman lit a bug candle and sat down to let the chicken cook. Wind chimes rattled lightly in the breeze and Crispy lapped the table several times, looking for food. Eventually the sun began to set behind the fence and the orange trees in Roman's neighbors backyard cast long shadows. In every little lull in conversation, Seth sighed appreciatively, so content. He'd worked out in the morning and caught a few hours pay, now he could relax and spend his evening with his two lovers. He'd worried haplessly that with Dean staying at Roman's, he'd be left out of the loop, but Roman seemed keen to keep him part of the equation. Seth was so glad he'd talked about his feelings at Ichiban, had had the opportunity to make himself heard, even if he was a little vague about it.

"Oh, that reminds me-" Dean extinguished his cigarette, sitting forward in his seat and pointing to Seth, "Hunter wanted to ask you, but he left before he got to talk- There's this swim meet coming up in Gainesville that needs two guards. You remember that Shawn guy? Hunter's friend? It's at his pool but he's real short staffed right now so Hunter said he would ask our people. It's a Friday and a Saturday night and we could either stay in the hotel with the kids or at Shawn's place, but he asked me cause I'm like, homeless, right?" Dean chuckled. "But if you didn't have anything better going on, we could make a quick trip of it. You were talkin' about tryin' to explore more, yeah? It would just be a few hours work."

"Yeah!" Seth agreed excitedly. "When is it? I'm game!" 

"Next weekend," Dean nodded. "Cool dude, and I'm down to stay with Shawn too, I don't need to be dealin' with a bunch of kids."

"You're just gunna harass his chickens." Roman laughed, he turned a little pink.

"I'm not gunna HARASS them, I'm gunna say hi to them." Dean corrected, Seth laughed. "Dude's got a whole farm of different stuff."

"Well shoot, yeah, I'm totally down." Seth tapped his knees excitedly. "I was just thinking about how I should plan a day trip to Daytona or Miami or something. Gainesville sounds like it could be fun though."

"It's a college town," Roman shrugged, standing up to check on the food. "There's things here and there."

Dinner was amazing, without question. Roman heated up some beans and rice to pair with the chicken and they each drank a little sweet tea and vodka, digging ravenously into the food. By the time they had finished, the bug candle was giving them the majority of their light and so they quickly packed up, carrying groceries and leftovers into the house and trying to organize the mess they'd made. Warm and full of food and drink, Seth did his best to wipe off Kevin's paws, which had gotten filthy trotting around the backyard garden patches. 

"You gotta work early?" Dean asked, groping Seth's behind playfully as he had stooped to put his dog down.

"Whahh- no," Seth giggled, playfully rutting into the front of his pants. Crudely, Dean just started miming the act of fucking him, hands drawn around his hips, guiding him back and forth while Seth tried to escape, laughing and clawing toward the refrigerator door.

"Y'all need jesus." Roman sighed, snapping a rubbermaid container shut full of food and stowing it away for later. Dean just stuck out his tongue, teasingly.

Hot hands, heavy murmurs, the hum of a fan and all three men collapsed into Roman's bed, stripping off clothes and tearing hair out of buns with bleary excitement. Seth brought Roman in for a kiss, trying his best to stuff as many 'thank you so much's' into his tongue as he could. They all tasted like tea and barbecue, their skins sticking a little with the smoke from the grill. 

"Fuck you're both hot," Dean commented, grinding his dick into the bed and grabbing a handful of Seth's ass. "Gunna get you all crying and loopy like we were doin' at your place." 

Seth's hands shook a little, unsure how to handle the dirty talk. It wasn't as though they could really pretend they _hadn't_ fucked like rabbits when he was staying at his place. But… right in front of Rome'?   


"Like you don't like a finger or too." Roman snarked, shifting over to grab Dean's ass in turn, parting the cheeks a little with his hand and teasing his rim. Dean's hands shook, trembling a little as he buried his face against Seth's thigh, moaning lightly. Seth swallowed his fears, catching eyes with Roman as he went in, dark locks cascading over Dean's back to kiss against his ass.

Dean came first, teased mercilessly by Roman's tongue, Seth took him in his throat and sucked him down as best as he could, unexpectedly feeling the trembling of his orgasm, but obliging to swallow. After a moment's notice, they tag teamed Roman, Dean doing his best to get down all of Roman's cock in his mouth while Seth continued their passionate make out, fisting his smooth hair in his hands and grinding their beards together lovingly. 

"Oh, fuck, Dean," Roman growled, going rough and shoving the shaggy head down hard, Seth kissed his neck tenderly as he came, deviously hoping he left a little love mark on his neck. Dean swallowed too, gracelessly, wiping the spit and mess on his chin with the back of his hand, panting.

"Last one," Roman said in a sing-song voice, shaking his head like a dog and flipping Seth on his belly. He giggled, spreading his legs while Roman sucked and spit on his own fingers, pulling him onto his leg.

"I get the front," Dean claimed, "You guys have been kissing all damn night." 

"I'ma good kisser!" Seth argued, letting Dean slip under him, his own legs splayed widest to give Roman space. He took Seth's nipples in his hands, ever the go-to tease, pinching them lightly and earning some throaty little groans.

"Dean says you got the best damn button in your ass." Roman purred, sliding him a finger. "Says you can come just from getting it pushed."

"I-" Seth blustered, but before he could answer, Dean had latched onto his mouth, kissing him fast and sloppy with reckless abandon. Roman fired up stronger, pumping two fingers faster, using his other hand to hold and to guide the curve of his behind as he worked feverishly, appreciating the view.

"That's talent." Roman laughed, feeling Seth shudder fast, his legs twitching. Dean's arms wrapped around his head, nearly suffocating him against his mouth. He was being finger fucked into oblivion and he couldn't think, couldn't breathe. It was perfect.

Seth cried, hard, the come bursting out of him as his belly and balls contracted hard, his legs ached, his knees sweaty on the bedspread. Dean mumbled, covered in Seth's seed. Roman did the honors, grabbing towels and easing them apart, giving Seth a meticulous wipe down while Dean cleaned off his stomach. It had been a little while since Seth had gotten off and so he just lay limp, content to be light headed and tingly.

It felt intuitive and it felt right, each man easing into bed and assuming a position that invited touch. Seth and Roman put their hair back up for convenience sake and they came together, shutting off the lights. Dean took table side, hooking all their phones into their respected chargers and bringing Kevin up into the covers. Roman took the fan side, the largest and the warmest, he half curled into his blanket, allowing the other to be cooled by the fan.

Seth was more than happy to be sandwiched right in the middle, a little sweaty perhaps, but the hands tickling the nape of this neck and rubbing circles on his stomach were so sweet he kept wanting to say something. His mouth opened and closed on words he wasn't sure of, on things that were better left unsaid. He didn't know if it was worth saying or if it was unspoken between all of them, but he was happy, felt whole between them. Their limbs tangled like puzzle pieces, clinging together, completing some grander vision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter? I always feel weird ending on a crying cliffhanger. I was very tired when I edited this, but I figured you wanted to read it sooner than later, I'll fix shit later if I got to.


	40. It is but it isn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth's dating Dean, no, Seth's dating Roman? Crossfit, expensive dye jobs and Patrick Swayze.

Gainesville wasn't really a vacation destination, similarly landlocked to Orlando without any of the theme park attractions, but Seth was still excited. It was difficult to fund a lot of little day trips with a meager lifeguard salary, but Hunter and Stephanie were more than happy to give Dean and Seth a promised allowance for food and drink on top of the gas receipts they would have to collect.

"Are you sure you want to take your own car?" Stephanie asked early on in the week, going down the list of responsibilities they had for their trip. "We have the company car you could drive, it's an Escalade!" 

"Oh, uh, maybe then, yeah." Seth grinned. Stephanie took down a binder from the shelf that was fairly new and untouched, a mile log for the vehicle.

"We'll get it gassed up for you then and I'll make sure it's cleaned out." She nodded, "It's really straightforward, easy, easy job. Shawn's a total sweetheart too, he's so glad you guys are coming up. We like to joke that whenever one of our facilities is doing alright, the other one is in some state of disarray. He got hit pretty hard once college classes started up again, nearly ran out of staff."

From the sound of it, Seth and Dean would just be on hand to guard for the warm up and the main heat events, then there would be a break, and then a couple more races with the oldest competitors. 

"It's really just telling parents not to be on the deck." Stephanie sighed, "Sudden illness of course, but mostly just that."

"I'm excited," Seth admitted. "Easy work, plus I get to see a little bit more of the state."

"Oh that's right!" She smiled, "I forgot you were still so new. Well, knowing Shawn he'll either cook a huge meal for you guys or show you all around the best restaurants in town. You'll get to see the scenery, I'm sure."

Dean was looking forward to the trip as well, but largely because his apartment situation seemed to be worsening everyday. Roman and Seth tried their best to be helpful, listening to him complain and offering advice when it was helpful, but there was really only so much they could do.

"How do I sue someone." Dean posed, shaking with anger as he stepped beside Seth on the guard stand. "How do I use the law to fuck someone?"

"What'd they do now?" Seth paused, looking away from the pool for a quick moment to frown.

"They fuckin'-" Dean lowered his voice, "I told them to schedule the re-assessment or whatever at ten this morning so I could be there. Right?" he sighed angrily. "But then maybe _I'm_ the dumb one 'cause I told 'em when I'd be there and when I'd be gone? I'm waiting and waiting then I gotta go THEN they call me while I'm on my way to work saying they're there now and that I DO have bugs."

"Well, that's good at least, right?" Seth bit his lip.

"They're talking about what kind of extermination package they want me to pay for." Dean grinned manically, storming to the backroom, hand on his head. "I'm gunna flip, man. One more day of this…"

Roman brought them both pumpkin spice lattes. In a similar state of exasperation, sure of himself and his predictions regarding Dean's situation.

"Heat treatments will get expensive and, well, at least in the case of my cousin? They just came back." He sipped off his drink, watching the pool.

"If you were Dean, what would you do?" Seth asked curiously. Roman had a sort of know-it-all air to the way he talked sometimes, but he hadn't been really wrong about anything yet, except perhaps, his eviction conspiracy.

"Break my lease." Roman shrugged, "See if I couldn't hold them over a fire to get my deposit back, threaten to take them to court. Legally they're supposed to pay for all this stuff, but they're counting on folks not having the money to contest anything or understand the process of the law."

"Dean has some savings though? Right?" Seth scratched his nose. "It wouldn't be completely out of the realm of possibility." 

"Well, it's still not a solution to the living situation. Court stuff can be lengthy." 

"He can always stay with me too," Seth offered, "If it's getting to be too much."

Roman just smiled, drinking his coffee.

"We'll be ok. We'll have you around plenty. We're not gunna forget about you, Seth." 

"You sayin' I'm lonely?" He snorted. "I don't need him to stay with me cause I need it!" 

"Oh, wow, it's already that time." Roman laughed, pointing at the clock. "I've got to go teach."

"Jackass," he mumbled under his breath, pouting in his seat and watching Roman exit out the fire door, on his way to the stairs. His hair swinging back and forth as he walked back, his behind looking impossibly inviting. 

Seth gladly finished up his shift just as a huge rush of families came into the pool. Paige took the stand from him, looking slightly put out by the mass of little children in the shallow end.

Without fail, he'd gotten a text from Cesaro, nudging him for some exercise. 

**4:45 WOD?**

**Yes please** he texted back, sighing a little as he slid his shoes back on. He had a hair appointment with Sasha at 6:30, but he'd been considering going to workout anyway. Cesaro had been working an opposite schedule lately, so they'd mostly just been working out solo. Crossfit was a lot more fun with a friend though. 

Seth got in just as the 3:45 class was leaving, panting and sweating, Cesaro was already there, warming up his hips and shifting his weight back and forth in a squatting position. 

"I think we will be rowing today." He smiled at his friend, "How was work?"

"'S ok." Seth took off his sweater and sank down into squat, feeling the muscles in his legs straining slightly. "Guarding was fine, Dean's whole apartment situation is just ramping up even more." 

"Oh yeah?" Cesaro's mouth twitched a little, "Very bad?" 

"Bad enough, I don't really know what he's going to do about it." Seth shrugged.

"Alright, boys and girls-" The male head trainer called. "100 cal warm up, let's do this!" 

Everyone awkwardly shuffled around to get the rowing machines on the floor, Cesaro and Seth almost always fit themselves snug into the corner of the room.

"Is he going to stay with _you_ then?" 

Seth paused punching through the menu on the display of his machine. It was an innocent enough question, but the infliction of Cesaro's voice was suspect. He pushed his hair back, smiling strangely to himself.

"No, he's staying with Roman." Seth hummed, strapping in his feet. "Why?"

"Oh, I dunno." Cesaro shrugged playfully, tilting his head to the side. "You guys have been so buddy-buddy lately." 

"H-how so?" 

"Clocks moving people! Let's go!" 

It was hard for Seth to make time, thinking about whether or not is was terribly obvious to his co-workers that he was involved with anyone. He supposed it had been getting a little hard to hide things, they were pretty much always together. Seth knew he wanted to be around them, wasn't going to try to actively avoid them while he was at work, but maybe they were being a little too… showy?

Making out in the waterpark probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done…

He panted, trying to keep up a good pace, his knee felt a little funny, clicking more than usual, but he persevered, breathing hard. 

Set to drill through power snatches, the class gradually put the rowers away as they finished, setting up bars and racks. Cesaro finished first, shooting Seth a curious glance. 

"Sorry I didn't mean to tease." he wiped his forehead, watching his friend catch his breath. Seth just waved the air, flicking sweat on the floor. 

"'S no big deal man-" Seth mumbled. "I just… I dunno."

Cesaro just stood awkwardly for a moment, Seth hobbled to his feet, folding up the rower. He felt dumb, Cesaro was a friend and never really gossiped at work. Talking about stuff like this was just difficult, it didn't matter who it was. 

"I just dunno what I'm doing really, is all." Seth said softly, looking at the ground. "We're hanging out a lot but there's a lot going on… it's complicated."

"Sounds like it." Cesaro agreed. "It's cool man, not my business."

They spotted each other through their snatches, Seth trying his best to focus hard and keep his form tight. The trainer seemed a little unruly with them today, annoyed at them for stopping and talking, constantly reminding the group to make the most of their time. 

"We're not like… me and Dean… we aren't annoying at work though, are we?" Seth asked carefully, glad that he was already flushed from physical activity. Cesaro furrowed his brow, shaking his head.

"Nah, you guys are fine. I think I just see it because you told me you about yourself." He grabbed a plate and fixed it onto the bar, choosing his words carefully. "But then, Dean brought you a flower too, at the race? That was very sweet."

"It was sweet." Seth laughed. "Yeah, well, I suppose that's a little obvious."

"Hustle guys! Grab a box and some rings! Gunna run an AMRAP in two minutes!" 

"Six rounds? Seven?" Cesaro wiggled his eyebrows, shaking out his shoulder.

"Eight." Seth declared. "Gotta be eight."

At about eight and a quarter rounds later, the clock ran down and Seth nearly toppled over, hopping down from a box jump and almost losing his footing, dizzy. The music stopped pounding and the energy of the room crashed. Cesaro grinned, sitting down next to his box while Seth guzzled water, trying to revive himself a little.

"Nearly… Eight n' a half." he croaked, rubbing his chest. His heart felt like it was skipping beats in an effort to keep up. 

"Nine." Cesaro panted.

"F'ck off."

"We've got a couple seminars coming up folks," the trainer called over the crowd, the group mumbled feebly, looking over to the large class white board. "Kip ups and Inversions. These'll fill up fast, so get on it if you're interested!"

"That could be fun," Cesaro remarked. "You said… you wanted to work on both?"

"Yeah, yeah," he nodded. "I need a recovery drink…"

The two just lay on the floor, half stretching, half just staring absently, adrenaline still numbing them down. Seth drank down a protein shake, rubbing his knee and trying to mop up his sweaty brow.

"You interested in anyone right now?" Seth asked curiously. "I'm going to hazard a _guess_ that you're straight."

"Correct," Cesaro laughed. "Oh, uh, nothing serious really. It has been weird, I have been so focused getting that last certification, I had a few lady friends that were very nice but I ignored all of them for work." He shrugged. "I'm pretty used to being by myself. It doesn't bother me."

"Any cuties at White Water though?" Seth tried, grinning. Just because he didn't really dig on girls didn't mean he didn't find the conversation hilarious.

"Nah, nothing like that." Cesaro shook his head. "You are very daring trying to be with people at work. I'm too afraid something bad will happen and then I will be stuck seeing them."

"Fair point." he sighed. "I tried to stay away for that very reason… Just couldn't help it I guess."

"Destiny." Cesaro chuckled, Seth just rolled his eyes.

With the clock reading nearly 6:10 and another class coming in. Seth got back on his feet, thanked his friend and hustled his way over to Envi Cuts in the strip mall across town. Traffic was a little congested, but weekday mall parking wasn't terrible. He quickly toweled his hair in the car and applied some deodorant, hoping it wouldn't be too obvious he just came from working out.

"Hey Seth!"

He turned, not even making it to the receptionist before being hailed down by Bayley. 

"O-oh, you're here too!" Seth managed a grin. "You dying your hair pink too?"

"Ha! No way. I'm not brave enough to do that." Bayley laughed, looking to Sasha who waved, looking at her phone. "Just a haircut, but I don't mind waiting for you guys. Me and Sash' are having a chill day. We got pedicures earlier."

"How… nice." Seth grunted, nodding to their toes wiggling over the tops of their sandals. "Tamina going to do all three of us?"

"Nah, just me and Bayley," Sasha set her phone down. "Naomi says she's gunna sort you out."

"You Seth? You ready?" a very stylish looking darker skinned woman came to the front. "She said you was just tryin' to get your roots lifted."

"Y-yeah, that." Seth followed Naomi to the back. The store was nearly empty except for the three of them and a couple of younger girls who were nearly finished with their haircuts. The burning smell of toner and product filled the air as Naomi got him settled in his chair, applying a drape.

"You just workout?" Sasha asked, sitting in the chair next to him. "You look like you just ran a marathon." 

"Yup," Seth smiled awkwardly at his flushed, oily looking reflection in the mirror. "Sorry if that uh… screws with the bleach or somethin'."

"Nah you cool," Naomi pulled out a basket of aluminium foils. "We'll get you clean and smellin' good again."

"I heard about Dean," Sasha sighed, letting Tamina start parting her hair into sections. "It's like everyday it's something else, huh?"

"Yeah, I dunno." Seth sighed, really not wanting to get pulled into another uncomfortable conversation about his friend, especially with Sasha. Out of all of his friends in Orlando, she was probably the easiest to talk to, despite how nosy she came across at times. Seth just felt dumb discussing how he _didn't_ know what he felt or thought about things.

"At least you're a good friend looking out for him though." Sasha offered. "Dude like Dean needs that more than anything."

"I am pretty awesome," he joked. "How was your day? Lap pool doin' ok?"

"Oh yeah, same as ever." she sighed. "Wendy misses you, says we should have two guards on the pool 'cause she likes talking to you. Other than that, boring ol' stuff."

"Lifeguarding," Seth mumbled.

"At least you got sexy dudes bringing you coffee." Sasha laughed. "I had the biggest caffeine headache this morning." She waved at Seth, still facing forward. "He's after your boyfriend, Tamina."

"What do you mean?" He squinted at the mirror, wishing he could turn his head.

"Roman's bringing HIM coffee?" Tamina said incredulously, Naomi laughed and Seth made an indistinct scoffing noise. "Well, sorry, not to be rude or anything..."

"I've gotten him coffee before, he owed me." Seth sniffed. "Didn't you already _notice_ that?"

"You guys are so cute." Sasha said slyly, fiddling a little with her phone. "I want you guys to have a Sam'enian baby together."

All the girls laughed, Seth's face just heated up, annoyed. 

"I'm not dating Roman," he declared.

"What? Like _ever_?" Tamina asked, scandalized. "Guy is a freakin' dreamboat! It pisses me off so much-" she paused, realizing her cursing slightly too late. "It REALLY makes me mad how only y'all gay men take care of your bodies. Us girls need something to chew on…"

"Not like not EVER-" Seth rolled his eyes. "I swear, Cesaro was just punishing me so much for all this crap. Can a guy catch a break?"

"...No." Sasha said thoughtfully. Everyone laughed again and all Seth could do was sigh and pout. Naomi clipped his hair in place and began preparing the dye solution when he felt his phone buzz and, as if brought on by Sasha's jokes, Roman texted him.

**What're you up to? Deans out of the house rn**

Without thinking, he flipped the camera on, managing to take a rather unfortunate looking selfie of Naomi applying thick globs of paste to his scalp, painting them into his blonde streak. He sent it along with a message reading: **Maybe an hour or so of this?**   


**Haha looking good** he replied quickly **If you wanna come by afterword, Im down, it's up to u**

**For sure ;)** Seth typed back quickly.

"Head up," Naomi instructed, foiling down strands of his hair. 

"How's little Kev doin'?" Sasha tried. Seth kept tapping through his phone, Roman had sent him a string of little smiley faces and he felt unreasonably giddy, sitting in his seat.

"Uh? Oh, sorry." He slid his phone back in his pocket. "Kev's good. He's all adjusted to my place and he's only gotten sweeter."

A thought occurred to him as his mind pondered his dog. He was going out of town for a couple of days and he didn't have any sort of plan… Could he find someone to watch him? Who did he know that he could trust with something so important? Should he just pay someone?

"He has the cutest dog." Sasha explained to Tamina. "Tiny little baby thing, a teacup yorkie."

"Yeah," Seth said distractedly. "Super adorable."

His first thought was, of course, Roman. But Roman had Crispy… would that matter? Was it weird that he was basically stealing Dean for the weekend and leaving Roman with a responsibility? In his heart, he didn't believe it to be so. Roman's natural instinct seemed to lean toward helpful, but then, would he think that Seth was taking advantage of him?

Thoughts consumed him as Naomi worked, foiling his hair, sitting him under the dryer and then washing out the product and throwing in toner. Soon enough, his head was starkly light and dark again, his scalp stinging slightly, but looking as good as new. 

"It looks so awesome" Bayley said, awestruck as Seth primped in the mirror a little, examining the touch up carefully, letting his hair hang limply around his neck. Sasha was still getting her hair blow dried, but they were both finished. 

"'S gunna be seventy-five for today." Naomi told the receptionist, straightening up a little. "This was fun, I'm glad I finally got to meet you!" 

"It was sixty-five last time," Seth grunted, looking dully between Naomi and the receptionist. "Price hike?"

"A-a little." She said, "We shampooed your hair for ya too..." 

"This hair stuff is getting expensive." He shook his head, sliding his card across the counter. 

"At least you look good." Bayley said wisely, all the woman nodded their heads in agreement.

Scalp still a little raw, still a little grumbly from over-paying and dealing with Sasha's merciless ribbing, Seth tried his best to perk up fully for Roman, thinking about how he might ask the man about the possibility of watching his dog over the weekend. It wouldn't be that big of a deal, would it?

"Lookin' real fresh." Roman commented as he led Seth inside. It was just starting to get dark out, and his porch light had been on. He grinned as he came inside, slipping out of his shoes and absentmindedly touching the fried ends of the blonde.

"I dunno if I wanna keep payin' for it though." Seth complained. "It was so expensive this time and it's kinda frying my hair." 

"You could pull of the whole ombre thing I think." Roman shrugged, rubbing his shoulders. "Did you want a beer?" 

"Sure." 

They sat in the living room for a while, drinking the same autumnal brown lager they'd had when they'd all eaten their barbecue. Around the house, little traces of Dean were starting to creep up in plain site. Little scraps of trash, a box of oatmeal creme pies that were just too bottom-shelf to be Roman's, stray grey socks abandoned by the couch...

"Where is Dean?" Seth asked, "He's not closing, is he?" 

"Nah he said he was going to workout and go to the library or something." Roman shrugged. "Been gone for a little while actually, but I figure I kinda bugged him out of spending the evening with me."

"Really?" Seth said curiously, privately sure that Roman had probably nagged him furious. Roman just looked downcast, gesturing uselessly. 

"I'm _probably_ a neat freak," he admitted, drinking from his beer. "Whatever though, don't wanna sound like I'm complaining or anything."

"He was a little messy at my place," Seth admitted. "But then, we just sort of let it happen and I didn't do anything to stop it. But uh, hey, about this weekend-" he sat up, not really sure what he was afraid of, but he wanted to look appreciative, if not apologetic. "So, we're going out of town, right? Do you think… do you know anyone who would be good to watch over Kevin?"

"Are you asking me?" Roman asked, smirking, Seth thought carefully before nodding. "You know I'll do it, no sweat man."

"Really? Thank you so much." he sat back, content. "He's really no hassle, but he's kind of my baby and I might have spoiled him a little. I didn't want to pay for a boarding facility or anything… I literally just remembered an hour ago…"

Roman's smiled, his willingness to be of help was completely appreciated, Seth wasn't sure he'd ever stop owing him favors. He knew he didn't get tired of being thanked, didn't ever _not_ find it amusing, how quiet and cautious Seth acted when he asked for things. But Seth wondered privately if there was ever anything Roman needed help with- if he ever wanted for anything, living in such a nice house with such a stable schedule. Surely he'd been through a lot, his past didn't leave much room to question that, but Seth wondered if he ever really willingly made himself vulnerable.

"You looked into what there is to do in Gainesville yet?" Roman asked, scooping Seth closer and cracking open a second set of beers for them to enjoy. Seth drank, thinking carefully. He'd done a little bit of googling, but he wasn't even sure what he was looking for.

"There weren't any shows or concerts that really piqued my interest. Is it really lame of me to try to find a crossfit gym for a single night away?"

"Maybe… a little." Roman laughed. "You and Dean should find something you both like, get his mind off of bullshit for a while."

"You think?" Seth asked carefully. It almost seemed like a trick, why would Roman want them to go and have some sort of date-like adventure together without him? They all knew they were fucking each other, were they just going to play it this casual?

"Why not?" Roman shrugged, rubbing his shoulder encouragingly. "You both seem like you'd like some outdoor stuff, hell, I think if you just took Dean to bingo or bowling he'd probably have a great time." Roman wasn't quite meeting his eye, but Seth was slumped against his side awkwardly. "It is just a night though, maybe you'll be tired from the meet."

"Maybe." Seth said absentmindedly. He felt strange for a moment, lost in thought, like he was trying to remember something. "We should do something."

"Us?" 

"Yeah, us," Seth sat up. "Not like a date though, though, we _could_ do a date, but that's not what I meant." He looked Roman carefully. "You said you would teach me BDSM stuff." 

"Did I now?" Roman laughed, raising an eyebrow. Seth blushed a little, but was determined, staring at his lover intently. "Gunna call me sensei?"

"I wanted to do that suspending thing but you said I couldn't!" Seth scoffed. "What do I gotta know to do that stuff?"

"It's not about knowing," Roman laughed. "It's about… being ready and shit. Mental preparedness! You workout and stuff, you do Crossfit, you know you gotta like, work on movements and get better at things before you start throwing weights around."

"Sure," Seth conceded. "But we should like… start doing that… or something."

"Well, what do you wanna do?" Roman asked, trying to restrain laughter, he set his beer down, threading his fingers together, ready to listen.

"Well," Seth thought, honestly not sure what he was asking for or what interested him the most. "What is there?"

"Well it's BDSM, right?" Roman explained. "Bondage, discipline, sado masochism. It's like an umbrella term for a bunch of different things, plus there's kink and stuff too. Does any of that sound appealing?"

"I saw some porn once," Seth recalled, "Guys tying each other up, beating each other up and beating off." he shrugged. "Stuff like that?"

"Ok, well that's porn though." Roman sighed. "Are you just interested in just pain play? Or power dynamics too?"

It was all a lot to take in and Seth felt stupid for not doing any internet research between now and the time when he'd stumbled upon Roman's smorgasbord of gear. Luckily, the man was a reasonably seasoned expert on the gambit of different options.

"You naturally bottom, right?" Roman asked, "That's your first inclination."

"Yeah, that's fair." 

"So are you interested in being submissive then? In addition to that?"

"I don't want to be beaten and tortured." he wrinkled his nose. "At least, I don't think so."

"They aren't one in the same, it's a power dynamic but that doesn't mean you're subjected to violence." Roman detailed. "If you're submissive, the idea is you are giving up power to a certain degree, making yourself more vulnerable and putting trust in someone else to give you something, does that make sense? You can still bottom and be a dominant, but I figured you might be leaning into submissive tendencies."

"Mmmmmaybe." Seth said carefully. "Can I be both?"

"Yeah, I mean, most people are switches anyway I think." 

"Ok," Seth said. "I feel like you're right though, I feel like I want to do this to sort of lose some amount of control. I just don't want to have my shit kicked in."

"You won't get your shit kicked in." Roman laughed, "Not unless you wanted it, anyhow. I'm not really big on beating someone within an inch of their life anyway."

"Well… good…" 

It was weird, talking so openly about something so taboo, but then Seth guessed it was probably best for Roman to be really communicative from the get go if he was going to be losing power or something. 

"So if you wanted to do some pain play, we could do some light stuff and see what you're comfortable with." Roman offered. "And with being a sub, well, we could just work through scenes and things that you like with that dynamic in place. Do you think you just want me in charge or do you want power taken from you?"

As soon as he started throwing around words like _me_ and _you_ , Seth's ears seemed to perk up a little.

"Isn't that…" he swallowed. "What's the difference?"

"So, you'd have a safe word for both, but one could be a lot more aggressive." Roman readjusted, leaning against the back of the couch and facing Seth. "Maybe like… rough sex versus rape fantasy?"

"Oh… uh…" Seth went pink. Roman's face yielded no judgement but Seth still wasn't really sure what he wanted. The idea of Roman chasing him down and having his way with him seemed fun, but then, would things have the potential to get too real? "If I had a safe word? I dunno, maybe I like….both…?"

"Fair enough," Roman smiled, taking a sip of his drink. "That could be fun."

"Do you like that stuff?" Seth asked quickly. "What do you like doing?"

"I think I just like having fun, I've tried a good amount of stuff and there's appeal to all of it." he looked at the ceiling, thinking. "Every now and then I get really submissive, mostly when I'm stressed out. Usually I'm all about domination though." he pointed to Seth. "Unless you're secretly into some really off the wall shit, I'll be down to do whatever."

"Well, what's off the wall for you?" Seth teased. 

"I draw the line at fucking animals and eating shit." Roman chuckled. 

"Don't we all?" Seth laughed, Roman grimaced.

"I've… met some folks, let me tell you…"

"Is Dean into this stuff?" Seth asked eagerly, wondering what their friend could secretly be into. He hadn't said anything that would lead him to believe he might, but anything was possible.

"Not… really." Roman sighed. "He knows I do it but he's never brought it up. I dunno if he's got the mind for it."

"Really? Why not?"

Footsteps could be heard from the front door and the knob clicked. Both men looked up, watching the entryway. Dean came in, carrying a canvas bag in one hand and his gym bag was slung over the opposite shoulder.

"Oh, hey." He said, looking completely unfazed by the fact Seth was sitting in the living room, feet up on the coffee table. 

"How was the gym?" Roman asked drawing his arm out from around Seth's neck to rub his fingers through his fresh dye. "Got in ok?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean said, setting down his bags and sitting on the ottoman by the TV stand. "Got in ok, got a key now so I can go whenever I need to-" He rummaged in his bag pulling out a DVD and setting it on the table in front of them. "Got this for free. Renee said I could take a peek through all the stuff they're gunna have at the sale so I snatched it."

"Point Break?" Seth laughed, holding the cover in his hands and reading it aloud. " _Twenty-seven banks in three years. Attempting to catch the perfect wave_ …?"

"Patrick Swayze." Dean said simply, as if that explained everything.

"Put it in," Roman grumbled, tossing him the remote, defeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so here's where I need your help guys:
> 
> What are our boys into? Do they have any secret kinks? All of the sex scenes depicted in this fic are going to be 100% consensual, but would anyone be remotely disgusted reading about any particular thing? I included that line with Roman's hard limits because they're basically mine as well, but if you want to see anything included in here, let me know! Of course, this fic isn't primarily about sex and I can't guarantee your request will be fulfilled, but I'd love to know what you're thinking. 
> 
> A little dialogue heavy, but soon Dean and Seth will be going to Gainesville and they'll have lots to do. Review!


	41. Race against Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth and Dean leave for Gainesville. Special appearances by Kevin Nash, Chyna and Zucchini Bread.

Seth thought carefully about finding a potential bowling alley or a casino in Gainesville, but didn't want to mention anything to Dean until he felt right about it. There was something about taking him out on a date with a recycled idea from Roman that didn't really feel good. Seth didn't mind bowling or gambling with twenty dollars or so- but there was competition on his part to think of something better, more creative.

He sat on his couch with his computer for a few hours one night, scrolling through Facebook events and local calendars, blandly. However, there really wasn't much going on in town that weekend.

**Groupon is the best!!!** Sasha texted him when he'd asked her advice. **I got those airboating tix for like 75% off that one time.**

Taking her advice, Seth made and account and surfed, trying to think of something that both men would find equally entertaining. Dean was a pretty simple guy- he'd likely do just about anything Seth asked, but he wanted it to feel a little special. 

It wasn't until the night before they were scheduled to leave that he got an email from Groupon showing him the perfect deal. Bored, Seth opened the notification, his eyes widening a little when he saw it, then, nearly dropping his phone on the floor, he called Dean excitedly.

"Do you like mountain biking?" Seth asked quickly, sure of himself that he'd struck gold. Dean liked being outside, it was low tech, simple but exciting.

"What?" Dean chuckled softly. "I haven't done it before."

"I got a coupon," Seth said, "When we're in Gainesville- I found this place that will give me two bike rentals with helmets and stuff for twenty bucks- plus there's a state park right by it." 

"Oh... sure," Dean said, not sounding particularly sure, but likely just because it was all so sudden. "If the weather's nice I'm about it." 

Seth packed his overnight bag with some nice athletic leggings he usually wore for Crossfit. It wasn't quite going to a box, but it was still physical activity. 

"You gunna miss me buddy?" Seth patted his hand to Kevin on the floor as he sat, legs sprawled out, in a pile of his laundry. Kevin's ears went back and he licked his fingers sweetly. "Rome'll spoil you, I can feel it." 

Unusually giddy, he had a hard time sleeping that night, excited to take a trip. He packed up some cans of wet food for Kevin and a bunch of treats so wouldn't be too sad, along with all of his vet papers and written instructions on how to care for him. It could have been overkill, but he'd grown quiet attached to his dog and still felt a little anxious leaving him behind.

""M gun miss you pup," Seth yawned into his pillow, pulling Kevin into his chest from his knees. He struggled, whining a little, before sniffing Seth's beard and relocating to his pillow, settling into a ball.

He picked up the car the next morning at White Water with Kevin, insisting it was easiest to just pick Dean up and hit the road, trading him for his dog. With a certain amount of glee, he swapped his two door for the Escalade.

"It's too slick," Stephanie held the keyfob out in front of her body animatedly, pushing a button. The car sprang to life immediately, starting remotely, Seth nodded, impressed. "It's brand new, so be good boys and don't void the warranty." She handed him the binder with the miles log and insurance information. "My number, Shawn's and Hunter's are in there too. We'll see you back here around three or four tomorrow?" 

"For sure," Seth let her pet Kevin from his arms. "I'll text you if I think we've got any problems."

Quickly whipping through Dunkin Donuts with all the windows down, blasting A Day to Remember, Seth picked up a bunch of blueberry donuts and iced coffees- three, one for Roman, before jetting through traffic to get to the little house. He parked out front, pulling up the zipper on his sweatshirt before grabbing Kevin and the food before heading to the front door. 

"Hey-" Roman answered, looking slightly sheepish, Seth stared, walking in and hearing Dean's voice coming from the living room.

"Full treatment- with the consultation? How is that different from the assessment?"

"Hey dog." Roman said, offering out his hands to grab Kevin from Seth's arms. He obliged, trading off the pup and setting the drink carrier and the bag of food on the kitchen island, confused. Dean had some bags packed up, but he was still wearing just an undershirt and a pair of briefs. He sat on the ottoman, clearly annoyed, his voice ratcheting up in volume as he leaned into his hand, frustrated.

"Eight hundred to a thousand." Dean stated simply. "For the heat treatment. What's the difference in prices?"

"I…" Seth pointed to the car out front, speaking quietly. "All of… his things are in the car… And I got you a coffee…"   


"I saw- thanks," Roman half smiled. It was really awkward, standing in the kitchen and loitering, as though Dean was an angry wasp they were trying to avoid. "He'll- He's been on the phone for awhile, I think it's winding down."

"Landlord?"

"Pest company." He sighed. "He's been shopping around prices for a few days now- didn't want to go with the same people that serviced the place earlier."

"Oh," Seth nodded. Roman continued petting Kevin, letting him lick and smell his fingers. Rather than mingling awkwardly, he went back to the car to grab the dog food, sipping from his coffee dimly. Hopefully Dean wouldn't be in too sour a mood to travel with, they were going to have a little over an hour confined to a small space. 

"Lowest I can find is still over five hundred." Dean fumed, tossing down his phone and scratching at his scalp. "Landlord won't help with any payment unless I go with their sheisty fuckin' scam of a pest company."

"I got you... a donut and a coffee." Seth said quietly, sitting down on the edge of the chaise, stretching out his legs. Kevin came wandering over, a little confused.

"It's my own fault for hoping for shit," Dean grumbled, taking the offered pastry from Roman. They all munched, listening. "Thought I could get something figured out today, get it done, come back from Gainesville and have my life figured out. But no…"

"Do you want me to check-in with any places while you're gone?" Roman asked quietly. 

"Nah, I've already called every fuckin'..."

Unhappy with the amount of attention he was receiving from Seth, Kevin strolled over to Dean, shivering slightly and staring. Dean just sighed, patting him on the head softly. 

"Lemme go change," He said, standing up again and making his way to the guest bedroom. 

"You excited?" Roman asked, turning to Seth, leaning on the doorframe to the living room. Seth shrugged, not really sure anymore. 

"It's work, it'll be fine." 

"You'll have fun." Roman blinked slowly. "He'll be alright as soon as you guys hit the city limits. I made up some zucchini bread for you both."

"Zucchini bread?" Seth laughed, forgetting the soured mood for a moment as Roman hoisted up a bread loaf in a gallon ziploc bag. He took it graciously, sure that it would be just as delicious as anything else he'd made.

"Well, Kev," Seth said, picking up his dog and holding it to his chest, Dean emerged again, wearing a guard shirt and some shorts. "I'm gunna miss you buddy." 

Kevin looked between Seth and Roman, unsure, Seth kissed his head sweetly, trying to assure him. It was stupid, being this sentimental about a little dog, but he adored him so. 

"We'll have fun," Roman snorted, taking the dog from him again. "Just a scoop of food in the morning and the evening?" 

"There's a scooper in the container and his bowls are in that bag. Plus lots of Peanut Butter T-R-E-A-T-S if he's sad."

"I ate one of those once," Dean admitted, tying his shoelaces. "They're really dry but they're ok."

"That's… awful." Roman snorted, setting Kevin back down on the floor and opening up his arms for Seth instead. "Thanks for the coffee, have lots of fun, maybe take some pictures of your bike adventure? I want to hear about Shawn's chicken set up too. Guy was always boasting about how cool his run was, If you get the chance, check it out."

"Sure sure," Seth buried himself in Roman's chest and they just swayed for a moment. 

"And you," Roman stooped to hug Dean at the Ottoman. "Have a bunch of fun, let me know if you want me to make some calls or go beat up your landlord." 

"Hmmhmm," Dean sounded exasperated, but relaxed immediately as he was held, pausing his lace-tying and leaning back to steal a little kiss.

They tossed their bags in the back of the Escalade and Dean sat in the passenger's side, in awe of the modernity of the vehicle. After scrawling down the mileage count for the start of the trip, Seth tapped the address for the Gainesville pool into the GPS, routing their journey. The weather was supposed to be clear, a little overcast, but without any rain on the radar. Stephanie had assured them that the Sunpass fixed to the windshield would suffice.

"When was the last time you were in Gainesville?" Seth asked curiously, getting them going in the direction of the highway. Dean thought carefully, wracking his brain.

"'S a long time ago, close to when I started. Same thing though, doing one of these." he nodded, sipping his drink. "Me and this guy Punk that doesn't work here anymore."

"Mmhm," They stopped by the entrance ramp at a stop light, Seth fumbled quickly with his phone, trying to play some music. "Pretty alright place though?" 

"Yeah I didn't see too much of it, We stayed with Shawn and we all went to bed pretty early. I wasn't drinking then and they weren't either and we didn't really… like… each other."

They drank their coffee, half listening to the radio. Orlando passed through the rearview mirrors, toll lanes and fast food establishments melting away as they headed northbound. It was exciting, Seth liked to travel when he could and he'd never been this far out of the city before. Dean broke into the bag of bread, crudely breaking off a handful and munching on it as they broke onto the Florida turnpike. 

"Last time we drove this little box car." Dean added on as though the conversation never dropped, trying his best to keep the bread crumbs contained, failing miserably. "There was a couple years where Steph was like, _obsessed_ with these blue and green Scions and so we had two with big dumb W's on them, for White Water and all."

"Yeah, this is an upgrade," Seth laughed, looking at the all digital displays in the interior.

"I think Hunter totaled one on purpose," Dean laughed, "He fuckin' hated 'em."

The chuckled and joked about work, Dean awkwardly tried to feed him a clump of zucchini bread as they slowed down for a toll, falling into a few goofy stories. Seth admitted he was being teased a little by Cesaro and Sasha for whatever was going on in his love life, wondering if his friend was facing any similar scrutinization.

"Nah not really," He shrugged, adjusting his sunglasses on his nose a little, looking absently out the window as they passed a huge palm tree farm. "Well, I think Hunter like, looked at me a lil' funny when I said I wanted you to do this. He probably knows somethin's up."

"Yeah?" Seth asked nervously.

"Whatever man," Dean laughed. "He's bangin' the boss, he can't talk shit."

"Well, no, I guess." Seth scoffed. "But still, it wasn't like, weird, was it?"

"Nah no dude, it's fine." Dean waved his hand. "He just like, wanted to give me shit for a second that's all. Nothin' real."

"Still glad we don't work with anyone really homophobic." Seth said. "I mean, Florida's not the real _south-south_... but I'm actually a little surprised we don't get more people getting in our faces sometimes."

"You don't get weird vibes off that AJ dude sometimes?" Dean asked curiously, Seth raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"Dude's always talkin' about his bible picnics and shit." Dean adjusted his seat, lying back farther. "Doesn't make me feel all warm and fuzzy."

"He has a family." Seth laughed. "He likes god? So what? Doesn't mean he's a gay-basher."

Dean's mouth twitched, but Seth just chuckled nervously. All the interaction's he'd had with AJ had been fine- he liked the guy as a co-worker. Didn't he work with Roman all the time anyway?

As they got closer, Seth's phone started ringing and he unplugged it from the auxiliary cable, noticing Shawn Michael's contact information.

"Could you?" Seth offered Dean the phone, eyes torn between the road and the device. Dean grabbed it, swiping to accept the call.

"Hey, this is Dean,"

"Maybe twenty minutes out now?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's been good. Same deal as last time?"

Dean struggled to hang up, but handed the phone back to Seth once he'd figured it out. Signs for Gainesville were coming up, the GPS giving them a proper approximate time for their arrival.

Shawn's facility was a lot smaller than Hunter's. There was no water park and only two decks. The swim meet was located in the primary lap pool, which was olympic sized. The focus of the facility seemed to be much more geared towards athletics, boasting many visits from famous swimmers and a strong connection to the adjoining University that seemed to be the heartbeat of the whole town.

"Gators are everything," Seth commented, looking from the flags on the street lights to the street names and orange colored everything. The parking lot was full of cars for the meet, so they found some street parking nearby.

**We're here!** Seth texted Shawn quickly, following Dean to the front entrance. 

There were a handful of swim team kids that Seth recognized as they made their way into the lobby. All plenty excited, carrying their own gear bags, the swimmers were all eagerly touting team sweatshirts and brand new meet-suits.

"We still have a couple more guys!" Nikki called from one of the chairs, rifling through a box. "Who doesn't have a suit? You _have_ to wear these for the meet!"   


"Rapids, listen up!" John called, every head turning to his booming voice. Dean and Seth nodded to both the coaches, making their way to the front desk.

"We're the guards from Orlando," Seth explained, "Is Shawn on the deck?" 

"He's in his office-" The receptionist went into the back area, going to grab him. They waited awkwardly as John and Nikki went through some expectations for the team, the kids listening raptly. It had to be their first meet for the season if they were passing out swimsuits. Seth actually still had his black and purple trunks from when he was in high school, swimming for his team. 

"-If we have any instances of misconduct or screwing around," John looked meaningfully to a couple of the older boys on the team. "I ain't gunna tolerate it. This is a sister pool here, and the next meet we got, they're going to come to Orlando and do a tri-meet with the Daytona Dolphins. So show them how great of guests we are so they actually want to swim with us next month."

"-and if you're going to be trouble in the hotel room," Nikki added on, "We can hold your ribbons, it's really simple."

"Kinda harsh, yeah?" Dean mumbled to Seth. "Wonder if they were a bunch of brats on the bus here."

"How's it goin' guys!" Shawn bounded out excitedly. "Come 'round back through here and I'll give you the scoop."

The pool being a long fifty meters as opposed to the usual twenty-five and the coloring on the tile was all green and orange, with huge banners for the Gators hung across every wall. Even the lap lanes were green and orange, making the pool water look warmer, less blue. The biggest difference however, was the color of the uniforms. 

"Yellow?" Seth laughed, Shawn tossed them shirts from the guard room. The fabric was a warm dandelion color with LIFEGUARD written in red vinyl. 

"It's a happier color." Shawn explained. "I swear, since we got yellow, folks actually listen to the guards more. It's some mental thing."

"I feel like big bird." Dean grunted, tugging the shirt on and doing some maneuvering to take off his red tank top underneath.

"But it'll all be really simple, my Gators will warm up in about twenty minutes here and then we'll have the Rapids go. We don't have a pit so there will only be the racers in the pool once everything starts and we should be over and done by 2:30 this time. We cut all the 25 meter dashes."

"Sounds good." Seth nodded, tying back his hair into a bun and looking to Dean. 

"Thanks so much for doing this you guys," Shawn nodded. "I'll be here till about five tonight and then if you wanted I could take you boys out for dinner? My wife wouldn't mind cooking either."

"We were going to do some mountain biking." Seth explained. "Some trail on a prairie…?"

"Paynes Prairie?" he grinned. "That's a sweet place! Lots of wildlife. Well, we'll figure it out later, but you got my number and all. Go steal some food if you need it, just tell 'em Shawn says it's free. Those meet-moms will take care of you."

They nodded, but both were so full of Zucchini bread it wasn't really a priority. Shawn trotted off, looking incredibly casual in a camo Remington hat and a faded Gator's tee. 

"Orlando guards?" An enormously tall older gentleman asked, wearing a dark green polo. 

"Yup," Dean grunted. The pool was empty except for a few of Shawn's coaches, preparing the area and testing out the klaxon for use in the races. 

"Welcome!" One of the other coaches said, looking up from her clipboard, she was a huge, thickly muscled woman with a tiny voice. "If you guys weren't here than I would have to be guarding. How have you been doing, Dean?"

"Hangin' in there," Dean sighed. "I'm teaching a lot more than I guard now. I think Hunter just wanted me to do this 'cause I did it before and stuff." He grabbed a yellow rescue tube from the hook by the office, fixing it around his chest before turning to Seth, "This is Chyna… and… sorry dude I forgot your name-"

"Kevin," The older man smiled, nodding as he pulled the lap lane spool closer to the deck.

Warm ups got underway as soon as Kevin and Chyna finished getting the pool ready, pulling out boxes of timers and instructing chaperones on the correct ways to account for time. The Gators came in first, all wearing Orange and black suits with Orange caps, they seemed even more excited than the Rapids, eagerly jumping in the pool and bickering about sharing lanes.

"Walk-" Seth barked as a group of them came hurdling onto the deck. Dean took the far side of the pool next to the time keeper's area, leaving Seth stuck by the locker room doors. 

The teams traded places and Rusev came out to supervise, looking haggard and a little annoyed at all the extra noise. 

"Ru," one of the younger girls came up to him, twiddling her thumbs. "My mom just dropped me off and I can't find John-"

"What last name," he grunted, pulling out a xeroxed copy of their psyche sheet for the meet.

"Bennett," She said softly, Rusev traced her name down the list and pulled out a sharpie, writing her heat numbers on the inside of her arm. 

"Thanks Ru!" she chirped, joining her friends in the far lane. 

Parents gathered on the other side of the glass in the observation area, crowding around the little tables with smaller children, waiting for the meet to start. Dean and Seth paced awkwardly, not used to the rhythm and flow of the event or the pool. Really, it was simple work, the presence of two guards almost redundant. 

"We'd like to get our meet today underway," Chyna said through a loudspeaker that carried across the facility, earning some awkward clapping from parents. "We have forty-five heats scheduled today with the Orlando Rapids and the Gainesville Gators- We'd like to remind all the parents who've come out today to please stay off the of the pool deck unless they are assisting in an official capacity. Times and information will be available with the clerk of course by concessions."

Seth felt a burning nostalgia for his own days as a competitive swimmer, watching the meet unfold. With all the coaches on deck, some parents acting as time keepers, and several heats worth of competitors sitting and waiting, the pool was very full. 

"Heat One, girls fifty yard freestyle." 

Eight younger girls approached the starting blocks, six Gators and two Rapids. Seth recognized one of the girls from her practices and she looked at Dean and Seth, realizing suddenly who they were, she waved.

"Kill it Lydia," Dean smiled. She blushed.

"Swimmers take your marks."

The klaxon beeped and they dove, some of them a little quicker on the draw than others. Seth paced, watching intently and cheering for Lydia and the other girl in his head. The time keepers sat on the far deck, looking and waiting for them to get within range.

The best time went to the other White Water girl, with Lydia coming in third. Eagerly, they got out of the water and checked their times, looking to see who came out on top.

The meet followed in the usual successive girl-boy order. There were a lot more Gators than Rapids, which seemed par for the course with an away meet. A couple of times, a heat started late, usually due to a swimmer losing track of time and nearly slipping all over the deck in their urgency to be counted. A couple DQ's happened with kids not touching the wall between their laps as well as some false starts. John and Nikki became hugely competitive with certain swimmers they had been coaching, walking the length of the pool as they swam, chanting and cheering their name. Kevin was no less enthusiastic, giving an entire pep-talk to one boy, and nearly hugging him after he placed second.

"You never did swimming as a kid, did you?" Seth asked at break-time, standing next to Dean and surveying the empty pool. 

"Not like this," Dean shook his head. "The school I went to had a pool and we did some swimming and water polo type stuff, but just for gym class. You did though, didn't you?"

"I made the varsity team and I did masters for a couple years after." He gloated, Dean just nodded, "I had a really fast breaststroke, but I think the whip kick messed with my knees a little and it affected my timing. Didn't quite think I'd make the games or anything, but I stopped once it started getting painful, doing like 500 meters at a time and stuff."

He could talk about this stuff all day, but it was painfully obvious Dean didn't much care. They snacked on pizza slices quickly before assuming their spots on the deck again, ready to guard.

The latter half of the meet was the oldest competitors doing long distance heats. Swimmers sat at the opposite side of the pool with counters, keeping track of the amount of laps as they went. John and Nikki were at their loudest yet, parked on both sides of the pool, clapping their encouragement.

"Kick those legs!" John yelled, watching his Rapids roll laboriously through a flip turn. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

A few parents came onto the deck during the last heat and Seth had to remind them the meet wasn't over yet and they had to leave. Swimmers began to swarm the observation area, dripping wet and wrapped in towels, snapping pictures with their friends. Seth checked the clock on the wall, the final race ended right around 2:45.

"We'd like to thank everyone for coming out for this weekend," Chyna said sweetly into the loudspeaker. "Our next meet will be in Orlando, November 22nd at White Water Fun Center Aquatics. Again, our times will be displayed next week in our Gator swim newsletter, but you may check with the clerk of course before you leave to see them as well. Safe travels! We'll see you next month!"

"That's a wrap." Dean cracked his neck, taking off his tube and whistle as the last swimmers left the pool area. 

"Check in with Shawn?" Seth hung his tube by the wall. "See about getting some biking done?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this chapter watching the Olympic Swim trials for Rio. Can someone put some time and effort into an Olympic Games AU? 
> 
> I put up one of the many "lost chapters" attached to this fic up on my tumblr. Eventually they'll all be collected and combined on AO3, but go peek over there if you have trouble waiting. They'll be loosely connected to chapters and events, follow characters that aren't seth and go forward and backward in time with the continuity of this fic, so they might be considered other mini universes to this fic. I dunno. If it isn't obvious I think about this sandbox a lot... haha.
> 
> Review, let me know what you think. Happy 4th of July everyone! Even if you aren't in America, go blow something up with a bottle rocket! It's festive!


	42. Fun and Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean really enjoys mountain biking. Seth is happy that Dean is happy.

"You think we can just park the car here for a couple hours?"

Dean looked around, leaning the mountain bike up against his thigh and trying pull his hair back so he could fix a helmet to his head. He shrugged, noncommittally. 

"Don't see why it would matter."

Seth was still a little unsure about the whole ordeal, he felt great, excited to take part in the little excursion. Shawn had insisted that they just text him when they were leaving the park so they could coordinate their meal, but Dean seemed neutral to doing anything. Was he tired from work? Still upset about his apartment? 

Or was it just Dean being Dean? It was so difficult to tell.

Both men coated themselves in a fair amount of bug spray and followed the instructions that the bike clerk had told them, following the two way road for about a quarter of a mile until they hit the southern entrance. Riding on the shoulder was a little scary, but there weren't any weird twists and bends. The entrance was clearly marked, pulling them onto a dirt path under the cover of thick, jungle-like canopy.

"We could grab a map!" Seth yelled, jerking his head back as Dean pedaled behind. Again, just a shrug. "Was there anything-" he slowed, until they were closer, "Was there anything you wanted to see?"

"What's to see?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "I haven't been here before."

The visitors center was still open, so they stopped by quick to get a little more information on what natural attractions the park had to offer.

"There's several bike trails you could try for," a young lady with triple pierced ears explained in a twangy voice. "There's a couple different distances, depending on your skill level, some of these areas might be pretty grown over, so if you don't have a clearing tool, it might be difficult on'a bike." 

"There's a lake?" Seth pointed at the map. "We could maybe take this one-"

"There's going to be water everywhere, the prairie is a natural sinkhole. You just want to be cautious a' the wildlife here, there's signs everywhere but you might see some gators this late in the day."

"Gators?" Dean asked interested, picking up the map, Seth's spirits lifted.

"We've got a lotta alligators here- Wild horses and bison too." She explained. "Just give them space and proceed at your own risk."

"I wanna go here." Dean laughed pointing to a spot on the lake with a little gator graphic. "I still ain't seen one of these bastards in the wild since I moved."

"Cool, let's do it." Seth grinned, pocketing the map. They each filled up their water bottles and left the cool, air conditioned building to get on the correct path. Newly invigorated by the possibility of seeing a gator, Seth gladly let Dean lead the way, pedaling lazily through the campground area to get on the northbound trail. 

Seth hadn't done a lot of biking before, but was pleased to find all of his functional fitness kept him from feeling the strain in his legs. Being outdoors, watching the spanish moss and the big willowy trees glide through his line of vision was wonderful. Moving to a big city like Orlando had taken some adjusting, it wasn't as though Davenport had a really diverse array of natural attractions, but it was nice to be in the elements. The inhabited parts of Florida and the natural parts were so vastly different, he felt like he wasn't getting a real feel for his surroundings unless he planned them.

"You good up there?" Seth called out to Dean, who was looking around eagerly, coming to a fork in the road and heading left.

"Yah!" 

They hit the bike trail and immediately Seth's heart was in his throat.  _ Mountain biking!  _ He remembered,  _ Speed!  _ They entered into a tight passage through some dense brush, turning and picking up the pace quickly. Seth focused carefully, trying to wipe sweat out of his eyes so he could see properly and not wipe out against a tree, in front of him, he could hear cackling.

"Ahhaha!" Dean laughed, catching a little bit of air on a jump that put them onto a wooden path over a swampy marsh. "Holy shit!" 

"We can slow down!" Seth offered, bracing his balls as his behind came plopping back down in the seat. 

"No chance!" Dean stood up, wiggling his front tire around. "This is such good shit!"

"Yeah?" Seth laughed, Dean grinned back for half a second, brows wiggling. His heart soared. 

_ Ya done good Rollins _ , he thought to himself, congratulatory. 

Eventually, Dean winded himself pretty well from going so fast, so they both slowed down, coming out of the thick brush and onto a huge, wide open meadow. The path forked and they stopped, looking around, taking in the scenery.

"There's a tower over there," Seth pointed to a large wooden structure a little ways in the distance that overlooked the area. "We should go look at everything."

They pedaled over, relishing the cool breeze that cascaded over the plain. Tall grass shook loudly, giving Seth shivers down his spine, they were far away from any man-made noises, making the wind sound slight, but loud.

"It's tall," Dean observed, looking up as they reached the base of the stairs, craning his neck. There wasn't anyone else in sight, they left their bikes at the bottom and took off their helmets for a moment, catching a drink of water.

A plaque at the base boasted the panoramic view from the top and both men eagerly ascended the staircase, winding up five flights to a covered observation area with benches. Their feet thudded loudly on the steps, even being in as good of shape as he was, Seth panted, catching his breath and sweating hard.

The view was serene, incredible. Neither man said much, walking slowly to the window in the structure, resting their arms on the beams and looking out onto the natural wonder. The meadow was a huge swamp, rows of tall grass obscured most of the ground, but there were dips and stretches of murky dark water and a spotting of jagged trees. Flowers bloomed in thick patches over the pools and birds chirped and flew in groups, soaring over the foliage.

Seth fumbled with his phone for a moment, taking a photo of the brilliant scene. Dean fidgeted, clearly appreciative, but unsure exactly how he was supposed to articulate it.

"C'mere," Seth pulled him closer, stretching out his arm to take a selfie quickly. "For Rome'" 

They were both tired and flushed, the picture didn't really capture the wetlands behind them, but Seth sent it along anyway, wanting Roman to know they were thinking about him a little bit. Barely ninety seconds had passed before he got a response.

**Nice ;)**

"Let's go find a gator." Dean proposed, clearly dead-set on his mission. 

"Alright," Seth laughed, pocketing his phone. "If you insist."

They continued making their way up the trail riding the edge of the prairie. According to the map, the spot that Dean was determined to visit was about two miles ahead. They'd bike North, then cut through a raised path in the grass, right between two water sources, then bike back down again toward the visitor's center on the path they'd used to get in. There were a lot more trails, if they'd had all day, Seth would have liked to have gone up through the more hilly, jungle forest that they'd come in through, but both men were sure to be exhausted after such a long day. Shawn would want them to come in for dinner at a reasonable time.

"Hey!" Dean said loudly, looking behind Seth as they rode down the trail. "Uh… Thanks a lot for this!"

"Don't mention it!" Seth laughed, watching Dean shift a little on the path, nearly falling of the dirt trail. "Watch where you're going!"

Dean's enthusiasm was it's own kind of thanks, Seth hadn't seen him so pleased since before his bed bug mess had started. He was alternating between pedaling hard and then standing over his seat, leaning on the handlebars and craning his neck over the high grass, looking around. It reminded Seth of a dog sticking it's head out the window of a car, happy and excited just to be along for the ride. 

They passed by several signs that warned about alligators in the area, but there weren't any lying on the path. They were still too far from a water source that wasn't a big muddy puddle. However, it didn't stop Dean from slowing down around each bend, squinting against the setting sun.

"We close?" Seth asked, sipping from his water bottle as Dean stopped at a trail marker, looking around.

"Yeah," he mumbled, "We're close to the water trail."

A little farther down, the path split again and another, larger sign explained proper etiquette for observing wildlife. They pressed on, going slower, through the small dirt path that cut through the tall reeds. It was a little more buggy, flies zoomed past their ears as they made their way through the brush, the air was cooler and wetter however, giving them a little reprieve from the hot sun.

Seth wasn't scared of alligators, but he was a little wary of how narrow the path seemed to go in some areas. The tires on their bikes were wide enough around where they didn't have much trouble maneuvering, but the brush folded over the ground and Seth started looking over his shoulder, paranoid. Surely they'd have some notice if a gator was nearby? A noise? Images from Discovery Channel occupied his mind, huge thick african crocodiles charging gazelles from the water, doing that horrifying clamping and death roll action.

"If an alligator bit our bikes, you think we'd have to pay for new ones?" Seth asked jokingly. Dean was looking around similarly, trying to make out the shape of a creature in the brush.

"Mmh, maybe." he mumbled. "Can gators hear things? Are we too loud?"

"I think they can hear really well." Seth paused, thinking. He pedaled on, looking to his left and his right, but he stopped as he noticed a thin, floating sliver on the surface, right next to a patch of water flowers.

"Dean! Look-" he pointed. Dean whipped his head around, staring. They watched, stopped in their tracks, feet on the ground. The shape moved, throwing wider and clearer as they focused, the pattern and form looked distinctly gator-like.

"I wonder how big it really is." Seth murmured, "I saw one when I went air boating a couple months ago, this one is closer though."

Dean took out his phone, opening up his camera and taking a picture quickly. Seth was ready to move on, sure that there could be other Gators they could see that might be a little bit closer, Dean was rooted however, amazed by the floating lizard.

Seth felt his pocket buzz and he smiled, a little surprised he had service. 

**Hey campers! Just getting off work now! My address is 722 Antonio Road. Let me know if your GPS has any issues. Hope you are having fun - Shawn**

"Shawn's leaving the pool." Seth announced, chuckling at how fatherly the tone was. "You good?"

Both men kept up the pace, pedaling through the brush over several little wooden bridges. The sun set lower in the sky and all sorts of natural noises started increasing in volume as they went along. Frogs croaked from the mud and birds chirped, landing on long plumes of grass to catch bugs and survey the scenery. Twice they stopped again, some bit of wildlife catching their eye.

"I think it was a turtle." Seth explained, parting the grass where he'd noticed movement. "It's gone now though."

"Man-" Dean looked around, disheartened. "Wish we had another hour or so."

"We could do this in Orlando." Seth offered, smiling. "I bet there's some cool spots we could check out, I wish I still had a bike. I sold mine when I moved."

"I haven't biked in years." Dean admitted, leading the way. "I only ever had one of those street frames. 'Never just went out and did stuff like this."

They followed the path out, catching glimpses of a few more gators off in the distance, floating lazily. The cool breeze had died down a little bit, turned to a quiet rustling of the grass, the humidity bubbled back up a little. 

"I'm getting hungry." Dean muttered, standing up and looking around again as he drifted on. "Did Shawn say what was cookin'?"

"I dunno." Seth shrugged, following the way out of the tall grass and back onto the flat prairie again, "I'm feelin' it too though."

They made a hard right, meaning to cross back to the path leading towards the camp grounds but Dean stopped hard in front, pulling his bike across the path. Seth grunted, quickly pulling on his breaks, his heart jumping. Before he could angrily demand an answer, he looked over Dean's shoulder, shutting his mouth, his eyes widening.

A whole herd of horses was occupying the trail, their heads all turned in their direction, tails waving back and forth anxiously. For one horrible moment, Seth was sure that one in front would charge them, throwing it's head back in a sort of warning gesture. Both men stood rooted to the spot, frozen awestruck.

They were surely wild, Seth remembered what the lady at the information desk had mentioned. His good sense told him that he shouldn't approach or engage them, but they were all standing right in their path, some resumed grazing, content that they weren't a threat.

"Holy shit." Dean whispered, looking back at Seth disbelieving. 

"Don't." Seth said fearfully, weary of the look in Dean's face.

"I'm not gunna jump on one and yell 'yaa'" he snorted, stepping off his bike and putting up the kickstand. "I ain' ever seen a wild horse before either..."

Seth set his bike aside as well, standing next to Dean to patiently observe the horses. There was about six or seven of them, now all wandering a little, keeping their ears perked, but more or less calm. Dean took a single step closer, testing the waters, before settling to sit on the path.

"What-" Seth glanced at Dean, worried. Dean patted the ground next to him, Seth struggled with himself for a moment, but sat. He was afraid that the horses might suddenly charge them, not that he could really outrun a _horse_ , but he didn't really want to make it easier to be trampled.

"Let's just chill a sec," Dean said, "We can't really go anywhere till they move."

He was right. Seth frowned slightly, watching the horses sigh and tussle their skin, shaking off flies. Hopefully, in a few minutes the herd would get bored and move somewhere else.

"Got a little pink." Dean noticed, pressing two fingers to Seth's exposed shoulder and retracting them, Seth swallowed, looking with a groan to realize he'd been sunburned all across his shoulders and arms. 

"You too dude," he grumbled. "How did we forget sunscreen?"

"Better than bug bites," Dean said wisely. Seth took out his phone, checking his reflection in the camera surface. His cheeks and his nose were a little red. "You'll tan up quick."

"Hopefully," Seth sighed, picking at his face. Dean checked his own phone, taking a picture of the horses quickly before scrolling through his messages.

"Anything new?" Seth asked, keeping a decisive eye on the horses, but rocking back and forth on his bottom slightly, nudging Dean.

"Noooope." Dean pocketed his phone. "My service is kinda spotty but nope, nothin."

"What do you think you're gunna do about all that apartment shit?" Seth asked curiously. "If… you want to tell me."

"I dunno." Dean pocketed his phone, picking at the patch of grass in front of him, ripping it. "Uce says I should just move and at this point I might just do that. After all this crap with the landlords? I'll be losing money with my fuckin' deposit but it's better than dealing with them anymore."

"How much longer did you have on your lease?"

"Like, only a couple months." Dean mumbled, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I'll just get some studio apartment somewhere. Something cheap where I won't need a bunch of stuff."

A couple of horses wandered into the tall grass, looking for more appetizing greenery to eat. Seth poked at his burnt arm, not really sure what to say. Dean seemed like he had everything more or less figured out, didn't need a lot of unsolicited advice.

"How're you likin' teaching those baby classes?" Dean asked, flicking a bug off his leg. "Rome' said you were doin' good."

"It's not my favorite," Seth frowned. "It's ok. I dunno."

With both men fairly hungry and sweaty, conversation seemed strained. Dean was at least in good spirits, had really obviously enjoyed the whole day and was feeling really grateful Seth had pulled him into biking. Alone out in nature, hands trembling a little from all the sunshine and physical activity, Seth only felt fatigued and over stimulated, happy with how things had gone, but tired. 

"That one looks like Roman." Dean pointed at a huge, dark stallion walking through the mud, maned with long, sweeping dark hair, it paused it's movement for a moment, thinking hard. Seth snorted as the horse started taking a piss, revealing a nauseatingly gigantic penis.

"That's disgusting!" Seth averted his eyes, wincing as the sickening sound of water rang loudly against the puddle. Dean cackled, avoiding a playful punch to his shoulder.

"What? I thought you were into that." 

"So nasty."

Their laughing split the herd from the path, the stragglers followed the others into the reeds, clearing the way. As easily as they had come, with just a few steps into the brush, they disappeared, leaving both men alone.

"Let's jet," Dean chuckled, standing up again and making his way to the bikes. "I'm starving."

With hunger spurring them on, they hurried through the campsite and out of the park, biking up the road to the shop to return their rentals. It was about six-thirty when they got back to the escalade, Seth texted Shawn alerting them that they'd finished biking and were on their way.

"Why didn't we just leave once the meet was done?" Seth wondered out loud. "Did we really have to stay in Gainesville? I mean, this was fun, but what was the point of staying the night?"

"Shawn might have stuff he wants to give Hunter that we'll have to haul back." Dean shrugged. "That's what happened last time. But then, that was weird because we ended up helping Shawn clean out like, all the storage crap that he had at his facility. This dude, Punk-" Dean swallowed, resting his hand on the door. "He like, harassed Shawn about how he kept all of his stuff and then just started organizing shit for him. Made us stay for like, two extra hours, it sucked."

"Dude sounds like a pain in the ass." Seth remarked, chuckling.

"He was intense, I dunno." Dean shook his head. "He did his job fine, but like, he pissed everyone off. It was wild."

Shawn's house was down a rural road marked with a number instead of a name, the drive ended up being about fifteen minutes, the houses came farther and farther apart as they went along. The GPS eventually directed them down a long drive way, and they bumped along a dirt path shaded by trees, coming upon a large property with a well manicured lawn.

"Hey! Just got your message!" Shawn called out to their open windows as they slowed. Two large labs came charging out, barking and howling at the car. "Oh shuttup now! You guys can park right there's fine." 

"Just get done… hunting?" Seth slid out, locking the car with a click and smiling at their host. Shawn was wearing a Camo-print tank top and cargo shorts with a large shotgun slung over his shoulder. The dogs wagged their tails eagerly, looking for attention.

"Nah, just clay pigeons." He grinned, "Thought'd get some in before y'all got here and get the animals all sorted out. We got pork chops waitin' inside. But dang, you boys got a little sun, didn't ya?"

Dean examined his legs, seeing his knees had gotten a little pink as well. Seth smiled, foolishly. 

"Y-yeah, it was sunny outside…"

"I'll see if I don't have any of that Ah-low Veer-a stuff." Shawn's nose twitched. "I bet you're hungry though, let's get cleaned up and eat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote a 15k+ commission over this week and it wore me out real good... This chapter might seem a little silly by comparison to some of the others, but this little trip is important in the grand scheme of things. If anything, it'll make you want to go outside maybe? Do summer stuff?
> 
> I'm running out of episodes of Baywatch to name my chapters after as well. I might have to figure out a different way to title things from now on.
> 
> Stay safe folks, review if you got the time. <3


	43. Guess who's coming to dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth is impressed by Shawn's home and Dean gets his fill of farm animals.

 

Shawn's house was like nothing Seth had ever seen before. From the outside, it looked like a pretty ordinary farm house, huge, with a large front porch and wooden shutters on the windows. It had a separate outdoor garage with all of his vehicles and another standing structure that Seth assumed was just full of farm equipment. However, the inside of the living space was largely modern and had all the touches of family life and great personal success.

"You met Greg Louganis?" Seth asked, awestruck as he stopped by a row of portrait photographs, all signed and framed immaculately.

"Oh yeah, of course." Shawn paused, "Hunter not tell you about me?"

"He's like, an olympic athlete," Dean muttered, pointing at Shawn and grinning when Seth's eyes widened, surprised.

"Well, I never actually made the team." Shawn shrugged, "But I went to a lot of the games- Barcelona in ninety-two. Ninety-six was in Atlanta, so that was no big deal getting over there. I helped light the cauldron for the opening... Then Sydney…"

"I didn't-" Seth spluttered, his face reddening, "That's insane! I watched those when I was a kid! I was a big swimmer and I loved all that!" Seth looked around, now apt to recognize even more faces from the bunch. "Gary Hall Jr.! Dolan!-"

"Yeah, I was helping with those medleys," Shawn shrugged. "I always was better at teaching though, never wanted to be away from the family too long." 

Shawn didn't have any pictures of himself on the walls, but the sheer enormity of all the friends he'd accumulated over the years through competition astounded Seth. He couldn't believe he was in the man's home- Seth wondered confoundedly how the man could possibly just be running a community pool, rather than coaching or training super-athletes. 

"Let's say grace for our guests." Shawn suggested as soon as they'd all sat down, his two children and wife followed suit, leaving Seth and Dean to mimic dumbly. Large bowls and racks of grilled pork chops, cheesy scalloped potatoes, cornbread and beans occupied the middle of the table, ringed with fine dinner wares. Everything was homemade, delicious and enticing.

" This meal is a sign of Your love for us, Bless us and bless our food…"

Dean bit his lip, staring at the table cloth with palms raised skyward. Seth couldn't help feeling foolish, he'd never given god or church much thought, now in the latter half of his twenties, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been asked to pray.

"...And help us to give you glory each day. Through Jesus Christ our Lord."

"Amen," they all mumbled. It took self control on Dean and Seth's part not to charge the food like rabid animals, exhausted and starving as they were.

Shawn was clearly a family man, asking his kids questions about how they were settling into school and their plans for Halloween, all the while, balancing Seth and Dean into the conversation whenever possible. The two large labs circled eagerly, looking for opportunities to beg for food.

"Did you want some wine?" Rebecca, Shawn's wife asked, offering them each a glass. "It's rare I get the chance to share some of my stash with guests since Shawn doesn't drink anymore."

"Oh, sure." Seth took a glass of red, Dean nodded as well. 

"And how was the meet today? Who won it?" Shawn asked, looking expectantly to his guests. "Had to answer emails all evening and by the time I left the office, Chyna and Kev had run out."

"Uh-" Seth started.

"-Gators were formidable opponents," Dean joked, swirling the wine in the glass and peering at it, as if he knew what he was doing. "I'd guess you guys won, had the home advantage and all."

"Yeah, well," Shawn wiggled, "We always win, what can I say." 

"Do you help coach them?" Seth asked curiously. "Or do you just... run the pool?"

"I try'n do outreach stuff when I can, lots of scholarship swim lessons and water safety stuff. Most of my end is coordinating swimmers at the University with our facilities." He explained, sipping off of his glass of water. "I sit behind a desk a lot, nowadays it's fun when I can get in the pool."

"And… a farm?" Seth smiled, gesturing around. "That's a lot of work! If you do all of what Hunter and Steph do plus _this_ -"

"Well, I run a much smaller, _ athletics _ focused facility-" he clarified, pointing a thumb out back, toward his backyard, bracelets jingled on his wrist. "And then, this is what _ I _ wanted for my family."

Surely not every pool manager could own acres of land, but Shawn's idyllic life inspired Seth. Despite the fact that he had no really specific career goals past teaching in aquatics, a 'simple' life of living off the land appealed to his midwestern sensibilities. Sitting in Shawn's home, eating good food and listening to the banter of his wife and children reminded him of holiday's with his grandparents on their plot of land. Even the chandelier hanging from the ceiling was similar.

"Pass the cornbread." Dean mumbled through a mouthful of food, pointing to his plate. Seth passed it along, then wiped his mouth, lost in thought for a moment.

"Well, The bedroom downstairs is really cool and nice right now." Shawn sighed, setting his silverware down on his plate. "It's not The Ritz, but it's two pretty comfy beds. There's a bathroom down there too so you boys can shower and do your thing."

"Thanks." Dean looked meaningfully to their host. "Now… before I get  _ too  _ clean, I'm wonderin' how Cheddar is doin'"

"Oh, Cheddar?" Shawn laughed. "She's doin' great. Made a bunch of cheese with her milk just the other day."

"We have goats." Shawn's son explained, bored, as Seth looked confused.

"No sweat, let's finish up here and we'll take the ATV over to the compost heap, I'll show you how the animals are doin'." Shawn grinned. "I got a few more since you were here. Pigs and horses now, not just chickens."

"And a sugar glider." Shawn's daughter piped up, "But she lives inside."

Shawn's children cleared the table and helped with the dishes while the adults sat and talked for awhile. Feeling a little more lively and awake now that he'd eaten, Seth petted Shawn's dog and drank from his wine glass, holding himself back from asking Shawn a million questions about swimming and the Olympics.

"Phelps came through pretty recently actually." Shawn laughed at Seth's awestruck expression. "Locte's not quite as dumb as everyone thinks he is, but he's still, well, a very _physically_ minded guy. He swim's fast for America, right? Give him a break!"

"They come through your facility?" Seth had to keep remembering to pull his mouth shut, Dean chuckled.

"Yeah, they'll come through town and do press things every once and a blue moon, need a pool to train at in the meantime, so I hook 'em up." Shawn pulled out his phone, showing a picture of himself crowded around a bunch of speedo-clad swimmers, all smiling eagerly and giving thumbs up. "It's nice, they rep the gators and sometimes they even talk with the kids. Great opportunities."

"You gunna quit?" Dean laughed at Seth's expression. "Move to Gainesville and work here?"

"It's  _ tempting _ ." Seth said, shaking his head. "There was a time where I thought I'd be doing swimming and stuff for my life, you know? That's just so cool that you were able to do all that."

"It was nice," Shawn said humbly, shrugging rather unbelievably, as if he was talking about a nice sandwich he'd eaten . "Gave me the ability to have what I have now, I don't take it for granted."

"Dishes are done." Shawn's son had reappeared. "Can I go now? I'll gas up the car."

"Be back... before midnight." Shawn sighed, digging in his pocket and extracting a set of keys. "Watch the Escalade in the driveway. You wanna bring the compost out by the ATV on the way out? We're gunna put it away."

Shawn's acreage had a small hobby farm, a fenced in dirt arena for horseback riding, a gun range and a workshop for maintaining the property. The compost heap was only about a half a mile away, but they elected to take some ATV's for fun's sake. 

"You drive these things much?" Seth asked, clambering into the back as Dean insisted he drive. 

"I did last time I was here." He turned the key. "It's fun stuff. I wouldn't mind living out in the country, you can do whatever the hell you want."

Seth nearly screamed with laughter as they took off after Shawn, instinctively he leaned in and held his friend's waist, gripping tight as they hit little bumps in the dirt, jarring them back and forth. His heart raced as they rode up a little hill, watching the trees sway in the wind as the sun went down, dipping the horizon line. It had been such a fun day, he was so glad Dean had thought to bring him along.

"Thanks for this," Seth said allowed, squeezing his lover's sides. "Good little work trip."

"Yeah, Shawn's the shit, ain't he?" Dean agreed, sort of missing the point of the compliment as they bucked over another bump, jostling around. They passed closer to the fence and suddenly there was a herd of horses running up next to them, excited. Seth watched, amazed.

"Aww, I already fed you idiots!" Shawn grumbled, slowing and hopping off of his ride. Dean parked a little farther ahead, taking an extra second to maneuver the vehicle. The horses brayed and whined, "Don't talk back!"

"Do you ride them?" Seth asked curiously, coming up next to Shawn and watching as he tickled their noses, making their mouth's twitch. 

"Sometimes. My kids like to do that stuff more." Shawn explained. "They teach other folks for money every now and then. Pigs and goats are more my deal." He hoisted the bucket out of the back of his ATV and walked it over to a large, boxed in mound of food waste. Flies swarmed the area, buzzing eagerly as he dumped the contents of the bucket over the top. 

For all the giggling Dean had done at Seth's expense for being so interested in Shawn's career- Seth gladly returned for Dean's affinity for the farm animals. Shawn opened up the gate to the goat pen and immediately Dean laughed excitedly, eager to greet each one as it trotted out to graze.

"Cheddar is huge now!" He remarked, patting the fattest brown goat on the back as it leaned into him warmly, bleating with enthusiasm. 

"Yeah she's a fatty." Shawn observed, folding his arms. Dean stooped, grabbing a handful of grass and offering it to the goat palm up. Seth just snickered, rolling his eyes a little, that was, until a snorting shuffling noise was heard and he turned to see a huge pig, staring at him wisely.

"That's Mac." Shawn nodded, Seth bit his lip, restraining himself gushing over how cool the pig was. He scratched its ears and let it sniff his hand, sweetly. 

They penned the animals back up just before the hens came flying out to investigate, but, remembering Roman's request, Seth snapped some photos to show. They thanked Shawn for humoring them with their request to see his property and trekked back to the farmhouse to settle in for the evening. Riding back, watching the horses chase them around once more, Seth sighed, dipping his forehead against Dean's back, yawning wide.

"I bet I smell like goats." Dean remarked loudly over the noise of the vehicle, Seth just nuzzled in more, not really caring.

The basement of the house doubled as a laundry room and a wine cellar with a guest bed and bath, staying comfortably chilled in comparison to the rest of the home. After grabbing their bags from the car, Dean and Seth alternated showering, sending off some quick texts to Hunter and Roman, assuring them that they were fine and that everything was going smoothly. 

"'Wife found the good stuff-" Shawn skipped into the room as Seth was toweling off his hair, wearing some shorts and a T-shirt for pajamas. "She said this was good for sunburns. Was there anythin' else that you needed for the night?" 

"I think we're good." Seth smiled, "This has been really fun for a work trip, thanks so much man, we really appreciate you putting us up like this."

"Anytime!" Shawn nodded hugely, eyes sweet and honest. "I gotta bunch of halloween decorations for ya' to take back to Hunter, I figure if he doesn' want 'em he can just toss em, but he was sayin' he wanted some awhile back. So tomorrow before you leave, we'll just load 'em in the car. We'll make some breakfast or somethin' to see you guys off."

"Sounds great." Seth beamed. 

With much assurance that if they needed anything they could ask and that any food they wanted was fair game- Shawn bade him goodnight, trotting back up the stairs, leaving Seth to tie his hair up into a bun and investigate the redness haloing his neck in a long, stand up mirror.

"My phone buzz?" Dean asked, coming out of the bathroom wearing his pajamas. Seth shook his head, looking to the device laying on the opposite bed. Dean checked it anyway, hair dripping a little on the carpet, he was just as pink as Seth was.

"Roman texted me though." Seth offered, "Says he's happy you found the farm."

"Hmm," 

"Do you think-" Seth sat on the floor next to his bed, unscrewing the cap on the little salve lotion. "You can help me get my back with this stuff?"

Dean set his phone down, looking up. 

"Yeah, yeah, if you can do me."

Seth took off his shirt and Dean sat on the bed behind him, liberally applying the lotion. They were each quiet, listening to the sounds of a washing machine tumbling slowly and the pipes of the house talking. Seth could hear Dean breathing, his hands smoothing gently against his skin, giving him tingles and shivers against the cool air.

"You're weirdly good at this." Seth mumbled, sinking a little lower against his knees, groaning as Dean massaged, coating the burned area, but also kneading against his muscles. 

"I'm good with my hands." Dean snickered. "I'd be all over you if it wasn't for the fact that 'm pretty sure we're right under the kids bedroom."

"Classic Gentleman." 

Dean worked up his neck, smoothing circles around his strained muscles and tickling idly at the little baby ringlets that hung in curls at his hairline. Seth closed his eyes, quite comfortable on the hard ground, wondering why he didn't ask for more massages. The sensation was so nice, gave him such sweet shivers, he felt the rest of his body drooping, begging the feeling to continue for as long as possible.

"I'm shit in comparison," Seth warned, smiling, "Never was really good at back rubs."

"That's 'k." Dean patted his back lightly, "I don't really like them as much as everyone else does." 

Dean's back was a smattering of knots and sore spots, various tan lines had all overlapped over time, his skin a little pinker than Seth's darker skin tone. They swapped spots and Dean took off his shirt, vibrating at the sensation of the cool air as Seth worked carefully, making sure the most burned areas got a good layering of lotion. His fingers felt clumsy and stupid, unsure exactly what was the best way to knead and apply pressure, he tried mimicking whatever Dean had done.

"Is there… anything that White Water does for halloween?" Seth thought out loud, trying to distract his friend from his poor massage work.

"I think so." Dean pondered. "Sami gives out candy I think. Steph was talking about doing something special this year though."

"Yeah?"

"Like some special programming." Dean yawned. "Like log rolling or games or something."

"Oh," Seth nodded, rubbing little circles with his thumbs. "Do you know about anything fun going on? Cool stuff to do around town?"

"Sometimes there's... parties." Dean hummed. "I never know what I'm doing until the night of though. You wanna go out and get dressed up?"

"Maybe, I haven't really done Halloween for a few years." 

Seth wanted to lean in, drape himself over Dean and just breathe him in for a moment, but it was risky with a sunburn. He missed the little intimate moments that they had shared during his stay at his apartment, the way his things had smelled faintly of Dean for a few days after. It had been the closest they'd been since parting ways and now, so close, Seth wondered how he'd been able to stay apart for so long. Despite it all, he just leaned back against the bed, heaving a sigh.

"I'm tired, let's sleep."

"Yeah."

Bypassing all the usual fidgeting and turning he usually did in a bed that wasn't his own, Seth immediately snoozed, worn and exhausted from his long day, rest came over him quickly. Dead to the world, he didn't even dream, too tired to do anything but lay relaxed and entangled in the light sheets. 

His phone alarm woke him around eight, penetrating the cool darkness of the basement. He grunted and turned, quickly shutting off the noise, prepared to nap for a little while longer. He was still tired, perhaps because the sun hadn't woken him. His legs were sore and achey.

Dean was rustling around on the opposite bed, shifting around, then rising to wake up. Still too bleary to feel motivated, Seth didn't move until he heard a thumping of feet descending the stairs and fingers combing through his hair lightly. 

"There's pancakes." Dean said simply, as if that settled the matter.

Never quite the morning person, Seth was glad that Shawn's family didn't seem too offended with how quiet and bewildered he was, wandering through their house. He paced for a minute, trying to get his bearings until Rebecca pressed a huge cup of coffee in his hands and helped him find a spot at the table. He rubbed his eyes, pressing his hair back, out of his line of sight and yawned until a large serving plate full of flapjacks was deposited in the middle of the table. Thankfully, they bypassed grace, starting their meal with gusto.

"Sleep good last night?" Shawn beamed, somehow the most enthusiastic and clear headed of the bunch. Feeling quite like teen boys in overlarge cotton shirts and sweatpants, Dean and Seth each mumbled something gracious, nodding their heads and sipping from their mugs. "Got all that stuff bagged up to go in the car. It was great having you guys here! It was so nice to see you again Seth." Shawn turned to Dean, eyes twinkling a little. "I'm really glad you're doing so well."

"Thanks." Dean managed a half smile, " _Sest La vee_ , or... something like that…"

Comparably more lively and awake once they'd been caffeinated, both men cleaned up the basement and got their things packed up into the car. Seth looked at Dean a little puzzled, trying to think of how Shawn's words made sense.

"Does he know about your whole apartment mess?" Seth asked, handing off grocery bags full of little plastic jack-o-lanterns to his friend in the back. "It looked weird when he told you you were 'doing well'..."

"Oh... that's just cause the last time he saw me I was like, still sorta struggling with being a person." Dean explained softly, rubbing his nose. "I think when I came up, Hunter warned him I was still within ninety days or whatever so they thought I was gunna be a mess. 

"Ninety days?" Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Like, sobriety?"

"Oh... but... you drink, yeah?"

"Yeah, that doesn't count."

Shawn hugged them both, his dogs at his side as he waved them off, insisting if they were ever in Gainesville they were welcome at his house. Dean elected to drive this time, and so Seth squared up the GPS and they began traveling down the dirt road leading towards the main way.

It was quiet, quieter than usual. Seth fidgeted, now a little overfull of coffee and wired a tight as they sped past the sweaty little grass patches, heading toward the highway. He examined his face in the fold out mirror and tied his bun up a little more neatly. 

"You don't got work tonight, do you?"

"Nah."

He still felt a little awkward, prodding into Dean's personal life, never really sure what was acceptable and what was prying. Seth tried not to think too hard on the matter, but rather, thought fondly of Shawn's home and his hospitality, missing his own family in Davenport. He wasn't overly fond of the sort of closed mindedness that came with living in rural areas, but there was plenty of antisocial types that lived in the city as well. There was some part of him, some basic instinct deep down that made him certain he'd return home sometime. Florida was nice, but he couldn't imagine making it a permanent residence. Perhaps once he'd figured his life out some and gotten sick of the heat, he'd wander back home to his family and simple living.

Dean's hand wandered across the center console, giving his knee a friendly squeeze.

"You think you c'n tell Uce we're on our way back?" He asked, "He'd probably wanna know."

"Sure," Seth pulled out his phone, texting quickly.

"You have fun?" Dean ask, his thumb circling the inside of his leg carefully. He sped up a little, passing a car as Seth sent a message and pocketed his device again.

"Yeah, it was great." Seth smiled. "Coffee's got me all jittery, but I had a blast. Gainesville seemed pretty cool."

"I'm gunna have to get a bike or something." Dean nodded. "That park was so fun. If there's anything even kinda like that in Orlando I'm gunna be hitting it every weekend. What was that thing you got the coupon on?"

"Groupon." Seth chuckled. "Website thing, shows you deals."

"Mm, I gotta look at that."

Dean's hand continued to rub his knee and Seth enclosed it with his own wide hand, watching, trancelike as they awkwardly held hands, trading touch and twining their fingers. The morning wood Seth had labored over trying to hide earlier throbbed dully, he readjusted, clearing his throat a little and sinking lower in his seat. 

He hadn't even jerked off in a few days so it was starting to get to him, boiling at the surface obnoxiously, without reason. 

"It's hot." Dean remarked dully, drumming his free hand on the steering wheel. Seth mumbled and Dean shot him a cheeky glance, watching the road lazily.

"If this divider wasn't so big, we could give each other road head."

He blinked, looking at Dean wearily.

"You mean, _ you _ could get your dick sucked." Seth said, voice catching in his throat a little. "I dunno how you would suck me off without killing us both."

"You watch, I steer." Dean snickered. Seth rolled his eyes, but quickly, without much thought, he shuffled as close as possible to the middle, his cock twittering eagerly at his thighs. 

He'd never done anything sexual on the road before, never fucked around in a company car. Dean's hand smoothed the inside of his leg sweetly and slowly, pushing up the fabric of his shorts to linger over his exposed skin. Seth sank lower, groaning lightly and watching the hand as it glided over the straining bundle of cloth in the inseam of his pants.

"I missed you," Seth blurted quietly, the feeling falling out of his mouth before he could articulate it better. His brain felt numb, stupid, the touch and the heat and the thrill of cars passing by, unaware, revving him up more. "Missed… feeling… gettin…"

"Yeah?" Dean purred, looking over his shoulder and merging into the exit lane. "I wanna be cool about this but I also don't want to not kill us."

"Good call." Seth licked his lips, watching as they turned off the road, heading towards a rest stop. At the light, Seth eagerly pulled Dean's hand over his dick, pressing it down, making him feel that quivering anticipation.

They parked on the far side of the lot, not wanting to be troubled by some family caravan or a long haul trucker. The lights of the engine died and Dean tossed the keys on the dashboard, grinning and tossing off his seatbelt while Seth practically threw himself over the gear shift. 

It was risky, no doubt, but it was exhilarating. It wasn't even noon yet, they could move quickly and  wouldn't lose too much time. If anyone had come close to the car they would have gotten an earful of moaning and groaning, both men tugging at each other, mouths locking, overeager. Seth's heart beat fast, his hips bucking as Dean wiggled him out of his pants just enough to be available, their eyes meeting for a moment as they worked to coordinate, cramped in the small space.

The look in Dean's eyes suggested a mutual longing, recalling a sensation he didn't know he'd missed. Sex was sex and each of them were looking for satisfaction, but for a moment, the clumsiness of it all was eased.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing is weirdly hard right now. I sat on this chapter for awhile. Hope it feels alright.
> 
> Just too busy enjoying my summer I guess. Review, etc. Hope you enjoyed.


	44. Ties that bind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are back at White Water and they're back to their old tricks again. Swim Lessons. The monthly in-service meeting. Who knew being bound could feel so good?

"How we doin' how's the pool doin'?"

"Huh?"

Seth snapped around, blinking hard. Wendy had come by, on her way to the far lap lane she always used for aqua jogging. Seth had been hypnotized, watching the only swimmer in the pool in lane three. He hadn't worked early in awhile.

"Sorry," he rubbed his eyes, smiling at Wendy. "I'm good how're you?"

"Oh, same ol' same ol'." She teetered off to grab a flotation belt. "Hangin' in there."

Seth sat up a little straighter, trying to stay alert as his ratio doubled to two. He'd managed to rest up some over the weekend, but he was going to be working doubles each day now, guarding the pool in the morning and teaching in the afternoon. The trip had been so enjoyable. He and Dean had had their fun together and the moment they'd returned, both were eager to tell Roman all about it.

"Have you biked before?" Dean immediately asked, pointing to the larger man, accusatory. "That shit was some of the best fun I've had in years, do you have a mountain bike?"   


"Uh-" Roman smiled, looking at both of the men striding up his walkway, sunburned and sweaty. Kevin barked from between his legs and Seth's head shot up eagerly, stooping to reunite with his pet.

"Hey buddy!" Seth exclaimed, laughing as Kevin could hardly contain his enthusiasm, barking and jumping back and forth, growling excitedly.

"He was a good boy." Roman relayed, peering at Dean. "Man, you guys got toasted."

Seth opted to sit inside for a little while, tired of driving all day. He held Kevin close to his chest and petted his head, accepting a glass of water and plopping himself down on the couch without much thought. Both he and Dean looked rather raggedy, but they never told Roman that they'd sucked each other off in the Escalade. 

_ Well, at least Seth hadn't told.  _

"You get a lotta sun this week'n?" Wendy asked as Seth did a lap of the pool, grinning at his pink skin. Seth smiled robotically, it was the fifth time someone thought to mention it now and it was wearing on his nerves. However, Wendy, old and sweet as she was hadn't meant any harm by it.

"Yeah, yeah," Seth scratched his head, watching the other swimmer carefully. "Drove up to Gainesville to help guard and got to get outside a little bit. Biking."

"Have some fun?"

"Yeah," Seth repeated. "Yeah it was great. I liked getting outside."

"Well, that's alrigh'"

Seth nodded, continuing his way around the pool, adjusting the waistband on his trunks a little. Things were going reasonably well. Since he'd elected to relax a little and put his worries aside, he'd been able to enjoy himself enough. He didn't want to think he was _ suppressing _ any romantic feelings or trying to stop them from happening, but Dean and Roman were so laid back he didn't really think there was any point to messing up what they had.

"He was a little sad, but he did alright." Roman explained, watching him pet Kevin's head. The dog seemed perfectly content now that Seth was sitting, stroking the velvet softness of his ears. "He's a good dog."

"Thanks again though," Seth blushed, "For watching him and all that."

"No problem."

Hunter and Stephanie were just pleased that they'd been able to find two reliable guards to assist. After dropping off the car, Stephanie eagerly passed them thank-you cards with fifty bucks cash bursting from the envelope. It was hard to imagine finding a pair of bosses more gracious.

Though, that didn't make the actual job any less lengthy. At noon, Seth passed his tube off to Becky and went to go quickly eat a lunch. That afternoon it would be his first time teaching his Sea Turtle classes where Roman wouldn't even be on the deck, and then afterwards, Hunter was running a portion of the monthly inservice that was guaranteed to be a longer meeting. 

" _ I'm _ actually required to go." Sami explained as Seth camped out behind the lobby counter with his Easy Mac cup. "Me, Kev, Summer and Tyler... we're doing some assistance thing, with… a backboard?"

"Dang, really?" Seth mumbled, exasperated. If Sami was right, they would be running through spinal scenarios, which always took ages in large groups.

"Yeah," Sami said, smiling and waving to a guest as she left. "As if there aren't a billion guards to deal with that stuff anyways."

Finishing up quickly, as he saw some of the parents in his class come and check in, Seth went to go change. Roman had asked him seriously if he'd wanted any help, but Seth knew just from looking at him that he really didn't want to get in the pool.

"I thought you were in a good spot." Seth mumbled, watching his friend groan and tap through spreadsheets, annoyed. "Just last week everything was so slowed down."

"It's… a balance." Roman muttered, kneading his forehead. "'M trying to combine some of the classes just so I don't gotta spend whole days in the pool. We still need more instructors."

"Well, don't worry about me." Seth said confidently. "I think Emmanuel's mom speaks enough English to get the jist of what's going on."

On the whole, the class was going a lot more smoothly anyway. All of the babies were getting in the rhythm of being near the water and were keen to be excited about the whole ordeal rather than anxious. Before class, early-arrivers typically played in the shallow, practicing jumping with a parent.

"She loves it," Tabitha's mother explained, helping her daughter back to the wall. "She always wants to sing Wheels On The Bus in the bath now. She says it's  _ Mister Set' song! _ " 

"Yeah?" He cackled, Tabitha kicked her legs, too shy to look him in the eye, preoccupied with grabbing a rubber duck. 

With the exception of Stanley, who was prone to mini-meltdowns any time he got his face wet, almost everyone was doing well. Seth shifted through assisting with each baby, holding them in his hands and encouraging them to kick and blow bubbles, now a little more acclimated to working with the parents. It was certainly strange, taking a child from their mother or father for a few moments to 'borrow' them. Stanley and Rudy still didn't trust him much, their faces would grow more and more uncomfortable the longer they were separated, but Tabitha and Rudy were eager to take part.

"One...Two…" Seth prompted, daintily holding onto Rudy's tiny hands while he stood on the edge of the deck. Rudy bounced up and down excitedly, keening and giggling. "Three!"

He jumped, and Seth let him slip under the water for a few moments before dragging him up and bouncing him on his waist in a congratulatory manner.

"Good job buddy!" All the parents clapped happily, showing their support. Rudy just kicked Seth's sides, pointing back to the deck. 

A few songs and some noodle races, then the class was over. Seth gave each parent a progress report for swimming skills, then regrouped to do the whole thing over again with his second session of three girls. Roman came out to check on the state of things close to the end, pleased to see Seth was doing alright and keeping up an energetic attitude. Pharah, the youngest of the three, was still prone to anxious tantrums, but after a few classes, Seth was beyond letting it bother him too much. 

"We're gunna do the in-service in here tonight." Roman explained after the class, watching him pack away the flotation belts and noodles he'd used. "Good job today."

"Thanks," Seth grunted, rising back up to his full height after stooping to fix the box of class supplies. His fingers were pruney, his skin was cold and he didn't have much time to run upstairs to the spa to warm up. "I'm so tired, I just want to go home. Man, you're lucky you don't have to-"

Roman raised an eyebrow as Seth clamped his mouth shut on his words, suddenly realizing what he had said. His face flushed and he looked at the floor, embarrassed. 

"Yeah?" Roman muttered.

"I'm sorry." he blurted, "That was dumb."

"I'm... gunna be upstairs." Roman said coldly, shifting awkwardly in the doorframe, clearly taken aback. "I've got my own shit to do."

"Sorry-" Seth mumbled again, not really sure if Roman had heard him before he walked off without much of a second glance.

Seth considered himself a pretty average complainer, someone that, by default, usually got through things with a fair share of griping. He never really thought it was a _big_ deal, he'd always put a great deal of effort into whatever he was doing so it was never a real detriment. Over the years, Seth had gotten a lot better about his attitude- but he still had moments where he realized mid-conversation how ungrateful and spoiled he sounded.

"Hey, I got Flippers." Dean said cheerfully, plopping a pizza down on the deck-bench as a crowd of guards came in. Seth looked up from where he'd been sitting, surprised. "I used to get one like, _every_ in-service, but then they shut down the one over here. So I drove across the highway and got this pie." He sat down right next to Seth, seemingly unaware that he had nothing to contribute. "I had to guard for a sec cause Finn actually had to make a save earlier! Hunter is in love with that dude, man. Kid has seen so much action already. Anyways, well... we'll probably talk about it tonight anyway... Did you want a drink?"

Seth sighed, taking a slice of pizza from Dean and biting into it, resigned. 

The guard staff crowded around them, trying to sneak pieces of pizza before Hunter came out to start the meeting. Finn came out through the men's locker room looking a little worn and was immediately mobbed with people asking about the save.

"New Mister Popular." Sasha chuckled, fidgeting with the seam on her swim suit. "But then, the  _ best _ guards don't have to get in the pool, yeah?"

"Was it sudden illness or something?"

"It was in the lap pool-"

"Is everyone here?" Randy called over the crowd of guards. Sami and Kevin came in, looking very odd wearing swim wear for once. "I don't want to be here all night. Everyone, sign in."

"You good?" Dean asked, passing the roster sheet to Seth, who blinked a few times, trying to psyche himself up a little.

"Not in a great mood." Seth mumbled, "I… well... I can tell you later-"

"Watch ya' toes ladies-" Enzo quipped, cutting through the huddle of bodies on the deck, holding a backboard over his head. "We got dem boards from the basement so we can make 'dis quick."

"We here? Alright!" Hunter beamed at his staff, quieting down to attention. "Alright, so we're skipping the fitness portion tonight cause we're going to board in the deep end, and I think that's torture enough. The deal is, everyone will do deep  _ and _ shallow, yeah?" Hunter pointed to both ends of the pool. "We'll have two boards at each side, and what I want to do is cycle all the front of the house staff through as bystanders so they can learn to assist. Chances are, you'll never be alone in the facility with just Sami-"

"Wouldn't that be fun." Kevin snorted, laughing at the confused expression on his friends face.

"-But," Hunter cut through the muttering and giggling. "If for whatever reason you can't get assistance from another guard, you need to know how to get someone to help you. All the guards will be checked off for completing a primary and a secondary role-" Stephanie started handing everyone sheets. "Either Randy, Dolph, Dean or Myself can help you with that."

"Wait, what'am I doin?" Dean choked through his pizza, dusting crumbs off his hands, Seth passed him a sheet and he looked down the skills checklist. "Oh... ok, cool."

"Please stay and play victim for a little bit after you get checked off, too." Stephanie suggested. "Don't just fly out of here the second you finish."

Dean, Randy and Dolph ran through a quick demo in the shallow end for some of the newer recruits and folks that were a little rusty on their skills. Seth watched dully, a little exasperated he even had to partake as he was an instructor himself. Why didn't Hunter ask him to help check others off? Was it just seniority?   


"Finn was _fantastic_ though," Seth overheard Hunter mention to Stephanie, just as Randy got the board to the deck. "I guess that that woman just didn't know that there was a deep end? Filling out the incident report itself was tough, her english was… non existent."

"He's a great hire." Stephanie agreed. Seth smiled a little, taking the words as a compliment to his ability to teach. "One of the best we've had for a long time."

But wait, how long was a  _ long time _ ? Finn could be the best of the group they'd just hired, sure. But Finn wasn't better than he was...

"So just make sure that you break everything down to simplest terms. Communicate." Dolph suggested, taking the straps off of Dean now that he was on the deck. "If you're dealing with someone that isn't certified, don't assume they know how to do anything."

"Team?" Cesaro asked, raising both of his fists in the air and looking at Seth, he blinked, then smiled, nodding his head. 

"We're _also_ on the team," Sasha declared, looking to Bayley. "Let's get the deep water crap over with."

The four adopted Kevin into their group and went to the opposite side to cycle through their skills. Randy watched, holding on to each of their sheets, watching as Seth and Sasha worked on strapping Cesaro to the board. Even with two people, it was incredibly difficult leveling out the large man and sinking the board under him evenly as they hastily tread water.

"I am a good floater." Cesaro smiled between Sasha's hands, water splashed up against his face as she tried to stabilize him, but he just closed his eyes, smiling serenely.

"Did you want another tube?" Bayley offered to Seth, who bobbed back and forth, tossing the straps over Cesaro's body.

"Y-yeah-" he panted, eagerly leaning on it, minimizing the effort it took to remain upright. In no time at all, Cesaro was on the deck, being unstrapped while Randy ran down their papers, initialing by the boxes.

"Ok, cycle through. Kevin and Cesaro this time though, run through the actions."

"Nous Serons!" Cesaro said gleefully, looking to Kevin, who grinned. The two eagerly began conversing in French, much to the dismay of Randy.

"Goddamn frogs," he cursed. Bayley eagerly got in to participate as the victim, "If you guys screw up, you have to speak in English."

A couple cycles through, the group had their skills checked off and Kevin felt comfortable assisting with the procedures. However, they were one of the only groups that were running smoothly, as most were having real difficulty putting all the steps in order quickly. 

"Baron, are you forreal right now?" 

Seth watched with a grimace as Baron had started putting the head blocks on first, clearly the wrong order. He frowned, setting them aside and surveying the scene in front of him. Paige and Charlotte stood, arms crossed while Dean clicked his tongue, dripping on the deck.

"All done with the deep?" he asked, tapping his clipboard on Seth's shoulder playfully. Dean leaned in, grinning. "Give me your sheet, I'll just mark you off dude."

"What?" Seth smiled nervously, Cesaro and Sasha were right behind him, watching Baron reach over Neville, velcroing him in unbearably tight.

"Is there a board?" Cesaro asked, running a hand across his brow.

"In a sec," Dean pointed at Xavier, E and Kofi, "They're about done."

Seth could feel Dean's eyes on the back of his head as he sat on the side of the pool, waiting. He was just going to feel crummy, there wasn't much else to it. There wasn't really a great way to make up for what he'd said, he would just have to wait until Roman wasn't mad at him anymore. 

By comparison, Dean seemed much more enthusiastic than he'd been in a while. The getaway to Gainesville seemed to do him a lot of good, getting him away from his apartment situation. 

"We got this!" Bayley grabbed the board from Xavier, nodding to Sasha. "I'll get primary checked off."

"Play dead, Seth," Dean instructed, Seth blushed but obliged, sliding into the pool and going limp, sinking halfway under the water.

Relaxing and letting the women pull him to the surface and stabilize his head felt soothing. His ears plugged up with water and he closed his eyes, allowing the world to dim until he was eventually hoisted out and lowered onto the deck.

"I might have got your hair in the velcro-" Bayley said apologetically, loosing the forehead strap and allowing his neck to move. "Here- I'm sorry…"

"It's fine." Seth laughed, shaking his head a little, his ears were still plugged up. 

"Cesaro, swap… in…" Dean waved, turning the sheets over. "Sasha."

Seth scratched his nose, looking curiously at Dean, but Dean just nodded to him, checking bullet points on his clipboard. Again, Seth floated face down on the surface, feeling Cesaro's hands this time, pulling up his arms to squeeze them against his head, keeping his spine in a straight line as he turned. Sasha acted as the secondary, pushing the board under him and pulling out the straps.

"I checked him off earlier," Seth could hear Dean lie from the surface, muted by the water in his ears. He tried not to smile stupidly, knowing Cesaro was right above him, keeping the board straight against the wall. Everything was so relaxing, his body felt light and comfortable, restrained as he was.

"Ready?" Cesaro asked, Sasha came out and pulled. "One… two…"

This repeated twice more, getting everyone through every role, except for Seth who was becoming more and more quiet and carefree with each scenario. 

"You good?" Cesaro laughed, clapping him on the back after he let out another long sigh, sitting on the deck with his feet in the pool.

"Yeah, yeah," Seth mumbled, "Just tired is all. So many hours today."

"Hmm," Everyone was just about finished, toweling off and making their way to the showers. "Well, good job. You were a good victim."

"Thanks," Seth laughed, eyes just a little dozy and half lidded. Dean was slipping into the pool, grabbing some of the head blocks to the board that had floated away. Kevin had already left and the rest of the group dwindled, thanking Dean and setting their papers on Hunter's binder.

"You didn't have to do that." Seth sighed, wincing as Dean splashed him lightly. He made wide strides of the pool, setting the rest of the in-service supplies on the deck. There were still a handful of groups finishing up.

"Why not? I know you know all that junk. I watched you teach it when I helped out." Dean just shrugged. "Not gunna tattle on me, are you?"

"Nah." Seth shrugged, looking down at his feet kicking lightly back and forth. 

They both went to shower and change, leaving Dolph and Hunter to wrap up the rest of the class. Even standing through a rousing shower, the warm, uncomplicated buzz of being so relaxed didn't quite wear off. His mind felt blank and calm, his limbs, normally sore from working out, felt light.

"You were in a crappy mood anyway, right?" Dean asked as they packed up their bags, ready to leave. The facility was closed to the public now, the sun was setting as they walked out of the locker rooms, making their way down the long hallway to the back exit. Seth followed Dean blindly, trying to think of what to say.

"Yeah, well, I'm ok now I guess." Seth hummed, allowing Dean to open the door for him. "I… well… I was complaining about doing the in-service and accidentally like, told Rome' he was lucky he _didn't_ have to do it. It was... shitty." he rubbed his eyes, feeling in his pocket for his keys. "I told him I was sorry, but it was still pretty off putting." 

"Hmm," Dean grunted, Seth looked up, a soft breeze teasing his wet hair. They were walking along the fence of the water park before Seth realized he'd actually parked out front.

"My car-" he turned around, thinking. "But wait, didn't Rome' drive you?"

"Yup," Dean mumbled, pulling out his keys anyway and coming to the padlocked back door. Seth stopped, looking around. There were a few people way off in the distance going to their cars, but no one was actually watching them.

"Well?" Dean tossed his head toward the door, smiling keenly, Seth clumsily fast-walked over, bag bouncing at his hip.

Still not particularly proud of himself for what they were using the water park for, he was still just a little too numb to it all to care. The moment the door shut behind them, Dean's hands wrapped around his waist, feeling the waistband of his pants and playing with the hem of his shirt. Seth closed his eyes, tucking his chin to his chest and breathing softly. He let his bag fall to the ground with a thud and Dean chuckled mischievously.

"Didn't think you'd go so sleepy on me." He mumbled in Seth's ear, patting his ass. "I jus' liked seeing you all wrapped up and taken care of."

"Perv," Seth slurred slightly, trying to open his eyes wide and shake the cobwebs from his head a little. He wasn't even tired really, just jelly-legged. 

"Where do you want to be fucked?" he breathed in his ear, jolting his cock back up to full alertness. "Lazy river? Wave Pool?"

"Water slide." Seth laughed. He'd been joking, but Dean pulled him by the arm, walking him through the path to the main gathering area of the park, both of them cackling the whole way.

It was ludicrous, the whole thing completely inappropriate and dangerous to their employment status. What if they were caught? What if they were seen? The last thing Seth could afford to be was jobless, but it didn't stop him from jogging up the steps to the highest slide with Dean. Both men were trying to race the other, making their way up each flight of stairs, panting and vibrating with excitement. Halfway to the top, Dean mumbled something about lube and condoms in his back pocket and Seth started stripping. By the top step, he was shivering and naked in the breeze, which was much more concentrated as high up as they were.

"Nice," Dean laughed, tugging off his own shirt and grabbing his lover by the sides of his head, forcing their mouths together. They stood, swaying slightly, Seth pressed closer to Dean for warmth and occasionally he flickered his eyes open to see the vast panoramic of the neighborhood around them. The sun had set, the light was dying, there was a good chance that they'd need their cellphone lights to make it down the steps again. Seth's cock throbbed in the open air, pressing eagerly against Dean's.

It was ridiculous, it had only been a few days, but Dean kissed him so hard it felt like months. Seth moaned, loudly, drawing back to press his face to Dean's neck, muttering and squeezing him hard, his ass was clenching hard, shaking.

"Fuck, you're funny right now." Dean observed. "You alright? You're sure?"

"Please... " Seth giggled into Dean's chest. "Please fuck me,"

"You're the boss." Dean snickered, reaching into his pocket and laying a hand on Seth's back tenderly. He fidgeted, moving restlessly, before pulling his arm away and swearing, trying to dig deeper.

"Mmgh?" 

"The rubbers-" Dean groaned. "I think- the lubes here- but the shit felt out when I was running I think."

Both men were quiet for a moment. Dean pulled the lube out and Seth stepped back, holding onto the wooden beam for support. They regarded the little bottle thoughtfully, each a little hesitant to give their opinion. 

"I'm… I'm… fine… with it." Seth said quietly after a few moments consideration. 

"Yeah?" Dean nodded, pulling Seth close and continuing their make out as if nothing had occurred. They each grinned into each other, ravenous and excited. After all, what was another bad decision among many? 

Cocks fevered, Seth slid Dean out of his pants, his head swimming. Without any thought, he sunk to his knees instinctively, sticking the dick as far back into his mouth as it could go, and then sucking it just a bit deeper. Dean swore, backing up against the entrance to the slide, gritting his teeth and holding onto the frame piece with clenched fingers.

"Oh fuck, stop." Dean cried, Seth was going unusually deep, starry eyed and soft as he was. "I won't last if I'm gunna fuck you bare."

"'N fuck me." Seth purred, sitting down on the wood and spreading his legs wide, a little surprised by his own daring. "Fill me up."

"Fuck your sweet mouth." Dean groaned, pinning him down and dry humping him senseless, kissing every part of his neck he could. "Goddamn you're beautiful."

"Please," Seth cried, his whole being undulating and shaking through the tingling of his nerves. Every touch was pleasant, electric yet holding him steadfast. Dean drew back, slicking up his dick and pulling a single sober finger to his rim, preparing him. "No n-no n-no-" Seth wiggled. "You, you I want you."

"Fucking perfect." Dean growled, throwing Seth's leg over his shoulder and without a moment's hesitation, was pressing the head of his cock right up inside him. His muscles lax, his bottom and his stomach loose and accepting, Seth sighed, pulling up his other leg and bracing his arms on the wood surface.

It wasn't a memory foam mattress, but they made due. Despite Seth's enthusiasm, Dean wouldn't ram him, but instead took to rolling into deviously deep pumps, pushing him down hard against the platform and making his eyes roll back and drool fall out his mouth. Going in bare, without any sort of barrier, both men were overloaded with sensation, feeling the full force of the effort.

"So hot." Dean panted, cringing as Seth carefully rolled his own hips, tickling him deep inside. Their gazes met through the fog of it all, and Dean began to pant hard, locking his eyes on Seth's raptured face. His whole chest up to his head was red, his features oddly slack, despite it all, he was still able to read the burgeoning orgasm in his lover's features. Hands clasped in mid air and Dean gripped hard, but then, froze, retreating slightly, caught.

"Come'n me." Seth whispered, lips barely parting, the words falling out in a single breath, some needless command. 

Dean cried out, immediately releasing himself as deep as he could manage it. Seth screwed up his face, the foreign sensation of the warm flood making his spine shiver. His own cock fluttered, throbbing, excited but confused by the slow burning activity.

"Fuck," Dean withdrew, shaking his dick a little, but taking no time to fall upon Seth's cock graciously. He spat into his hands and drew threads of come from the pit in his legs, pumping quickly at the shaft and slapping his thigh. "Come'on babe, you're too good."

Seth gulped for air, straining, he raised his head up, gasping and watching Dean jerk him off. The sight was too much and he snapped his eyes shut, shaking and groaning. He felt so uninhibited. He'd never fucked on a water slide, he'd never felt come in his ass. What was he feeling now?

Fast and sudden, Seth's orgasm tapped at him so quickly it was confusing, the contracting he usually felt was like a staccato, clenching so fast it was difficult to process. Dean's hands were coated with come, catching the majority of the load as it came. He shook, his arms falling to his sides, his mind uninhabited.  

"Shit," Dean, grabbed his own shirt, awestruck. He wiped his hands off, looking around the platform as though he was afraid. "I didn't know you could get dirty like that."

Seth rubbed his face with his hands, blank. His vision actually swam for a moment, but it sharpened as he blinked, staring up into the wide night sky, spotted with strings of clouds. 

"You...ok?" Dean asked, rubbing his leg carefully, checking for responsiveness. Seth mumbled, nodding, feeling and sensation coming back to him slowly. He was only just realizing what they'd done.

"You're something," Dean laughed, "I didn't think you were gunna let me… well… damn. Shit felt real good."

"There's a star." Seth croaked distractedly, his eyes blinking rapidly as his arm raised up, pointing to the top of the sky. Poking out behind a cloud, a bright light shone, too stable and unchanging to be a plane or a satellite. It was a little unusual to clearly spot a star in the city. Dean looked up for a moment, then, paused the wiping of his hands to lay down next to Seth, looking up in a similar fashion to observe the sky.

"Huh, yeah." Dean muttered, scratching his chin. "There's a couple of 'em."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one ran long, oh well. My summer's been busier and crazier than I thought it would be, so I feel like I'm writing infrequently.   
> I feel like everyone in fandom is too busy playing pokemon go to really participate. Are you all doing alright? Wearing sunscreen? I'm not a very high level, I've been too busy and I have limited data D: 
> 
> The theme to this chapter is meditative states and exhaustion. How about that draft? Looking forward to Battleground this Sunday. 
> 
> Review! It helps me keep the fire burning.


	45. Snake Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth's luck is tested as nothing seems to be going as smoothly as he'd like. The gang goes shopping for Halloween costumes.

Still a little unsure about what he had said to Roman, Seth just wanted to get through his days at work as easily as possible. Rather than hanging out in the P-Pool or the Adaptive offices, chilling with Dean or Roman, he kept to the more neutral ground of the break room. After the mind-blowing sex in the water park, everything had felt strange and off-kilter. Seth had wanted to stay with Dean for a while longer- lay out in the park and cuddle with him before they parted ways. But as soon as they'd finished, Dean had been all business, fidgeting and scooping up his clothes.

"You ok?" He'd asked Seth for probably the tenth time as they made their way back out to the parking lot, ready to drive home. Seth rubbed his eyes, looking almost anywhere but his friend, not sure what he was feeling.

"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled. "I'll see you later."

 _Idiot_ Seth thought, not really sure if he meant himself or Dean. Dean just wasn't a very cuddly type he supposed, always a mess of nervous energy. But it was all very obvious right? The longing in Seth's face, the quiet cadence of his voice… what else could it mean?

 _Emotional intuition of a ten year old_ he remembered, starting his car and making his way home. Roman was all touch, very physically attentive. He was one of the few men that could really spoon him properly and didn't mind doing it for hours. Cold from the weather and the pool, Seth was yearning for it more than he'd ever remembered doing so.

"Were you still interested in the inversion clinic?" Cesaro asked, mixing up his protein shake and shutting the break room refrigerator door, jarring Seth out of a daydream.

"Oh yeah- when was that?" He mumbled, turning in his chair. Cesaro grinned.

"Today. But it is alright because you reserved a spot the last time we went in."

"Oh, ok, sure." Seth nodded. "I just have Holly today."

They sat and chatted over a snack, picking at the huge bowl of candy that had been placed in the center of the table. All sorts of decorations had started going up around the facility, advertising the holiday and drop-in Log Rolling classes for the day of Halloween. Both men had a special place in their hearts for peanut butter cups, and so they sorted through the candy, balling up the little foil wrappers.

Seth started embarrassingly when he felt a little plastic spider in the heap of candy, wincing and sighing before they both giggled.

"The worst part of Halloween," Seth admitted. "I hate spiders."

Sasha and Bayley joined them around noon, filling up their water bottles before they would guard P-Pool. Dolph swung by as well, eating a quick meal before he left for the day.

"You guys got your Halloween plans figured out yet?" He asked them, smoothing back his curly blonde hair. "Planning a big party at my loft downtown. You guys should come."

"Is it a costume party?" Bayley asked, eyes widening. "My college had some stuff they were organizing, but that sounds way more fun!"

"Costumes encouraged," Dolph nodded eagerly, "'I'm getting a keg of pumpkin beer, it's mostly gunna be a work thing, but if you have cool friends you wanna invite that's ok."

"We should get costumes before it's too late." Sasha sighed, picking at the candy wrappers on the table. "There's a shop set up by my apartment right now- it's always hell trying to get stuff on the thirtieth or the day of." She looked at Bayley and Seth thoughtfully. "You wanna hit it up at like five or so?"

"Today?" Seth frowned, gesturing to Cesaro. "We're doing gym stuff."

"Six? Seven?" Sasha tried, "You can come too Swiss man."

"Ok, ok." Cesaro laughed. "We will get a quick dinner and we can meet you."

Seth hadn't bothered to really put much thought into Halloween for a few years, typically just whipping something out of his closet if he was obligated to dress up. Because he wasn't a big socialite when it came to these sorts of things, he usually just thought of Halloween as a kid's show. Getting ready for his private lesson and passing by the rows of pumpkin string lights and fake cobwebs lining the hallways, he was actually excited.

"Isn't Roman teaching today?" Seth asked, bewildered as Dean was on the deck in his rash guard.

"I'm doin his private with JJ today cause he's busy." Dean sighed, flipping through a damp clipboard and scratching his nose. Seth raised an eyebrow curiously, Roman didn't really seem like the type to pawn work off on a close friend.

"Really?" Seth mumbled. "It's that bad?" There was a funny feeling sitting in his gut. Dean was avoiding making eye contact… was Roman avoiding him too?

"Mmyah," Dean sat up, nodding. "Some computer bullshit. The shared server roster for all the classes like, didn't save or something? So he's manually writing everything back up." He shrugged. "Happened to me once too, no good."

"Mmhm," Seth hummed, looking around. The swim team wasn't on the deck yet and there was only a few kids in the deep end, swimming in circles. "So long as he isn't still grumpy at me… I guess."

"About what?" Dean squinted. "Oh, the in-service thing? Nah, here's what you need to do with Roman…" Dean cracked his knuckles, leaning in. "You apologized, right? But he needs like more apologies for anything, cause he's sensitive. So what you do is you like, think of a time where he's least expecting it, then like, text him a really thought out apology telling him how great he is."

"Yeah?" Seth laughed, "You do this?"

"Yeah," Dean sniggered. "Trust me, I piss him off way more than you ever could. I uh, forget to put stuff in the fridge sometimes, after I take it out, right? I guess last week really late at night, I took milk out of the fridge and put it in a cupboard for some reason, yeah? Cause I was tired…"

Seth had to bite his lip to keep from laughing, already imagining Roman's bewildered face, opening up his cupboards and finding rotten milk.

"Yeah, so, he just got really pissy about how I always forget stuff like that." Dean shrugged, "So I texted him while I was at work and he got it right after his aerobics class, just told him that he's the best for taking me in and I already bought more milk and stuff."

"You're a professional, Ambrose." Seth chuckled, sitting down next to him. "I'll try that… but hey- did you hear about Dolph's party?"

Holly and JJ both came onto the deck pretty quickly, ready to start. But not before Dean seemed to agree to take the invitation. Apparently Dolph threw lots of little parties where he invited work friends, but Dean hadn't gone to one in some time.

"Guess I gotta dress up." He mumbled, standing up to take JJ by the hand. "You ready little man? I'm Roman's friend…"

"How's it going Holly?" Seth asked cheerfully, looking to Mrs. Shippley and her daughter. His energy faltered slightly as the usually excited faces looked a little drab, Holly was quiet, suddenly shy.

"We'll just see how it goes today," Mrs. Shippley said softly, rubbing her daughter's head comfortingly. "It's been a hard week."

"Yeah?" Seth asked, stooping down to Holly's height and reaching out a hand. "We'll go slow, that's alright."

However, Holly was in a rare form and didn't want anything to do with the pool or Seth. It was bizarre, seeing the girl that had only just recently opened up so much to him, take several steps back. Seth fitted her with a lifejacket, thinking it would at least give her a sense of security when going into the pool, but she faltered as soon as they reached the ramp, holding tight to the railing.

"It's ok," Seth encouraged, holding out his hand. Holly wouldn't take it, standing rooted to the spot and staring at her toes.

Seth sat down in front of her, water up to his stomach, watching Holly carefully. After a few moments, she tried the water, sweeping the shallows with her toes.

Dean had JJ just a few feet away, tossing rubber ducks and encouraging him to paddle and kick with a noodle. He squealed and grunted, getting anxious whenever Dean took the toy from him to throw again, but was distracted well enough. After a few minutes, Holly was convinced to walk down to Seth, still trying her best to pretend he wasn't there.

"Good job!" He said warmly, holding her hands carefully and rubbing her knuckles. Seth had no idea why she was behaving this way, but felt it was best to just roll with whatever she felt capable of doing. Slowly, he took a few steps back, trying to get her to walk down the ramp a little farther.

At the bottom, she apparently reached her limit, pulling herself out of Seth's hold and clutching tight to the railing, her face screwed up and tears poured out. He frowned, pulling in close to her and trying to think what he could possibly say to ease her out of her head a little.

"Today's hard, huh," Seth mumbled, Holly only wailed harder, pressing her forehead to the railing, trying to look anywhere but at Seth. He could feel Dean's eyes on the back of his head, watching carefully. "Come here, hey, It's ok." Seth placed his hands around her sides, prying her from the ramp. She cried out in a short little sobbing scream, but Seth held her to his chest, taking long strides around the shallow. He winced, feeling her tremble and shake, Mrs. Shippley watched, a sad expression occupying her features.

"Just breathe big girl." Seth murmured, rubbing her back. His eyes flickered to the clock, they still had a half hour to go before the class would be over, what the hell was he supposed to do? Holly continued to cry feebly, her hands gripping tight to his rash guard, pressing her head against his shoulder. _Why was this happening?_

"Let's just play with some ducks," Seth tried, grabbing the bin of toys and setting it by the ramp. But even this didn't seem to entice her, she didn't want to let go of Seth even as he sat down on the ramp, patting her head. "We'll just sit down in the water and relax, yeah?"

Holly wiped her eyes, but continued to cry, sitting with her knees tucked into her chest. Seth bit his lip, looking to Dean and Mrs. Shippley, trying to ignore the group of Swim Team kids that were now on the deck, staring rudely.

"Sweetie, you're fine." Mrs. Shippley came over, rubbing her daughter's back. "How about you play with Seth for about ten more minutes, ok? Just try and find your favorite ducks!"

Holly didn't answer however, tucking her head away, making herself as small as possible, she continued to cry, haplessly. Seth looked to Mrs. Shippley, confused.

"It's... well," She continued rubbing her daughter's back. "It's almost her brother's birthday- Nathan- well. It's always really difficult for us right before Halloween. But we tried, didn't we Holly? You tried just like I asked and I really appreciate it sweetheart."

Seth swallowed, unsure what else there was to say. Holly wasn't trying to scramble into her mother's arms, but just sat, unmoving.

"How about-" Seth proposed, thinking on the spot. "How about we call it a day, ok Holly? I wouldn't want to swim if I was sad either." He set his hands by her feet, wondering if it was too much to hope that she might look him in the eyes. "We can meet up next time and we'll play some games instead, how does that sound?"

Holly didn't reply, but she did stop crying, staring down at the tile of the pool, not wanting to give any promises. It occurred to Seth that she probably felt really embarrassed about the whole thing and it was probably just contributing to her stress.

"Do you-" Seth tried, "Holly, do you like mermaids?"

"You like mermaids, don't you?" Mrs. Shippley smiled, rubbing her daughter's shoulder. "Just like barbie right? You have your mermaid toys."

"Next time Holly, I'll be a mermaid for class, ok?" Seth promised, tapping her legs. "Well, a merman I guess, but-"

Holly looked up, confused, she stared at her mother and Seth, face puffy and red from her fit.

"How?" She looked around, frowning.

"You'll see." Seth grinned. "Next time."

Wrapping the class early and hoping for the best for next time was all they could do. Holly teetered off after her mother, taking small, defeated steps. Seth mingled in the shallows for a moment, thinking. It wasn't the worst thing that could've happened, but it felt frustrating to have had such a set back.

"That's what happened with Uce pretty much any time he tried to teach her." Dean explained, coming by with JJ and trying to get him to put his face in the water. "Freaked out every time."

"Mrs. Shippley seemed to understand at least," Seth shrugged. "Still stinks though."

Unfortunately, the Inversion class wasn't much of a pick me up either. About half the size of the regular WOD classes, the group spent some time warming up their shoulders before going through a few steps that would get them comfortable upside down.

"Can you do a handstand?" Cesaro asked, kicking into one with ease and grinning at Seth as he walked forward on his palms. Seth shrugged, eyeing his friend wearily, did he really just sign up to show off?

"I haven't tried in awhile." He admitted, "Guess I'll find out."

They tried lunges in pairs, with Cesaro over-eager to give Seth tips and tricks for getting himself inverted. It was difficult, and Seth was a little timid about kicking his legs up, only managing to get upside-down when he had a wall behind him.

"But you have to get the pop up softer," Cesaro explained, watching him fidget and play with his balance carefully. "Otherwise you will not be able to do it without the wall."

"Yeah, yeah," Seth huffed, trying to position his hands in front of him like the instructor had said. "I'm tryin'"

Far from getting in the usual heart-stopping workout he was used to, Seth struggled with getting the basic forms of the handstand push up down for most of the class. He wasn't quite alone, there were a few other students in the same boat, trembling and shaking as they popped up into the tripod pose and worked through the motions, but Cesaro and a few more senior members had a handstand race at the end of the class, working from one side to the other as quickly as possible.

"Good job," Seth complimented dully, offering Cesaro his water bottle. He grinned, accepting it, but not missing the tone of his friend's voice.

"You too, it's hard work." He said encouragingly. "Did you want to rinse off before we join the girls?"

"No I'm fine," Seth sighed, standing up to his full height. "Let's go."

He followed Cesaro in his own car, insisting that they run through a Taco Bell quickly before meeting Sasha and Bayley at the costume shop. Seth wasn't in the best of moods, would have preferred to just get home and call it a day. But just as Sasha had said, he didn't want to have last pickings over a halloween costume. With the holiday a week away, the stores were sure to be getting busy.

"I guess we're all just full of great ideas tonight." Sasha remarked as Cesaro and Seth parked their cars and headed to the front of the store. All of them were carrying taco bell bags and cups.

"I'm surprised we did not run into you in line." Cesaro chuckled, placing his bag in a garbage can in front of the strip mall.

A light breeze blew through the lot as they made their ways into the store. Seth shuffled in last, pulling down his hood and peering around at the temporary set up of the store. Costumes in bags lined the walls alongside lots of extra displays with accessories and fake blood. At the forefront, a wide array of lawn decorations screamed and lit up as they walked closer.

"Did you want help finding anything?" a chubby faced girl with lots of piercings and rainbow colored hair asked, smiling robotically.

"Oh! We're ok I think..." Bayley shook her head, "You didn't want to do sexy costumes, did you Sash'?"

"Nah, not this year," Sasha shrugged, "I was looking online a little-"

The girls pressed on to the back, Seth just sucked his cheeks, walking slowly and trying to think what appealed to him. Cesaro was eyeing a rack of novelty sunglasses, picking up a pair of aviators and glancing in the mirror.

"A cop maybe?" Seth smiled, watching his friend eye himself. "Those actually look pretty nice. You could wear those every day."

"I wanna do James Bond." He admitted, pouting his face into a sort of complicated, far off look.

"James Bond didn't wear aviators." Seth teased. "Bald James Bond."

"He wore them sometimes." Cesaro continued posing. "Many James Bond's... I have a suit already. Boom, shopping done."

"I have no idea what I should be." Seth hummed, pulling down a paper Batman mask thoughtlessly, playing with the elastic. "What should I be?"

"Maybe a pirate?" Cesaro shrugged. "Or a Jedi. Many things you can do with long hair."

Both men wandered down the shop, pulling down costumes and bags, glancing at the price tags. Seth was very choosy, everything seemed cheap and over-done. He didn't really want to spend a bunch of money unless he could get a lot of use out of the outfit.

"GUYS!" Sasha and Bayley came jumping into view, each wearing huge, loose full body costumes that fit like onesie-pajamas. Both women appeared to be some kind of dog, attached hoods pulled down with appliquéd large, happy eyes. Sasha was pink and Bayley was blue.

"Pets?" Cesaro said dumbly. Sasha tugged down the hood, disbelieving.

"Blue and magenta?" She tried. "Blues clues?"

"That kids show?" Seth laughed. "Oh, ok, now I get it."

"You guys live under a rock." Sasha snorted. "It's a two-fer deal. We look awesome. We're wearing these out of the store."

"Yes," Bayley agreed, high fiving her friend. "You guys find anything cool?"

"He's gunna be James Bond, I don't like anything." Seth grouched, shrugging. "I dunno, there's still time I guess."

"What are you talking about?" Sasha grinned maniacally, pulling a bag out from a shelf. "Literally the perfect costume right here-"

Seth frowned, all three of his friends giggled, looking at a bag with a man dressed as Jesus reading "Holy Savior".

"Nope" He sniffed. "Try again."

Determined to get him to settle for something, Sasha and Bayley paraded around the store as dogs, pulling down costumes that could possibly strike his fancy. It began to get a little tedious, as the girls each had their own ideas for what Seth would want, and, starting to realize it was a losing battle, began showing him outfits that they thought would simply be funny.

"What about this?" Cesaro tried. Seth turned around, already preparing to shake his head, they'd been in the store for about forty-five minutes and he was really getting tired. Seth paused though, watching as he unfolded a jersey for the Miami Dolphins. "American Football?"

"What teams do they have?" Seth asked eagerly, running over to the only rack they hadn't picked through. Thumbing through the sizes and colors, Seth let out a happy noise, pulling out a large Bears jersey.

"No helmets." Cesaro said, examining the accessories on the top of the circular rack, picking up bags of leggings. "You must please wear dirty football cleats to Dolph's house."

"Football." Sasha sighed, watching Seth hold the shirt up to his chest, checking the fit. "You're not even going to pick a good team?"

"Bears for life." Seth insisted, grabbing a bag of leggings and some shoulder pads. "I'm good, let's leave."

The group went to pay, Sasha helped pull the tag off the back of Bayley's costume so they could each have the satisfaction of driving home in their outfits. Seth held tight to the jersey, smoothing the shining dark material and feeling substantially better. He could already imagine it- he'd could wear his hair up or down and it'd look good, draw some eye-black on his face to give it a nice touch. He remembered dully how he'd asked Roman about the fantasy league at work, but hadn't ever heard anything back about it. By now, it was surely too late. 

"Your butt is going to be criminal in those." Sasha noted, giggling as the cashier rang up the leggings, looking awkward and confused. Seth raised an eyebrow, blushing slightly.

"Better than you." He quipped. "You're drowning in that thing. Should have gotten a pink dress or hot pants or somethin'"

"Yeah! Like stripper Magenta!" Bayley chuckled batting her huge blue sleeves back and forth. "I think there should be more sexy _football players_ on Halloween."

They left the store, each saying their goodbyes as they made their way to separate cars. Seth threw his bag in the passenger seat and started his car, turning the lights on. It was fully dark now, his hands just a little chilly from the light breeze. It was hard to believe fall was coming up when it was still so comparably warm to Iowa.

The day had been long and strange, his shoulders still felt a little warm and sore from so many failed inversions. Distantly, Seth wondered if Holly was feeling any better, if her family even tried to celebrate Halloween in the midst of such painful memories.

 _Halloween will be fun_ Seth thought hopefully, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and signaling to turn. He'd checked his mirror twice, starting to merge when he jumped in his seat, the car beside him honking angrily as he jerked wildly back into his own lane. The Kia sped past him and Seth could have sworn the driver flipped him off as he barreled through the light.

"The fuck?" Seth snarled, heart beating fast as he slumped in his seat, waiting for the light.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll see how quickly the next chapter comes out, I'll be out of town again and pretty occupied- hopefully I can get one in the can before I leave.  
> There's been some weirdness about this fic showing up in certain tags when it updates- I don't really know what the deal is, but if you're at all confused by this chapter, maybe check and see if you read the last one. Bookmarks are your friends too I guess ;)
> 
> Thanks for reviewing! If you like what you see, keep it up!


	46. Masquerade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween comes to White Water. Is Seth cursed?

With everyone at work eagerly buzzing over Dolph's party, it was a lot easier for Seth to bridge the quiet distance that had awkwardly formed between himself and Roman. It wasn't as though the man was still mad at him, but after a few days without talking or texting, things felt a little strange. As Dean had suggested, Seth messaged Roman early in the week, apologizing again and trying to get across how it was a thoughtless misstep.

_ It's cool, don't worry about it _ Roman replied, but still, Seth felt distracted teaching his evening lessons, watching his friend on the deck out of the corner of his eye. The anxieties that usually accompanied thinking about Dean and Roman burned stronger, giving him a headache.

"Were you still thinking of going to that party?" Seth asked Dean on Tuesday, rolling the excess of his rescue tube strap between his fingers, fidgeting.

"Yeah, I got a costume and everything." Dean smirked, drying off his hands on a towel to scroll through his phone. "Me and Rome' were running errands and they had this at goodwill-" He showed Seth a picture of a collared and striped referee shirt.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Seth laughed, giving him a gleeful half-glance. "My costumes a football player! I've got a bears jersey!"

"Really?" Dean snorted. "Uce is doing football too! That's goofy man."

"It's a sign or something." Seth grinned. "We should get together for the party, go as a group or something. Cesaro was talkin' about going to Nattie's house, but I don't know them that well."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean nodded, "Pre-game at Roman's place."

The rest of his guard shift went fine, at four Seth passed the tube off to Bo. The whole time he'd been thinking about how fun it would be to have Dean and Roman together as a football entourage for the party. They could all go, have a good time and maybe sneak back to the house and take their time stripping each other's costumes off. 

There weren't any lessons that night, so Seth knew his friends would be free. Tossing his whistle and water bottle into his bag, he texted Roman, wondering if maybe they didn't want to make some dinner together or watch a movie. It had been a while since they had done something together anyway. 

_ Me and Dean are figuring out his house stuff  _ Roman texted him back after a few minutes. Seth paused putting on his shoes, his shoulders drooping. He looked around, wondering if there was anything he could do to help. It was difficult to get any sense of tone from just a text, but it all felt non-negotiable.

_ Hope it goes good _ he typed out, sighing. He didn't really know what the deal was with the bed bugs and hadn't wanted to ask. Since coming back from Gainesville, Dean had been much less grumpy and he didn't want to bring anything up that would sour his mood.

_ Thanks  _ was all the explanation he got.

The day of Halloween, Seth guarded for P-Pool in the morning, watching Dean, Cesaro and Nikki take shifts leading Log Rolling for anyone who wanted to drop in. It was mostly just curious adults, as there was still school that day and kids were in classes. It was quite entertaining, watching ungainly full grown men and women try to get themselves up on a log, then hollering loudly when they slipped and fell back into the pool.

"I've gotten a lot better at it." Cesaro declared during a lull, hopping up quickly and pacing his feet back and forth, turning back and forth with a good handle on the speed. 

"How long you doin' this for?" Seth asked, watching the log shift hypnotically, making little waves on the water. "For tonight, I was just going to go to Roman's and then go to the party later."

"Yeah?" Cesaro stepped off the log gracefully, coming back down into the shallows with a light splash, he looked over his shoulder at Dean, who was straddling a log with his arms and legs, like a sloth on a tree. "I was just going to do this for a few hours. I don't want to be here when it gets too busy. Nattie is having a few people over, so I may do the same when I go to her house then go to the party." 

"Nice."

Seth got off the stand at noon and picked through the dregs of the communal candy bowl before going home. Halloween decorations were plastered to everything, the rows of houses that were on his commute home all had lawn ornaments and signs indicating they were welcoming to trick or treaters. When he unlocked his door and was greeted eagerly by yappy barks, Seth noticed a piece of paper had been slid under his door, a notice that had been delivered by the management, instructing him to post it on his door if he would like to pass out candy that night. 

"Maybe for a few hours, huh?" Seth said to Kevin, scooping the little dog up in his hand and sticking the sign to his door with a strip of tape. He'd picked up a small bag of snickers and peanut butter cups for himself, but he knew he didn't need that much candy anyway. It would be a good way to meet his neighbors, if anything else.

Seth took Kevin for a nice walk, getting himself excited for the night's events. Things felt a little funny right now- mostly because he'd gone quiet and hadn't been socializing as much, but he had the night to catch up and smooth things over. He hadn't put his whole costume on yet to try it out, but he was sure it was going to look great, he'd gotten some eye-black and wrist tape at the athletics shop near his Crossfit box so he was sure he'd look well put together.

"Oh- hang on!" Seth called as he was walking back to his front door. A couple of younger children in costume had been at his door just as he rounded the corner from the stairs, likely knocking on his door without any luck. Seth half jogged, grinning as he could see two children, both in matching spiderman outfits. 

"We're a little early, sorry." The father grunted, holding his boy's shoulders.

"No problem, one sec!" Seth turned the key in the lock and set his dog down, racing to his little kitchen to break open the bag of fun size candies. Kevin watched eagerly, wagging his tail and letting the boys drop to their knees and pat his head, standing in the doorway.

"Happy Halloween," Seth said breathlessly, letting the kids pick their treats from a cereal bowl. It was his first time passing out candy by himself. He didn't really expect to get many kids coming through, especially so early in the day, but it tickled his heart a little, hearing them mumble their thanks through fabric masks. 

About three more children came through before Seth bagged up his costume, fed Kevin his dinner, pulled the sign down and drove over to Roman's house. He brought along a few stray beers in his fridge, actually considering getting a little drunk that night. It was Friday and the weekend was wide open- now was as good a time as any to let loose.

"Hey! Come in!" Roman's voice called from inside the house after he knocked. Seth could hear music and laughing so he pushed the door open and slipped out of his shoes, grinning as he followed the source of the noise to the kitchen. Both men were eating pizza, already dressed up and looking a little rosy faced while music blared from a speaker on the counter top. Roman looked huge, every part the football player in an authentic looking orange jersey with shoulder and knee braces, his hair fanning out long and soft around his back and shoulders. Dean's outfit was much less thought out, just a ref's shirt with cargo shorts and flip flops.

"You made it!" Roman said enthusiastically. "I dunno how much pizza is left, but feel free."

"Sweet, thanks," Seth nodded, watching both of them drink from tall cans of Four Loko. He pulled a beer out from his own bag, twisting off the cap. "It's gettin' dark out, when did you guys wanna leave?" 

"Whenever," Roman shrugged. 

"It starts officially in like, a couple minutes or whatever." Dean sniffed. "Which means, I'm fine to show up in a couple hours."

Roman sniggered, Seth wasn't sure exactly what he meant, but went to the pizza box and grabbed the last slice.

"We'll cab over in a bit." Roman breathed, "You can't do that shit again though, oh man."

"Why not?" Dean argued playfully, Seth watched completely out of the loop with the conversation but unwilling to admit it. "It's Halloween! People gotta do real shit, not just wasting perfectly good toilet paper."

"Arson is not a prank-" Roman rubbed his eyes. Seth sat at the kitchen island, chewing slowly. Uninvolved in the conversation, his eyes swiveled around, taking in his surroundings. On the counter top, a stack of letters that looked like bills were splayed out, broken into. Crispy the chicken was bobbing around the backyard, seen through the sliding glass door. In the corner, a tower of cardboard boxes were leaning against the wall, the words NO BUGS written in sharpie across one side. 

"Did you get your apartment stuff figured out?" Seth asked, taking a sip off his beer. Roman and Dean each paused for a moment, a look of consideration riding their features. Seth blinked, feeling suddenly like he'd said the wrong thing. Dean began to nod fervently, looking at the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, 'm figuring it out."

"Oh… good…" Seth said, not really sure what to make of his friend's reactions. He licked his fingers, savoring the taste. "I guess… I'll go change then."

An odd feeling began to settle in his gut that had nothing to do with pizza or beer. All three men now changed into their costumes- Roman called for a ride and they crammed into the back of a Nissan Ultima. Wedged up against the window with Roman's legs riding up against his, Seth could plainly see how cheap and tacky his costume looked compared to his friends.

"Did you play football or something?" Seth asked, picking a stray thread off of the seam of his pants. "Yours looks really… real."

"In college, yeah. Defensive tackle."

"How's that?"

"'S pretty good." Roman shrugged, smiling. He looked reasonably buzzed and Dean kept flapping his knees, thumping them against his other side. "It was fun but that kinda lifestyle wasn't great for me when I was that age. Probably could'a done a lot more with myself if I wasn't being a crazy bro-dude in my early twenties."

"It's something I wanted to do." Seth admitted, watching the road as they slowed to pass through a toll. "Too small though, only fast when there's water involved."

"You got a degree?" Dean looked quizzically at Roman. "I didn't-"   


Roman grimaced, shaking a length of hair out of his eye line.

"I… tried?" He said nervously. "Was just short a few credits. My grades sucked though… was dealing with nagging injuries, drinking too much and losing my scholarships… I'd do it over again if I could. Ma and Pa still give me shit for it."

Seth rolled the window down a little, over-hot with the amount of bodies crammed into the car. The night was a little cooler, the highway took them into downtown and they were met with a lot of Friday night traffic congestion. Seth watched as groups of adults ran down the streets in costume, laughing and swaying while cars honked, trying to make turns.

"Dolph's right by the university, ain' he?" Dean snorted, watching a group of girls go past wearing essentially underwear and various animal accessories. "That dirty dog." 

"Yeah I wonder what girl he'll be trying to impress this time." 

"At least this part of town looks nice." Seth mused, looking round the streets at the various restaurants and bars. He hadn't been in this area before.

Seth called Dolph once they arrived at the tower of condominiums, shuffling inside the entryway and waiting for some means to enter. Dean pulled a beer out of his pocket and cracked it open, patting his pockets and grumbling.

"Smokes?" Roman muttered. "You left them on the table."

"Goddamnit." 

"Hey!" Dolph picked up the line and Seth could hear laughing and talking from the other end. "I'll buzz you, hold up!"

The door clicked and Seth held it open, just as the entryway door swung back and Cesaro, Nattie, Sasha, Bayley, and Becky filed in.

"Hey!" Cesaro cheered, stretching his arms up triumphantly. He looked very over hot, wearing a smart two piece suit and his sunglasses. He wasn't as steamy as Bayley and Sasha however, who had rolled up the sleeves to their onesies, clutching 40's. 

"Right on time!" Seth held the door open, letting the groups mix and exchange compliments on their outfits. 

Into a very noiseless, posh elevator and up six floors, everyone was already pretty well buzzed, laughing and shoving around in the tight squeeze. Nattie was dressed modestly with black cat ears and a tail, while Becky had the most 'showy' outfit, which was some mix of futuristic and retro with lots of duller colors and leather straps. 

"Steampunk." She explained to Dean after he'd rather crudely asked her what she was.

"What's happening guys!" Dolph said exuberantly, throwing open the door and letting them into his spacious yet economical apartment. Seth's eyes glinted as he looked around taking in the crowd of folks that had already arrived. Upbeat, classic rock was playing loudly from the entertainment station and a mix of people were standing and sitting on the plush couches, talking loudly with drinks. Kofi, E and Xavier were dressed hilariously as Woody, Buzz lightyear and Bullseye from toy story, while Charlotte had brought a silver haired friend along, dressed as an angel and devil. 

"There's food and a keg in the kitchen, help yourself!" Dolph clapped him on the back. Seth smiled.  _ Of course  _ Dolph was a sexy cop. 

Peering into the other room, Tyler and Summer waved at him, leaning on the countertops, outfitted as grecians in togas. The living space continued down a hallway into a dining area and a small balcony. Seth followed the swell of his friends, pushing back, passing by Sheamus, Paige and Alberto, greeting everyone warmly.

"Your butt is a ten right now." Sasha giggled at him, "Congrats."

"Hey, thanks," Seth snorted, feeling a little buffeted by the crowd. "You look very… dog-like?"

"This is gunna get sooo dirty tonight." She sighed, ignoring the rib and holding up the bagged forty bottle. "I've already spilled a ton of this on it." 

"Cup?" Cesaro offered, passing Seth some of the beer from the keg. He took it appreciatively, rolling his eyes a little as he could hear the bellowing gnarled cry of Enzo from the other room. 

"DA THIRTY-FIRST IS DA THIRTY-FIRST. I NEED MONSTER MASH ON SO I CAN MONSTER SMASH!"

"At least Dolph gets a nice view." Cesaro noted, pulling the balcony door open wider. They crowded in, taking in the view of the skyline looking over downtown, a couple other girls Seth didn't know were there as well, talking and texting on their phones. Looking back, Seth frowned, watching as Dean and Roman hung back, laughing to Dolph about something he couldn't hear.

"Much better out here," Cesaro sighed, fanning himself. "Happy Halloween everybody."

"Yeah yeah!" Bayley cheered, raising their glasses for a clink.

Seth didn't want to be hanging around Roman and Dean's neck like a dead cat at a party, but he certainly didn't want to feel excluded. He drank and talked with his other friends, trying to stay cheery and positive, despite the circumstances. The whole night, it had been like Dean and Roman were just talking to each other and he couldn't get a word in edgewise. He supposed with the two of them being around each other so much, they probably couldn't help it, but still, it stung a little.

"Oh, there's pumpkin everythin' in there!" Cass emerged onto the balcony with a plate heaped with autumnal treats. Slowly, the group moved to the kitchen, getting refills of beer and grabbing slices of pie and bread to snack on. More and more people were arriving, some that Seth could only guess were Dolph's friends from outside of work. 

"Mitch, Kenny, Johnny, and Mikey-" Dolph introduced them quickly. The sexy occupation theme was shared across his friend group. Seth had to laugh, watching a firefighter, a doctor, a sailor and what he could only assume was a postman, cheerily greet hello's. Their carriage and cadence all speaking to straight and attention-seeking. 

More food was eaten, more beer poured, and a ping pong table was cleared off for some rounds of beer pong. 

"Oh ho-ho…" Cesaro giggled, watching as Dolph's friend's helped fill cups. He turned to Seth, "I haven't played in awhile, could be fun, yeah?"

"Nnnnh…." Seth whined. He was feeling pretty buzzed, too hot and a little overwhelmed by everything going on. "Maybe… I'll think about it."

He did a couple of laps of the party, not trying to look too desperate, but really wondering where Dean and Roman could have gotten to. He watched the bathroom line and didn't see them emerge, went through the living room and couldn't make them out in any groups.

"I think they went to the gas station-" Charlotte squinted, looking to her friend. "There were a couple people, right? Went down the street…"

"That one guy was gunna give me a smoke." Her friend nodded. "He left a little bit ago, he'll probably be back."

"Is your phone dead or something? You can use mine."

"No, no." Seth shook his head, "It's cool, thanks though."

Seth went through the bathroom line and sat on the toilet for a few minutes, his phone in his hand, his vision blurring and focusing as he looked at the screen, thoughtfully.

He couldn't think of the  _ right  _ thing to say. 

"Monster mash!" Enzo asserted again, jiving back and forth. "Nah, no, google it! Monster mash trap remix! Chopped and screwed!"

"It's a playlist though!" One of the girls yelled over the music, playfully punching Enzo on the shoulder as he bent over Dolph's computer. "Don't stop it!"

Enzo just laughed and Seth walked past, gravitating back to where Cesaro was standing, suit jacket in his arms, watching Cass and E battle it out over the beer pong table.

"How's that bathroom line?" Cesaro leaned back, looking. "Pretty quick?"

"It's fine." Seth sniffed, blinking hard. Cesaro offered him another cup and he took it, drinking down more of the pumpkin froth. "I was looking for Dean and Roman but I guess they ran to get cigarettes or something."   


"Ah," Cesaro nodded. "Yeah sorry, they told me to tell you, but I got distracted by the food." He looked, inquisitively at Seth. "What do you make of them? Moving in together and all that, that was pretty quick, right?"

"Huh?" Seth stared, moving in closer so he could hear properly.

"Dean? Moving in with Roman?"

Seth just blinked, sure he'd heard correctly, but the words didn't seem to make sense. Cesaro raised and eyebrow and Seth sucked on the inside of his cheek, his shoulders shrugging.

"It was, well…" Cesaro bumped Seth's cheek in his urgency to be heard. "Sorry… I was like, trying to get Dean to cover my guard shift the other day because I had a client, right? But he said he was moving his things into Roman's house so he couldn't." Cesaro sniffed, hiccuping a little and looking meaningfully to Seth. "I thought you were like, helping with that too so I did not call you. Pardon." 

Seth just nodded, his thoughts racing clumsily. Cesaro looked incredibly apologetic, sure he'd upset his friend, he squeezed his shoulder. The boxes, the secretiveness, the exclusion… was it all true? Had Cesaro heard right? What the fuck was happening?

_Where r u_ Seth typed out to both Dean and Roman, punching send rather fiercely. He downed his drink, trembling slightly, unsure and numb.

"Finn finn finn! You're so scary!" Bayley came passing by and hugged her friend. Seth turned, taken aback. Finn was standing, smiling happily despite a heavy layer of makeup prosthetics over half of his face. He was wearing a light leather jacket and well fitting jeans, but on his head, he had demon horns, a white contact and an oozing open wound, glistening with blood. 

"Modern day devil?" Cesaro guessed, clapping Finn on the back.

"I guess!" Finn said cheerily. "My friend did it- she's real good at this stuff! I was originally going to do a full-demon costume but when I put it on it looked silly." 

Everyone swarmed Finn, complimenting him and offering him drinks. Seth leaned on the wall, eyes narrowed, watching his inbox frustratedly. Could he even talk about this now? Why did Cesaro of all people know about this before he did?

"We're gunna go downstairs for a bit-" Sasha leaned on Seth's shoulder. "If I don't see you, have a good night, yeah?"

"Yeah," Seth croaked. "You see Roman or Dean tell 'em to get their asses up here."   


"Haha, ok!" Sasha grabbed Bayley by the hand and they skipped off, clearly misunderstanding his tone. Seth set down his cup and pocketed his phone. He had to get his mind off of this before he just stormed out like a jackass. 

"Beer pongs up!" Dolph cheered, striking a wide stance and throwing ping pong balls up into the air. "What's a good match now? It's all set up! Finn? You want to…" He paused, Seth looked up at that exact moment, catching eye contact. "And Seth?"

"I can do it." Cesaro offered, looking at him, "You didn't want to-"   


"Nah, nah, nah." Seth threw his hand up, trying to put on a more confident persona. "I trained this guy, you don't think I can beat him?"

Dolph grinned and several people ooed, nudging Finn on the shoulder, his exposed eye widened.

"Oh well." Finn smiled, his feet pigeon-toeing slightly. "I'm in college right now, yeah? Drinkin' games are my bread and butter!" 

Dolph palmed two sweaty ping pong balls into their hands and a small group gathered and watched. Seth took his side, listening to Dolph prattle on about his preferred house rules. He felt sweaty and a little shaky, but his mind was sharpened by frustration and anger. Spitefully, he put his phone face down on the bookcase, determined not to be distracted.

"One cup's got a shot of whiskey in it too, so watch that one-" Dolph grinned maniacally, pointing to each side. "Elbows behind the table and only one chance for re-racking…"

Seth liked his chances, thinking himself to be pretty decent at accuracy sports. The beer in the cups was all pumpkin beer from the keg, filled to different levels in each glass. Without fail however, Finn stole the advantage, bouncing the ball off of another glass to land first thing in the nearly full cup, splattering beer across the surface. Seth groaned, taking the cup out and taking a sip off of it, grimacing as he tasted the whiskey shot.

"You gotta drink it all!" Dolph insisted as Seth went to set it down. "Pound it!"

"Ah c'mon!" Seth groused, bringing the cup to his lips and trying his best to just get it over with. The pumpkin flavoring soured slightly, and he winced, setting the empty cup back down, wiping beer from his beard. "You'll pay for that one."

"I like my chances, yeah?" Finn smirked, tossing his ball again and planting it in another cup, substantially less full but still enough to make Seth grit his teeth. 

He needed something, some win. Distantly, he thought he heard his phone buzz, but it could have just as easily been anyone else's. The group cheered, the music played, and Seth felt his heart beating in his ears. 

The energy dissipated like air from a balloon as the friendly game slowly became a squash match. Seth landed a few little sips from two of Finn's cups, but he was learning quick that he'd doomed himself in accepting the challenge.

"We have our own dorm rules and stuff." Finn said, swishing his ball around in the cleaning water. "We played with cups in stacks last weekend, but then it became one big game of drunk jenga and we spilled beer all'over the floor."

"You good man?" Cesaro laughed sadly, watching as Finn landed Seth's second to the last cup. Seth groaned, leaning on the table, drawing it to his lips dejectedly and hurrying it down.

"Well, you do know you gotta finish his too when ya' lose." Dolph sneered, pointing at Finn's mostly intact triangle at the far end of the table. Seth blinked, looking confused and bewildered.

"I… I quit." He said softly, bring his last cup to his lips before anyone could talk him out of it. He stacked the empty cups and staggered away, his friends wordless, concerned. He queued up for the bathroom first thing, forgetting his phone, not bothering to make eye contact with the person coming out before him. 

Plopping down on the seat hard, he stared at the ceiling, squinting hard at the stucco finish and the little shadows the light cast. 

"Great night," He slurred, laughing darkly, trying to center himself so he could stand again. 

It was easiest to just sit on Dolph's couch and watch things move by at a rate that Seth felt comfortable processing them. Still uncomfortably full of liquid and fast absorbing all the alcohol in his system, Seth sat, running his hands through his hair and watching, unfocused, the crowd laughing and talking in front of him. 

He was being stupid and he knew it, it was the worst feeling, but he couldn't help being embarrassed about it. Finn hadn't made him mad, though to the casual passerby, that was probably what it looked like. Why did Roman and Dean even come if they were just going to leave? Was Dean really moving in with him? It seemed pretty ludicrous considering he'd only been there a couple of weeks, but all of the signs indicated it was the truth. Why were they hiding from him?

Seth lulled a little and he shook his head hard. He didn't care about Halloween anymore, the noise of all the people was getting to him and he just wanted to be alone, in his own bed, unbothered. It was a wonder why he'd even bothered to come out, all of his friends seemed to have ditched him.

"Hey hey," Cesaro emerged from another room, plopping down on the couch next to him, offering him a cup. Seth refused, waving his hand, feeling heartburn in his chest. "You sure? It's water… you doin' alright?"

"Yyyeah," Seth slurred, shaking his head again. "Just 'ad a sit down a min."

"There's carrot cake in the kitchen." Cesaro said enticingly. "But I want something more salty. I think I will eat dirty tonight and get a burger at Mcdonalds."

"Tha's cool." Seth said, eyes drooping a little, completely disenchanted by talk about food. "Wasn' there a big group ou'side? I though'…" He didn't want to bring Dean and Roman up again. "Buncha people? Goin' for food?"

"Maybe." Cesaro said, looking around. "Sasha and Bayley are both gone too? I should text them to get me food. Or, would you want to go with?"

"I... " Seth thought, feeling a burp rising up in his throat, shakily. "I… can' move right now."

He felt sweaty and woozy, more uncomfortable by the moment. He half blinked, staring into his lap while Cesaro watched him carefully, thinking.

"You need… Bathroom?"

"Y-yeah…"

He helped Seth to his feet, guiding him purposefully through the huddles of conversations until they reached the line for the toliet. As soon as he was standing, he knew it was no good, his stomach and his throat trembled feverishly, his body feeling numb and awful. There were three people ahead, but as soon as the door cracked, Seth staggered, pushing forward.

"I gotta-" he choked out, letting Cesaro aim him with precision timing over the toilet before he heaved, emptying out his gut and hacking up spent beer. Cautiously, Cesaro closed the door, laying a hand on his spine and folding back stray hairs that had plastered themselves to his forehead through the sweat. It burned and Seth winced, closing his eyes tight as the kicking sensation continued unabated. He knew there was a line of people outside, but he could still feel more sick welling up in his throat as he coughed and burped. 

"Good timing." Cesaro said casually, sitting on the side of the tub, scratching his nose. "Feeling better?" 

Seth sniffed, straining hard and kneading the top of his stomach hard. Without thought, without any warning really, he felt tears pouring down his flushed face. He just wanted to be done, why was everything so hard?

"Seth?" Cesaro mumbled, stooping down to check on his friend. He put a reassuring arm over his shoulder as he saw he was crying, not really sure. "It's ok, I don't care."

"I-" Seth coughed, spitting into the toilet. "I want to go home."

"Oh, ok." Cesaro laughed, rubbing his back. "Should I... call Roman for you?" 

At the mention of Roman, Seth just cried harder, leaning his face into the palms of his hands so he wouldn't have to see his friend. There was a knock at the door and Seth shook, hurriedly flushing the toilet, but too dizzy to stand. 

"Gotta piss!" Sheamus's voice muffled behind the door.

"We all good?"

Dolph's head poked in, comprehension dawning on his face as Cesaro nodded to him. Seth was so embarrassed he couldn't think, his stomach turned ominously as he tried to swallow.

"We all ok? Did you… need more time?" Dolph asked, stepping in and looking down at Seth carefully. 

"We are ok." Cesaro rubbed Seth's back again, and with a few shaky breaths, he heaved again, letting out a wet sob. "Is… Roman outside? Maybe a glass of water would be good."

"Yeah, yeah-" Dolph bit his lip, then leaned over the bath tub, ripping open the curtain and grabbing some soaps and bottles out of the bottom. "If it's cool too, he can puke in the tub and we can keep the piss train goin'."

In all of about ten minutes, Roman had been hailed up to the bathroom and Sheamus, E, and Kofi each had come through, each wishing Seth a drunken 'feel better' before zipping up their flies and making their way out. Seth was just trying not to sob in between puking, trying to focus on breathing so he could steady himself and stop the room from spinning. He stared dully ahead, brow sweaty, any time he closed his eyes he lost all sense of direction and the horrible nausea kicked up, a thousand times worse.

"H-hey," Roman said lowly, fitting through the door and shutting it fast. Seth turned at the sound of the voice, trying to wipe his face off and smearing eye black down his cheeks. Cesaro continued to rub his back, mumbling affirmations as Seth couldn't help falling into fresh tears.

"Just, drank a little too much." Cesaro explained as he turned suddenly, hurling himself back over the tub to dry heave. "It is time to go home, I think."

"Yeah," Roman grunted, laying a hand on Seth's thigh. "Gettin' it out?"

"N-no," Seth sobbed, wiping his nose as a string of snot pooled out. "I c-can' stoppit."

"I'll... get you some water." Cesaro said, springing up, giving Roman a fast wave before making his way out. The silence only weighed harder on Seth, painfully aware of the hand that was rubbing circles over his leg, soothingly.

"You're ok." Roman said, meaning to be comforting, but Seth shook his head violently.

"Why'd you leave?" He cried, unable to make eye contact. "Th' whole time I was up here 'n you were down there. 'N't say 'nythin to me 'bout it a'n if i hadn' been stupid you wouldn' even be here now!"

Roman just continued to rub his leg, listening to Seth drunkenly try to sort himself out.

"N' Dean's living with you?" Seth sniveled, hiccuping. "You an' Dean- together an' I can't- I dn'-"

Seth sobbed and Roman sighed, pulling him into his lap. Seth struggled pushing clumsily against his front, but he lost the battle, crammed up against Roman's chest, he let out a weak sob, unable to be composed any longer.

"We'll talk about it a little later, ok?" Roman said firmly, rubbing his shoulder, a firm grip holding him up. Seth continued to cry, shaking with his hands to his face, it was worse than a yes in some ways, confirming that his friends  _ had _ been going behind his back. 

"S' so dumb." he choked, sniffing hard. "I wannid to know but-t... 'ur mad'at me and nobody'll tell-"

"I'm not mad at you!" Roman giggled, bouncing him a little in his hands. "It's ok if you're upset, things have been all weird lately, but it's not your fault or nothing."

"-s it is." Seth wailed. "'S what I said. About earlier."

"What?" Roman squinted, unable to keep from smiling. Seth wiped his eyes, tenderly feeling his chest. Roman perched him back over the tub to spit. "I'm sorry babe, I'm pretty loose right now too, I dunno what you're talking about."

"There-s!" Dean broke into the bathroom suddenly, Seth started, feeling the awful contracting feeling in his gut. "There's girls outside! Kissing!"

"Seth is sick." Roman laughed, pulling Dean down. "K'you call a cab?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, I had a whirlwind adventure early in the week and so this was a little late in coming, I apologize.
> 
> Cliffhanger of sorts, but everything will be alright. Who HASN'T thrown up on halloween, really? November will be easier on everybody. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts! I know a lot of y'all are really eager for BDSM, it IS coming, I just gotta talk about lifeguarding for 400 chapters first, haha. Thanks!


	47. Freefall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of and the morning after. Things are darkest before the dawn. But maybe Seth isn't the only one feeling self critical?

A water bottle and a plastic bag had been pressed into Seth's hands before Cesaro and Roman helped to heave him to his feet. Despite being the most physical ill, he was still more sober than Dean, who had all the subtlety of a bumper car, plowing through Dolph's home to gather Seth's things.

"This is your phone right?" He grinned, waving the device in front of his face. Seth blinked, trying his hardest to hold himself together as the elevator pitched down, making him dizzy.

"Yeah," he breathed, limply grasping it and trying in earnest to shove it back into the tight pocket. Roman didn't stop smoothing his shoulder and Seth kept biting his lip, trying not to dissolve into tears again.

"I'm gunna puke tonight too, don't you worry." Dean smirked, drumming his hands on the handrail and bouncing out as soon as the doors slid open. Cesaro saw them off, but only after confirming he had Roman's number.

"I'll text ya when we get to my place." Roman nodded, pulling Seth up higher as his head lulled a little, his body struggling to remaining upright. Dean skipped ahead of them, hopping onto the low handrail for the couple of steps to the entryway, falling, scrambling then laughing as he nearly fell into the main door.

"Dude! Be quiet! People are sleepin' an' shit!" Roman hissed.

"I don't give a f-fuck." Dean hiccuped loudly, going suddenly quiet and blushing hard. "...goddamnit."

"Haha!" Roman jeered. Seth took a deep, relieved breath as soon as they were outside. Fresh air felt wonderful. "Not so high 'n mighty now, are you?"

Seth felt his stomach heaving again and reflexively, Roman steered him toward the little inlet garden patch that lined the concrete steps. He gagged, leaning on the cool railing and spitting bile, his stomach completely empty of beer and food. His gut, chest and his throat were all burning and even though he was physically exhausted, tears racked him again, spilling down his cheeks and into his beard.

"It's ok babe, don't cry, we dun' care." Dean breathed, coming closer and burying his face in Seth's neck, squeezing him softly around the middle. "I'll throw 'p too so you don' feel bad."

"That's not-"

It was too much work to explain anything to Dean, but Roman snuck hands around both of their waists, sitting them down on the steps while he sighed, fingers tapping his phone, hailing a ride. Dean hummed, pulling him close and trying to clumsily rock him, all the while stinking of cigarettes and whiskey.

"Seth babe, ya think you c'n do a car ride?" Roman muttered, pulling up his head and trying to gauge his lucidity. Seth whimpered, rubbing his eyes.

"I 'unno, this is why I don' drink much." He said hoarsely, wishing Dean would let him go. "I puke n' puke n' puke an' I can'-"

He fell into fresh sobs and frog-hiccuped, clutching his middle. Nothing was coming up anymore, but the heaving and trembling wouldn't stop. Roman just grunted, looking to Dean who was cooing and hiccuping into Seth's shoulder.

When the cab arrived, it took almost ten minutes to corral everyone into the car and convince the driver it was a good idea. Seth sat by the window, plastic bag threaded into his fingers, his body shifting back and forth as he struggled to support himself. Roman sat in the middle, anxiously assessing both of them back and forth while Dean leaned on his other side, mumbling happy-drunk thoughts.

"We'll get you to my spot," Roman assured Seth, rubbing his back. "If you want to shower or eat or take some meds, I got ya'."

Seth just sniveled, head between his knees, wishing he could just get out of the car and die in the street. Despite the bumps in the road, he kept himself together the whole way. In fact, upon arrival, the one who had the most trouble was Dean. He went oddly quiet getting off the highway, and kept looking at Roman anxiously until the car stopped. When they got the doors open, Dean just leaned away from his seat, holding tight to the car door to puke a huge amount of liquor and beer out onto the street.

"Thanks'... thanks…" Roman said hurriedly to the driver, tugging Seth out of the car so they could help Dean stagger out on his hands and knees, avoiding the puddle.

"Told ya' I'd puke." He growled. Seth heaved at the smell and the sight, dissolving into a coughing fit.

"We're n' rare form tonight boys." Roman chuckled darkly, "Let's walk, yeah?"

Once they made it inside, Dean went to the kitchen for water and Roman plopped Seth down in his own bathroom, sitting him by the toilet and making to retie his bun so it was more tidy and functional. Seth was barely awake, so sore and exhausted from vomiting that it took him a moment to realize where he was and what was happening. Roman sat on the floor too, up against the wall, his legs spread out wide, he sighed, trying to collect himself.

"I'm sorry babe," He reached his arm out, rubbing to pinch Seth's hand with his thumb and forefinger. "We didn' know that you wanted our company so bad, otherwise we wouldn' of left without you. But we were gunna talk to you this weekend about what's going on and all. We both felt rotten about it."

"I'm sorry-" Seth mumbled hoarsely. "I didn't mean to- I…"

"Hey-" Roman pinched his hand harder and Seth drew his gaze from the floor, looking blearily to his friend. Roman's face was slack and rosy, but he beckoned, gesturing with his hand for Seth to come closer.

Seth choked, wiping his eyes, but he stumbled forward on his knees, falling fast into his lap and breathing in the smell of sweat and stale booze. He could hear Roman's heart, beating steady, his breath pitching and falling in his chest. Seth's hands clumsily grabbed onto the fabric of his shirt and tears silently fell down his face.

"Why are you crying so much?" Roman laughed, scratching his scalp softly. Seth just shook his head, unable to think much.

"I don't wanna-" He swallowed, his voice muffled into Roman's chest, head pounding. "I dun' wanna… feel… bad…"

"How's your stomach?" Roman tried. "You puked a ton… I have ginger ale n' some crackers…"

Dean came pounding down the hallway and tore open the door, taking one look at Seth and Roman by the toilet, he vaulted himself over the sink and heaved. Seth winced, trying to block out the noise by tunneling further into Roman.

"You ok Uce?" Roman muttered, looking to his friend cautiously. Dean gave an awkward, sideways thumbs up as he gagged, running water from the tap.

"I want't go to bed." Seth whispered, his eyes straining against the light as he pulled away from his friend. "I'll sleep 'n the couch… I don't-"

"Let's… drink some water first." Roman suggested. Dean eased his way down on the floor as well, laying flat across the bath mat, face down. "Otherwise we're all gunna wake up dead with headaches…"

Roman eased his way out from under him, and Seth collapsed against the wall, sniffing and wiping his eyes. They were all a mess, their halloween costumes hanging off of them strangely, some indicator of conscious choices made hours before. Looking to the clock on the ipod dock resting on Roman's towel rack, it was a quarter after two in the morning. Seth reached for a strand of toilet paper, making to blow his nose and wipe his eyes.

"It's'k if ya puke." Dean muffled into the floor. "Everybody pukes, just gotta let puke happen."

"Are you really living here?" Seth asked, voice cracking. Dean wiggled his head up straining to make Seth out properly.

"Yah," he croaked.

Roman returned, Seth felt trembly and vulnerable again, rather unsure of trying to put things down his throat. He hadn't been able to stomach water yet and despite being empty, his insides still churned dangerously. Roman set a glass in front of Dean as well, before plopping down on the floor with a cup for himself.

"Do you really want t' sleep on the couch?" Roman asked carefully, nudging Seth. "You cn' come in the bed…"

Seth sighed, eyes closed. He just shrugged lamely. If he was up any longer, he'd be passing out leaning on the toliet bowl. Roman teased him with his foot to rouse him, smiling sympathetically.

"We'll talk tomorrow babe, when we can all think a lil' more clearly, I swear." He mumbled. "But it's really not that big of a deal… I dunno who told you about all of this-"

"Cesaro." Seth said. "He told me… that… he was trying to switch shifts... and that you told him you couldn't-"

"Nothin's finalized yet." Dean muttered into the carpet. "I'm jus' gettin' my shit out-"

"But you're here." Roman stated. "This is where you sleep."

Seth went quiet again, kneading his forehead, already feeling the beginnings of hangover eating at him. Roman pushed the can of ginger ale into his hands, leaning over to hold his leg and look at him meaningfully.

"It's ok babe." he sighed. "Drink. You'll feel better."

It took some coaxing, but Seth managed to drink over half the can and nibble on a few crackers before Roman pulled him into bed. Sinking into the sheets felt heavenly, soothing and cool. Stripped down to just his tight pants, he watched sluggishly as Roman set a small lined trash can by his bedside, stroking his hair for a moment before leaning in to give him a little kiss on his forehead.

"'M gunna make sure Dean's ok… Just sleep ok? Nothin' bad's gunna happen when you wake up."

"Kevin…" Seth whimpered quietly. "My dog-"

"I'll set an alarm." Roman assured him. "We'll figure it out so he gets fed. Do you need anything else?"

"N-no," Seth sniffed, burying his head away. He couldn't cry anymore but Roman's kindness bit at him uncomfortably, making him embarrassed.

"It's ok," Roman repeated for about the hundredth time. "Sleep good."

Seth listened to him tread away and shut the door, but despite his exhaustion, sleep came with difficulty. His thoughts tumbled anxiously in his head, his stomach throbbing with the effort of emptying itself. Twice he felt the urge to heave, sliding half off the bed to dangle pitifully over the trash can, but nothing came up. Maybe an hour or several later (he couldn't tell) Dean wobbled in, falling on the other side. Roman similarly assisted him, showing where he could puke, before coming in between both bodies, doing his best not to disturb Seth. He could feel them arranging, the two men twining themselves, arms and legs connecting where Roman's back isolated him away. Seth felt cold, numb, his chest clenching as he pulled the sheet tight over him, trying to assure himself he was fine, but all the while his heart and his head ached.

_ Don’t ruin someone else’s good time. You’re a fucking bastard. _

Marek's words lashed at him through his memories, seeping to the surface of his mind in his weakened state. Why would anyone want to be around him? He was such a mess, he couldn't sort anything out and he'd made a real idiot of himself, puking so much. If he told Roman that he liked him  _ or _ Dean, they couldn't possibly live together, could they? It was entirely selfish of Seth to pull out his feelings so suddenly, as if they made a difference. But then, it wasn't as though they  _ couldn't _ still live together…

_ I don't want to be alone _ Seth thought to himself desperately. Screwing up his face and repeating the thought several times, prayer-like. Roman and Dean were just inches away, but the act of turning, trying to insert himself, felt ludicrous. Why would they care about him when they had each other?

When the sun rose and light flooded in from the little window, the three men only stirred when the shrill tinny beat of a phone alarm went off, rousing Dean and Roman both. Seth blinked, but immediately shut his eyes, the headache he was feeling was close to one of the worst he'd ever experienced.

"When do you work?"

"Ugh… two…"

"...Can you work?"

"...Yeah… just gotta… get rolling…"

Seth listened with his eyes shut, unsure what time it really was. He knew he'd likely be spending the whole day in bed, but first he'd have to leave Roman's and get home. The thought of facing his friends and admitting what had happened seemed torturous.

"That was crazy… I haven't seen you that ripped probably ever."

"Yeah, i's been a while…"

"Poor Seth though,"

He could feel Roman turning, glancing over his shoulder. Seth feigned sleep, laying docile with his eyes shut.

"Yeah, you should talk to him before you leave too. Maybe go feed his dog."

"Mmm… maybe."

"He was upset last night 'cause he found out you were moving in… so you could probably assure him that you aren't about to like, ignore him or something."

"...Am I moving in?"

Seth tried to breathe slow and deep, but it was difficult. His heart was pounding quick in his chest.

"Well, yeah, I mean, that was sort of the point in bringing all your shit here, yeah?"

"Well, I gotta break my lease, I don't wanna give those fuckers any more money." Dean said raggedly, rubbing his face. "But… am I like staying here? I said I was gunna look for another place an' I meant it."

"Well, do what you want."  Roman huffed. "But you know you're welcome here."

"Don't want your folks getting all pissy." Dean sighed. "I dunno, just don't want to be in your hair."

"Do what you _want_." Roman said again for emphasis. "I'm not gunna complain if I got someone to clean out the chicken coop though."

"Make Seth do it," Dean mumbled. "He's all about that garden shit, you can tell."

Seth smiled in spite of himself, feeling a little flutter of relief in his chest. It was comforting to know that whatever was going on between Roman and Dean wasn't really concrete either.

"I think he likes us." Roman sighed, Seth's heart beat faster yet and he hoped neither of them could hear it. "He seems really scared that we're gunna ditch him."

"He likes you." Dean snorted. Roman chuckled.

"Careful now, he'll hear you."

"'M serious though," Dean mumbled. "Why would he go after me when you're around?"

"Both of you need a shot of confidence."

Seth bit his lip. His body continued to vibrate and tremble, but he felt unsure, confused. Things were complicated, surely.

"Just sayin' the truth." Dean shrugged. "Not tryin' to be dramatic about it."

"You're a stud," Roman shuffled away from Seth's back and he could hear Dean grumbling as he presumably pulled him in, embracing him with his arms and kissing him on the cheek.

"You'd pick Seth too, admit it." Dean groused. "Your parent's 'd like him more. You guys both got long silky hair… gunna look real cute for your pictures at Sears."

"Don't be like that."

The bed shuffled and someone sat up. Seth continued to feign sleep, trying to appear as relaxed as possible. He wasn't really sure why he was playing possum, but something about hearing his friend's unguarded assessment of the situation comforted him. No one was talking disparagingly about him; well, Dean was _sort of_ teasing, but Seth hadn't thought much about his perspective before. Was Dean really so self conscious? Seth could honestly say he didn't prefer one man to the other anymore. It hadn't occurred to him that Dean might be feeling like the odd one out.

"Hey babe," Roman whispered, shaking Seth's shoulder lightly. "Hey…"

Seth tried his best to fake a startled awakening, shifting and blinking hard, finding Roman above his shoulder, looking just as tired and sunken eyed as he felt. Roman smiled, smoothing his hair out of his eyes lovingly.

"Hey you, you alright with giving us your keys? We'll go make sure your dog's ok."

"I can do it." Seth rasped, making to sit up but he winced hard, feeling his whole skull contract and throb. Seth groaned, clutching his temples hard. It was the worst hangover yet.

"I'm 'k." Dean offered, sighing and sitting up to examine Seth. "I'll get us some breakfast too."

He hobbled off, grabbing Seth's keyring from the nightstand and pushing sunglasses over his tired eyes. Seth explained quickly where the dog food was in his kitchen, trying to be as appreciative as possible. He sunk back down after taking a few hardy sips from a glass of water, kneading at his empty stomach and wondering when he'd feel normal again. Roman kept him company, pulling him up against his chest under the sheet, burying his face in Seth's hair.

If it had been any other time, Seth would have perfectly content. But he was still unsure and worried.

"How're you feelin?" Roman asked quietly, as physical as ever, his large hands rubbing Seth's arms.

"My head's killin' me." Seth breathed. "But… I feel better. Thank you for everything, I'm sorry- last night-"

"Don't worry about it, really." Roman said. "I get it, things feel weird. Plus I feel like you've just got a lot on your mind right now."

"Yeah," Seth sighed, shutting his eyes. "I… I dunno...  I didn't think I would freak out, but… then it just happened…"

"It was a weird situation." Roman explained. "The thing is, Dolph and Dean don't really get along that well- there was some shit that happened awhile back between them at one of his parties so we weren't really sure how much he wanted us hanging around to begin with."

"Like what? What happened?"

"I mean, they just don't mesh really well." Roman chuckled. "But there was something about Dean trying to bang one of his friends and then starting a dumpster fire outside of his old place."

Seth choked with laughter, despite his throbbing headache.

"It was years ago, but yeah." Roman smiled into Seth's hair. "Good ol' Deano."

"Why did you guys come then?"

"Well, you wanted to go, for one. Most of the time when I'm at work I'm a grumpy asshole so I gotta take the time to be sociable when I can. Dean talked to Dolph beforehand to make sure it was cool… Really it was fine. Dean's his own guy though, he gets uncomfortable when he's in small, expensive little digs like that." Roman scratched his own leg and pulled the comforter over them, getting even more cozy. "So we went down the street to get smokes and we ran into his friend Renee and some of her friends at this bar-"

"You went to a whole 'nother party?" Seth snorted.

"A little." Roman wouldn't stop stroking his arm. "She bought us both some shots and we just caught up quick- she thought I was you for a second, so that was funny."

"I'm… flattered."

"But we did that, went back to Dolph's for a little bit, but we saw that guy, yeah? The one that Dean tried to make a move on? So we lifted a bottle and just camped out downstairs."

"Damn." Seth blinked. "I mean… I was with my friends the whole time, but if I had any idea this was going on-"

"Yeah, and we felt shitty about it." Roman added. "But you seemed like you were having fun with your friends. We didn't want to tear you away from that just 'cause of some bullshit. We knew you would have just thrown it down to leave. But then, maybe you weren't having as much fun as we thought?"

"I just…" Seth rubbed his eye, trying to think of a good way to spell out his feelings. However, his mind was so wobbly and blank it was difficult just processing speech. "I just thought… the way you guys were acting… it was like… I dunno."

"Do you just assume everyone's pissed at you until they prove otherwise?"

"Maybe." Seth laughed weakly. "Well… I said that dumb thing, right? And I said I was sorry… but you and Dean were so busy all week and I didn't know what was happening." He looked back at Roman, his huge shoulder casting a shadow over him. "What's happening?"

"Dean's…" Roman sighed. "Breaking his lease? He doesn't want to pay for an exterminator to actually service the place 'cause it's so pricey. So for right now, he's just calling it quits on the town home and moving whatever shit he can de-bug over here. He's in the guest bedroom right now-" Roman gestured to the room opposite his in the hall. "Nothing is super for sure yet. The thing is, his car is a piece of shit, so he doesn't want to spend a bunch of money 'cause he might have to get it repaired."

"What do you want him to do?" Seth asked carefully. Roman paused, probably not anticipating the question.

"I think he should do whatever he wants." He said lamely, not sounding terribly convincing. "I'm not against having a roommate or anything. Dean's messy but he helps out where he can."

"Plus you guys can bang." Seth said offhandedly. He immediately regretted it, biting down on his tongue as he felt Roman shifting, readjusting so he was leaning on his arm and laying over Seth, surveying him.

"How do you feel about this?" Roman asked quietly. Seth blinked, looking at the wall in front of him, not wanting to turn and match his friend's gaze.  _ What did he think of all of this? _

"My… head hurts." Seth mumbled. "It's hard for me to like, think of what I can say without sounding dumb, you know what I mean?…"

"Then sound dumb, it's alright."

Seth swallowed, his fingers fidgeting with the bedspread.

"I just don't wanna… be alone." he settled for, truthfully. Being honest and letting the words fall out of his mouth felt terrifying, his skin tingled.

"I'm afraid that… you and Dean will like each other a lot... or something, that he'll move in here and then it will just be… pointless to hang out with me." Seth licked his lips, barreling on. "I'm afraid that I don't even know what I've got but I'm just gunna fuck it up before I find out. Like, whatever I do, I can't help but screw things up and I don't know what to do to fix them."

Roman's hands found his sides, were rubbing them over the top of the covers. Seth swallowed again, feeling the corners of his eyes wet.

"I just… have never done things right… I don't think. I don't know what I want and I feel like once everyone figures that out? I don't… They…"

Wide hands suggested he turn and Seth shifted, quickly drying his eyes on the comforter before finding himself tucked into Roman's armpit. He looked up, his own wide brown eyes finding a soft gaze.

"You need to… forgive… yourself." Roman said flatly, smoothing back his hair with one hand and rubbing his back. Seth softened, burying his face away to avoid the embarrassment of the whole thing. It was a wonder he was able to talk so open about this stuff, but the physical encouragement, the burrowing energy of support that leaked off the man was liberating.

"I'm serious," Roman continued. "It's your biggest hangup, right? You keep thinking you're going to fuck shit up again?"

"Yeah." Seth croaked. Roman continued to soothe him.

"Well, you're not that person anymore, right?" He asked. "If you were back in that situation again- if you were with your ex, what would you do?"

"I dunno." Seth sighed.

"Gut reaction." Roman offered. "What feels right?"

"I'd…" Seth blinked. "I'd have talked to him. Told him I was like, feeling miserable." He said, his head throbbing. "I would've asked him what he wanted and figured it out from there." He heaved a huge breath, trying to settle himself. "I already apologized to him, I tried to smooth things over."

"Forgive yourself." Roman repeated. "You've never said or done anything to me that's made me  _ resent  _ you. I'm sure you haven't said anything to Dean. If we were really upset about anything, we woulda' told you off about it."

"I know, it's stupid." Seth sniffed. "It's not logical, it's just what I'm thinking  _ all _ the time. What am I doing wrong? Why am I not perfect? What's gunna happen later that reveals me to be this bad person that I  _ feel  _ like I am?"

"You're not all the horrible thoughts in your head, Seth." Roman said firmly. "We all have those sort of anxieties a little bit. But you gotta realize that's not how I perceive you, that's not who you  _ are _ ."

"You don't know." Seth teased, rubbing his eyes. He felt a huge weight coming off his chest, an easing of pressure that felt indescribable. Everything was sunny again, comfortable. The situation, the glass of water at his bedside, his dead phone.

"Yeah I do." Roman squeezed him. "I'm too much of a grouch myself to hang around other assholes." He twined his fingers around Seth's hand, his large square palms dwarfing everything. "You're sarcastic as hell, a perfectionist… your face is almost always a little pouty and mean."

Seth giggled and Roman just squeezed him tighter.

"...But you're handsome and sweet, and really thoughtful." He continued. Seth's heart was trembling with maudlin bursts of joy, unable to stop himself from grinning like an idiot. "You have the sweetest eyes and you got your lil' crossfit butt and I don't care how much you puke, I'd still keep you around."

"Awwww." Seth wiggled his rear up against Roman's leg. "You're a real sweetheart."

"Shuddup." Roman tickled him lightly. "You just want compliments."

They lay together for a while, drifting in and out. Seth's head rested on Roman's chest, Roman's arm pulling him in tight, idly massaging his side. His head was still pounding hard, his stomach and his throat felt moldy and sore, but the mental anguish had subsided some. It wasn't as though he didn't have other things to worry about- the prospect of facing all of his coworkers after puking and crying didn't bode well. He'd have to apologize to Finn… the poor guy probably had no idea what to make of their awkward game of beer pong. But so long as Dean and Roman were with him, he felt like he could roll with the punches.

A little while later, Seth blinked awake, hearing the front door open and smelling breakfast food wafting in the air.

"You guys haven't made coffee yet?" Dean grumbled, setting down a huge bag of takeout containers from IHOP. "A guy can only smoke so many cigarettes."

"Pancakes?" Roman sniffed, sitting up and letting Seth slide into his lap. He blinked, looking up to Dean's tired face.

"Yeah," he coughed. "Dog's all fed, ran through and got take out." Dean tossed Seth's keys at his feet, wiping his face. "You got 800 proof ibuprofen?"

They brought breakfast into the living room, foregoing any extra stimulus to sit quietly in sweatpants, pouring syrup over the styrofoam containers. Seth was reminded of the first time he'd stayed the night at Roman's. The sloppy three-way and strange morning seemed like ages ago, each of the men were much more relaxed now.

Seth chewed, plenty hungry now that his nausea had subsided. His whole body still felt weak and shaky though, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just get home so he could sleep and recover as soon as possible. He had dishes and laundry that needed sorting- his trash would be stinking up his house terribly.

But the listlessness of the alcohol had him chewing his food to cud before he remembered to swallow. The events of the night and his conversation with Roman swirled to the surface of his mind before sinking down again, distracted. Roman had put his hair up in a bun, had eaten and was now looking through his mail, thinking. Dean sat, looking perhaps even more miserable than Seth, wearing a white tank top and the cargo shorts from the night before.

_ If Dean really thinks Roman likes me more, maybe I don't have much to worry about  _ Seth thought, watching his friend play with his lighter, tapping his box of cigarettes on his knee.

Everything was up in the air, confusing. But when had it ever not been? Since he'd gotten to Florida, nothing had been simple. Things had been fun and amazing, Seth couldn't imagine trading it for the world- but he'd fallen into something very different.

_ I want something. I know I don't want to be alone. I don't want to be by myself. _

"I'm gunna go shower." Dean muttered, snapping his empty carryout box shut.

"Save some hot water." Roman grunted, breaking open a white envelope that looked like a bill. Dean made his way down the hall. Seth licked his lips, swallowing.

_ I don't want to chose. _ He thought. Dean backtracked, grumbling and grabbing a towel from a bin of clean laundry sitting by the coffee table. Roman mumbled something about folding it.

_ I can't chose. _ He settled. The thought gnawed at him and he shut his eyes, head pounding. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm bad about leaving cliffhangers for too long. Can't stand it myself. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I feel like this one is pretty well written. 
> 
> Review, let me know, etc.


	48. Turn the tide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Contemplation and restoration. Seth stays positive. Swimming Lessons are more fun with mermaids and work is better when you've got lovers around.

Dean was obligated to teach later in the day, but Seth had a hard time getting out of Roman's house and making it home. After they'd each eaten and showered, he took some alka seltzer and aspirin, then started yawning heavily. Roman, who was feeling lazy himself, stood in the hallway and jerked his head towards his bedroom. Both of them took the day off, laying down and falling in and out of a hazy nap.

"I was a little worried you weren't gunna wake up after puking so much." Roman admitted sleepily around four, turning his pillow to the cool side. "Thought I'd have to give you a sternal rub."

"W'as that?"

"You take your knuckles and rub em on your sternum hard, it's like an EMT thing." Roman mimed his hand kneading his chest.

"W'as that supposed to do." Seth laughed, raising his fist and rubbing hard against his chest, he winced, drawing his hand back while Roman laughed.

"Sucks, right? If you don't wake up from that… you gotta go to the hospital…"

They spooned until Seth started getting antsy, still feeling bleary, but too napped out to do anything about it. Roman offered to get up and make him dinner, seeing as how Dean would be home soon anyway, but Seth knew he had to get going. Kevin could've pissed right through his potty pad by now, there were plenty of things that needed attending to.

"We'll do something this week, ok?" Roman mumbled tenderly into Seth's neck as he stood in the doorway, ready to go. "Just us two. Whatever you want."

"M'k." Seth sighed, but he perked up as he thought of something. "BDSM stuff! Yeah?"

"Sure." Roman laughed. "We'll figure somethin' out."

He drove home, then did some minimal cleaning before falling into his own bed again, languid.

_ That could have been worse  _ he thought, breathing in the comfort of his own surroundings, the familiarity. Kevin hopped up on the bed, ears back and tail wagging, looking for attention. Seth pulled him in to snuggle. He'd checked his phone earlier and Cesaro had texted him a few times, making sure he was alright. Otherwise, he had avoided much of the outside world.

Roman's questions about Marek had Seth turning over memories he hadn't pondered for awhile. Thoughts regarding how he and Marek had interacted and shared themselves. With some distance and hindsight, Seth cringed, remembering times when he'd been a less than ideal person to be around. For all the times he'd been eager to remember how Marek had been snippy with him, made him feel stupid, or blew small arguments into big ones- Seth had really been a selfish person. He never wanted to go to family events or give any input in when it came to keeping the house in order. Really, all Seth had done was keep the kitchen clean and he'd held it over his boyfriend's head like he was really the most considerate person in the world…

_ I'll be better _ he thought, swallowing hard. _ I know better. _

Even if he didn't know  _ who _ he wanted to share his time with, Seth was sure he would be more considerate, more caring. His eyelids flickered into his bed sheets and the hand petting Kevin stilled. Before he finally fell asleep, Seth texted Dean and Roman both, a simple  _ Thanks _ .

_ Any time _ Roman texted back. A few minutes later, Dean typed out  _ No prob _ .

When Monday rolled around and the week started, Seth checked the posted online schedule to see when he would be working, but also to see if Finn would be around. He'd felt really uncomfortable about how he'd left the situation at the party, so he wanted to see if he couldn't smooth things over. Finn was scheduled to guard at two, a little earlier than he had to be in, but without much better to do, Seth got a workout in and picked up some conciliatory powdered doughnuts from the bakery at the grocery store nearest White Water. He figured an apology and some baked goods could go a long way.

"Hey hey," 

Cesaro saw him first, sitting with Sami behind the front desk and chatting. His face lit up and Seth grinned, slightly pink. He'd returned his friend's texts, but the last time they'd seen each other was when he was puking and crying. 

"All better." Seth waved both of his hands, figuring it was easier to do away with the elephant in the room. "Thanks again man, I feel like such garbage about that."

"No problem, no problem." Cesaro grinned, looking at Sami, "Besides, you left at a good time."

"Yeah?" Seth raised his eyebrow, leaning on the counter. All three men huddled in closer, lowering their voices.

"Right after you left, there was a  _ fight _ ." Cesaro mumbled, nodding as Seth's eyes widened. "Paige and Alberto… well… I had no idea they could yell like that, but they both each were trying to throw hands. Things got ugly quickly."

"Which just goes to show, you're never going to be the most embarrassing at a party." Sami laughed. "Especially at one on the east side of town." 

"Well jeez, I guess." Seth smiled, his heart lifting a little. If there had been some physical violence, Seth would be surprised if anyone even remembered that he had had a drunken tantrum. "Are they ok? Nothing connected... right?"

"Yeah, I mean, nobody actually got hurt." Cesaro shrugged. "Me and a few other people went to talk to Hunter about it though, let him know what we saw. Can't bring that sort of thing into work."

"Right," Seth nodded. "Wow, ok. I was just gunna go talk to Finn quick, do you know which Pool he's in?"

P-Pool wasn't busy at all, with just a handful of parents with small children wading around in the shallows. Finn and Becky looked bored, each sitting at the opposite guard stands. Finn smiled warmly when he saw Seth, sitting up a little straighter, the side of his face that had been plastered with makeup for halloween was still stained slightly pink. Seth waved to Becky and nodded back.

"Hey, I wanted to talk with you real quick-" Seth said carefully, dangling the bag of doughnuts. Finn shifted awkwardly, unsure. "Becky, you good?"

"Wha'? Oh… yeah."

Dean's office was empty so Seth sat at the computer chair in the middle of the usual mess, sighing and rubbing his lips thoughtfully. He'd always felt nervous to the point of sickness when it came to admitting things, but he knew that he couldn't let stupid moments of weakness mess with his work life. 

"I just wanted to apologize if I seemed like an asshole-" Seth began, Finn's features relaxed and he blinked, shaking his head a little. "The drinking thing, the party- I was in a foul mood and was already like, pretty messed up by the time we had our game."

"Oh, it's no problem." Finn shook his head. "I thought I was in uh, _work_ trouble fer a moment there…" He laughed. "Whoo, no er, I uh, I'd heard you'd been sick and I really wasn't offended or nothin'. I was probably bein' a cocky git about it anyway, I was drunk too."

"Yeah, well." Seth shrugged, pulling a doughnut out of the bag and extending the offering to his co-worker. "It's all alright now with me, I just didn't want to have some weird energy floatin' around. You're really good at your job and all, so-"

"Thanks," Finn took a bite. "I was gunna be askin' you- askin' Dean too, I wasn't sure who to talk to… I was wanderin' about what swim lessons are like here-"

They chatted for a little while. Finn ended up clearing off a rubbermaid container and sitting down so Seth could explain a little about how the Swim Academy worked and how pay was adjusted. He wasn't sure of everything, mentioning a few times that it was more of Dean's gig, but Finn listed raptly, nodding and smiling through his powdered doughnut. Talking was easy and Seth felt pleased with how Finn still seemed to treat him like a boss of some sorts, respectful and earnest with his words. 

At a quarter past, Becky came and banged on the window, wondering what they were up to.

"I need a bathroom break." She explained. "You sneaks! Gettin' doughnuts!"

"There's one left, I'll leave it in here for you." Seth offered. "They're just from Publix, nothing too fancy."

Feeling significantly less weighted, Seth felt more prepared for his private lesson with Holly. Though, finishing his snack in the break room, he'd forgotten entirely about his agreement to conduct the class wearing a mermaid tail. With some time to spare, he put his bag into a locker in the adult changing room, and headed upstairs to the adaptive pool. Seth wondered distantly if Roman didn't have some ideas for teaching a blended mermaid class, but then, he  _ mostly _ just wanted to see his friend.

"Heyyyyy Uce-" Seth said slyly, sliding the door open. He blinked, Roman wasn't at his desk, but AJ was sitting on the floor, rummaging through a bin.

"Oh- hello Seth." AJ was beet red, looking very confused. Seth blanched, scratching his arm. 

"Is, uh-" Seth laughed nervously. "Roman's on the schedule, right? He's supposed to be here?"

"Pretty soon-" AJ looked at the digital clock on his own desk. "Why?"

"Oh, uh." Seth thought wildly. "I was gunna be teaching my private with Holly but I uh- Well, I-"

He explained, stupidly, the situation. AJ's eyebrows knitted together strangely and he nodded, still looking at Seth anxiously. He bullshitted, grimacing as he made himself look lost and dumbfounded at the prospect of teaching with a mermaid tail.

"Well, she's not wearin' one, is she?" AJ asked, giving up his search for equipment in the container. "I got this cool underwater camera that my boys like tuh play with when they come, it's all charged up-" He opened up his desk drawer and handed the little camera over. "She can play with that maybe? Git her to put her face 'n an' what not."

"She's not but, oh yeah, thanks!" Seth said quietly, actually pleased. "I'll uh, figure out the tail stuff, I remember where they're at. Thanks AJ."

"Yeah… no problem…" AJ mumbled, "Just put that camera back 'n my desk when your done."

The strangeness aside, Seth was glad he'd been given something that might entice Holly to look underwater. Headed back downstairs to rummage through the storage closet, the gold tail and monofin he'd used before was nowhere to be found.

Looking through the hanging, limp lines of different colored cloths, Seth grabbed a silvery set and held it up to his legs, looking carefully.

"Better work." he hummed to himself, draping the fabric over his shoulder and making his way to the locker room to put on his swim suit. There was still a lingering feeling that he was going to look foolish, wearing such a shiny, effeminate accessory. 

Getting into the pool early enough to make the whole thing fun and magical turned out to be one of the best customer service moves Seth had made. Forgoing his usual teaching rash guard and grabbing a variety of toys, Seth sat patiently on the side of the pool, dangling the huge fin in the water and thinking hard about what he wanted to do.

"You should wear your hair down!" Becky suggested, grinning as he fiddled with the camera. Seth shrugged, pulling the tie out of his bun and letting his long hair fall slack around his shoulders. "Now you're a real mermaid."

"Yeah, jeez, just what I always wanted." He complained, but just as he'd finished griping, Holly and Mrs. Shippley came out of the locker room. One look in his direction was all the affirmation he'd needed. 

"Look Sweetie! Just like he said!" Mrs. Shippley laughed. "Mister Seth really IS a mermaid!"

"C'mere Holly!" Seth grinned, watching gleefully as Holly stopped dead in her tracks, disbelieving. She looked up at her mother in awe, unable to articulate her surprise.

"Go sit by him! I'll watch."

Happy tears started to flow from Holly's eyes and she let out a squealing little laugh as she ran eagerly up to Seth, burying her face in his shoulder. 

"You gotta walk! I know you're excited." Seth laughed. "Are you ready to play some games with me?"

"I didn't think that-" Holly giggled. "My book says mermaids only live in 'an ocean!"

"I'm… a pool mer-MAN." Seth tried, blushing. "We're different. We live... in pools..."

Holly patted his silvery leg, as though testing the authenticity. It was daunting to know that Seth wouldn't be able to take the monofin off for at least an hour to maintain the illusion, but it wasn't too much work his limbs. 

"I want to be a mermaid." Holly declared. "I want to be a pool mermaid  _ or _ an ocean mermaid."

"Well, you can only be a mermaid if you learn how to swim." Seth said, nodding his head as Holly looked slightly annoyed. "Hey, but let's have fun today, ok? We can keep working and trying together then… well… maybe in a little while, I can teach you to be a mermaid!"

Sticking a metaphorical carrot above Holly's nose for her to work for turned out to be a lot more motivating than hoping she might learn to care. Holly's face grew determined, her gaze steely as Mrs. Shippley helped her into a life jacket and some goggles. Seth slid off of the side of the pool, going underwater and dolphin kicking over the ramp where Holly met him eagerly. It was such a night and day switch from their last lesson- she couldn't stop staring at Seth as he lay on his stomach, beckoning her down.

Recalling some of the previous lessons where Seth had encouraged Holly to put her face underwater, Seth tried to get her to blow bubbles with her nose, pulling her farther and farther down the ramp and holding her hands while they each put their faces in. 

"I can see you." Holly grinned, wiping her face. "I can see your… tail."

"Yeah, yeah." Seth nodded, he knew that as long as she was distracted, then they could work through whatever fears she had. "One more time! You have goggles and I don't, this should be easy, right?"

Once Holly seemed comfortable putting her face in, Seth put some sinking toys out in the shallow side, keeping only to areas where she could touch. There wouldn't be a whole lot of real swimming involved, but Seth figured if he could get Holly just to reach down and look for things underwater, it was a level of comfort that they could build upon. 

He whisked around, treading water with his hands while the huge tail butted up against the tile floor. 

"Ok big girl, come get em!"

Giggling happily, running around in the water, Holly mostly tried to pick the rings up with her feet, but Seth scolded her and hid the rings again. Really, she just wanted to chase Seth around, running towards his tail and trying to grab onto it. He yelled dramatically, swimming circles around her and teasing.

Bored with the rings, Seth towed her to the deep end with a pool noodle to see if he couldn't get her to paddle around. The last thing Seth wanted her to do was look underwater and panic, seeing how far down the floor was, but Holly actually seemed fairly confident, laughing and throwing rings down deep, then watching as he went to fetch them.

"Ok, no more." Seth grumbled. Stowing the rings on the deck. "Let's use swimming arms, ok? And kicks."

The final surprise was the underwater camera and Holly was interested but ambivalent. Seth wanted to take her picture underwater, but it was clear she didn't want to fully submerge herself. It was one thing to quickly look or reach for something, but Holly took a moment, considering. For a moment she simply stared at Seth and his tail and then, she counted on her fingers to signal her descent while Seth readied the camera.

A couple blurry snaps was all he got, but Mrs. Shippley cheered and hugged her daughter tight with her towel, praising such a fun day.

"See? You didn't even get water in your nose, did you?" Seth teased, hopping up on the deck. "That was fun right?"

"Yeah." Holly said quietly. "I want to be a pool mermaid too! If I was a pool mermaid-" Holly said distractedly, turning her towel excitedly in her hands while Mrs. Shippley tried to free her daughter from the life jacket. "I could swim for a long time and I could even go on the deep side." 

"More practice, ok?" Seth said encouragingly, finally losing patience with his wet hair and tying it high on his head. "If you can do floating and some swimming without the life jacket, then I'll teach you how to be a mermaid." 

Mrs. Shippley thanked him repeatedly and Seth waved them off, assuring them that it was his pleasure. As soon as they'd walked into the girls locker room, Seth kicked out of the tail, letting the fabric slide down his legs. Separating them was strange and his thighs ached, but he was too pleased with himself to be hung up on it. 

"You make a good mermaid," Becky grinned, watching as he picked up the toys and the noodle. Dean had walked into his office and Seth's head had shot up without fail. 

"Oh, uh, thanks." He mumbled, watching his friend collapse into his office chair, booting up his computer. "Anything for the kids…"

He slipped into the office as soon as he was dry enough to not be dripping water all over the floor, smirking as he realized Dean was wearing one of Roman's sweatshirts.

"How'd it go this time?" Dean mumbled, flipping through the contents of multiple clipboards. "Sami said you were here early."

"Yeah I… wanted to be ready." Seth shrugged, not really sure why he was there. He hadn't seen Dean since Saturday, they'd been apart for longer, surely, but his presence had been missed. "It went good, I put on one of the mermaid tails and Holly liked it a lot."

Dean smiled at him and Seth blushed, not really used to the way he could grin so genuinely under his overlong hair. 

"What?"

"Nothing, i's just cute is all. I bet she liked that." Dean hummed, Seth looked at his long toes resting on the tile floor. "Hunter'd love that."

"Yeah." Seth bit his lip. He really should just go change, he didn't actually have anything to say to his friend. Seth looked out the window, watching Finn and Becky rotate positions, watching their patrons. "Who's on the next shift?"

His questions was answered for him as he heard Sasha's voice, talking animatedly from the pool deck. She passed by without looking into the office, Bayley trailing in her wake.

"The ladieeees." Dean grinned, looking crudely to Seth. He frowned, not really sure what Dean was insinuating. "Man, I lean towards guys typically, right? But when chicks start making out…" Dean shook his head, a look of bliss occupying his face. 

Seth remembered suddenly, as though he was having deja vu, the moment when Dean had come upon him in Dolph's bathroom.

_ There's girls outside! Kissing! _

"What?" Seth said incredulously, looking through the window wide eyed as Bayley and Sasha both put on fanny packs and rescue tubes, laughing to each other. "No way, you're kidding? At the party?"

"I was outside, and I was smoking a cigarette. Rome' just went upstairs, I think 'cause you were sick and they were looking for him, but I heard someone fall down in the parking lot so I went to check it out." Dean licked his lips and Seth felt a little nauseous. "I mean, they yelled at me for lookin' but really I just wanted to make sure nobody was like, fucked up or nothin'"

"That.. bitch..." Seth snorted, Dean laughed. "She gives me so much shit about you and Roman! No! I'm never going to let her live this down."

"Hey man," Dean laughed. "If something is sanctioned by  _ god _ -"

"Whatever," Seth huffed, completely apathetic to any homosexual implications- he was already dreaming of how to make fun of Sasha for all the times she had teased him. He picked up his towel, heading for the door. "- _ Hypocrites. _ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to go back to having the chapters cap before they hit 4k... Maybe it'll stick, who knows. Haha. 
> 
> Not nearly as emotionally charged, but review if you've got the time! About to hit 10,000 hits and I couldn't be more happy for everyone tuning in each week to read! Almost at 50 chapters, been writing for over 6 months! So much has happened, and yet, there is still so much to tell. Thanks!


	49. Guys and Dolls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha elaborates on her Halloween night and there's a surprise trip to the dog park. Who are the other hot dog owners of Orlando? Football, Empanadas, Blindfolds.

**You know what I mean!! Dont even**

**I do but wtf do u want me to say? It happened and its cool**

**OK… but u rode my ass so hard when i was doin the same shit. You want to explain?**

**Lol**

**No**

**How about u tell me what your whole deal is???**

**Dean n Roman carried u home**

**Yeah i was sick so what?**

**Yeah yeah so what**

**> :(**

**Ur such a gemini**

**What is that supposed to mean???**

Seth grunted, throwing his phone down on the counter. He'd only just finished with work and gotten home, flipping a grilled cheese dinner over a frying pan. Sasha had texted him, wondering if they could trade shifts later in the week and Seth had been unable to contain himself, demanding the truth regarding Halloween night. 

His phone began to ring, Sasha's contact info coming up on his screen. Kevin grumbled, hearing the buzzing echoing off the hard surface. Seth just sighed, turning off the burner and holding the phone to his ear.

"How do you even know my birthday anyway?" He scoffed, looking for a plate in his cupboard.

"Look, do you want to just meet up if you  _ really _ want to talk about this?" She said, her voice oozing with sass. "You're so much more of a spaz over text. I can't handle it."

"I just want to know if you were like, doing that thing that chicks do sometimes for attention, you know?" Seth sniffed, cutting his sandwich into triangles. "Like, are you gay or something?"

"Excuse me?" Sasha said, her voice snapping. Seth's heart beat faster, she sounded actually upset.

"I  _ can _ ask," Seth said defensively. "Being gay and all."

"Why would I make out with someone for attention with no one else around?" Sasha retorted. "What are you insinuating?"

"I'm not insinuating anything!" he bit back, "Look, if you don't want to tell me if you're gay or bi or whatever the hell else, that's fine- I just thought you would."

"Like I want to tell you now." 

He could feel her eyes rolling, Seth sighed.

"I don't  _ mean _ anything by it-" he tried. "I don't think you're attention seeking or a liar or anything, I'm just curious. And considering I told you all about my own stupid love life, I figured you weren't the type that was going to be too prudish about telling me how your  _ own _ night went."

"Let's go take a walk or grab a drink or something," Sasha proposed. "I'm not going to deal with you shouting at me on the phone."

"I wasn't-"

"Where do you want to go?"

Seth wrinkled his nose, looking at his sandwich hard. He _ did _ want to talk to Sasha about this, but he hadn't thought it would be anything he'd have to take real time out of his day to do deal with. Kevin sniffed around near his feet, looking for crumbs.

"Let's go to the dog park." Seth suggested, shifting as Kevin started licking the tile. "Come pick me up."

A little while later, she arrived to get him, idling in the fifteen minute parking area while Seth traipsed down the flights of stairs with his dog in hand. It was a little overcast out, so he broke out some pairs of jeans he hadn't worn since Iowa, fitting a little more snug around his crossfit-swollen thighs. 

He took off his sunglasses once he sat in the car, looking to Sasha curiously.

"Hey, I'm sorry-" Seth shrugged, seeing her stony expression. "I really didn't mean to offend you-"

"Just 'cause you're gay, doesn't mean you know dick about girl's stuff." Sasha explained, pulling out of the lot and coming to the stop sign at the end of the road. "Now, where am I going?"

"Turn uh, go north on Crystal lake." Seth pointed and Sasha signalled. She did have a point, Seth hadn't thought about it, but he really didn't know any women in his life that identified as gay. 

They drove in a sort of awkward silence until Seth confirmed he could switch shifts with her on Friday. She nodded, thanked him and quickly enough they each began running down the events of the night from when they had parted ways.

Seth had taken Kevin to the dog park only a couple of times before, but it had mostly been in the afternoon when he'd gotten off guarding shifts early. Previously, the park had been mostly deserted, except for maybe a few senior folks with older dogs that didn't have much to do but sniff around, ignoring each other. That evening, many cars filled the little dirt lot and Seth could hear barking as soon as they'd gotten out of the car.

"So, you lost at beer pong?" Sasha asked, locking her car up and holding Kevin, who looked eager and excited to get inside the gated area.

"Yeah, and, I think you saw me before, right?" Seth asked. "I was already drunk and then I just drank a ton more of that crap pumpkin beer."

The dog park was full of mostly large dogs. A large chocolate lab came right up to the gate and bellow-barked, excited to greet them.

"Lucy, quit it!"

Seth set Kevin down and he eagerly sniffed the dog named Lucy. It didn't take long for him to tear away, barking manically and getting all the other dogs around riled up. Seth grimaced and watched as Kevin barked and barked, leading almost ten dogs in a frantic game of chase. 

"Nattie would say that's bad manners." Sasha laughed, moving aside so the stream of dogs could run past them. 

"Anyways…" Seth shrugged, trying to keep focused on his pet. The last thing he needed was some big dog to think Kevin was a rabbit or something and then take a bite out of him. "Well, I dunno. I heard from Cesaro that Dean and Roman were moving in together and I kinda panicked. I didn't know what was going on and I started feeling really sick- so eventually I threw up a bunch and started freaking out."

Seth sighed, just talking about it made him embarrassed. However, Sasha didn't look remotely amused. They walked over to a picnic bench and sat on the table surface, legs drawn up on the seats. 

"Are they all moved in then?" Sasha asked. Seth bit his lip, half shrugging.

"Seems like it, at this point, I don't really want to ask a bunch of questions." He looked away, thinking. "We went back to Roman's and, well, I don't remember it really well-" he lied. "But Roman at least was really like, assuring that they weren't trying to exclude me or anything."

"Roman's good," Sasha said quietly. "He wouldn't pull any shit on you, I don't think."

"But Dean would?" Seth laughed.

"Dean wouldn't mean to, but he could mess things up on accident." She cocked her head to the side. "Well, maybe… you probably know him better at this point."

"He probably just wouldn't even realize I liked him," Seth said, his voice shaking a little. He watched Kevin pause and pant, trying to catch his breath mid-bounce. "He's incapable of picking up hints."

"So… you like both of them then?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah," Seth laughed, dropping his gaze to the ground, his chest felt heavy. "Yeah... I think so."

"That's trouble." Sasha chuckled.

"Well, what about you?" Seth diverted. "You and Bayley, huh? I thought you guys were just good friends."

"We are good friends." Sasha rolled her eyes. "No, but, well... fuck, I dunno what happened. We went out a few times cause we both like the same things- she's all new to the area and stuff. I took her to Disney World!"

"Whoa, you must _ really _ like her then!" Seth laughed, remembering immediately how all of his Florida native co-workers recoiled at the mention of the theme park. 

"Shut up." Sasha teased, laughing. "It was so fun. I hadn't really been with any person before that was as nice and chill. Right? Like you can just do anything with them."

"Yeah." Seth nodded. It was strange, he had never seen Sasha so unguarded before, like she was thinking hard to figure out all her words and get them out correctly. She looked forward, blushing a little.

"Well, she told me pretty early on she was gay." Sasha shrugged. "I was like, yeah cool girl, do your thing. It's not anything I really had ever thought about or considered." She shrugged, voice going up an octave. "I haven't even had that many boyfriends, like, people always thought I was weird because I was never running up to dudes or throwing myself at them. I was always shy, like…" 

"Yeah." Seth repeated. He opened his mouth for a moment, prepared to elaborate on his own difficulties with coming to terms with his sexuality, but Sasha closed her fist, thinking hard, so he buttoned his lip.

"I felt really shitty too-" Sasha continued, exasperated. "It was really obvious she was into me from the start and I was just like, playing it off as being a good friend. I dunno what girls flirting looks like… but yeah. We were drunk and excited, everyone loved our costumes so we were just like, trying to keep together cause it was so much fun. We were trying to find Becky outside 'cause we left a bottle in her car… but… yeah."

"Did you guys-"

"Yeah." Sasha's eyes widened. "Yeah, I… started… it…?"

"And it's all cool?" Seth asked. Kevin had found them on the bench and plopped down by their feet, breathing hard and sneezing a little. 

"Yeah!" Sasha laughed, Seth's heart raced, there were actually tears in her eyes.

"Well… well… that's good!" Seth clapped her on the back, unsure of himself. "You wanted it? She wanted it? You should be happy!"

"I just don't know what's happening." Sasha buried her face in her hands, wiping her eyes and nose. "It's really fine… I just- I dunno what I am, you know? I dunno how to navigate any of this, I dunno what… what the rules are or anything-"

"Hey, that doesn't matter, right?" Seth laughed, Sasha was really tugging at his heart. "Look, I'm not a girl or a lesbian or anything, but there aren't any  _ real _ rules to this stuff, is there? You should just focus on what  _ you _ want."

"Ugh," Sasha sniffed, leaning on her knees. "I dunno what I want. Who does?" 

"Amen," Seth chuckled darkly. Looking for a distraction, he kneeled down to inspect Kevin, sure his paws were probably wet and dirty. Leaning down however, he realized there was another dog at his feet as well, playing with Kevin. It was small and light brown, teeth flashing playfully as they yipped and flailed at each other.

"My dog  _ loves _ your dog!" a young man came trotting up to them, darker skinned and smiling. He grinned, watching the dogs play. Sasha wiped her eyes again, trying to look composed, Seth just nodded awkwardly. "Su-Su! Do you have a friend?"

"Heh, yeah." Seth mumbled, a little startled as the man reached out his hand excitedly. 

"I'm Byron!" The man beamed excitedly. "Do you guys come here a lot?"

Seth laughed nervously, looking to Sasha, who smiled politely. Who  _ was _ this guy? He was wearing a trendy sort of polo shirt and shorts, looking rather like a lost tennis player. Before Seth could figure out if he even wanted to humor the guy with his real name, another man approached them, white, brunette, with slicked back hair that looked immaculately fixed to his head. 

"You buggin' people?" he snorted, moving to where the two dogs were playing and picking up his pet. Seth swallowed, the guy was  _ alternatively  _ attractive, tattoos on his knuckles arms and neck. His arms weren't overly thick and beefy, but fit and toned. Sunken, dark eyes that appeared darkly luminous…

"I'm… Corey." The man shrugged as he noticed them staring, hoisting his dog a little higher in his hands. 

"Sasha," She smiled, looking to Seth who looked positively dumbstruck.

"Sth-eth," He stuttered, grinning stupidly. The man smiled back at him, revealing even, white teeth. 

"Cool, well... we were just about to head out. We'll see you guys around…"

It took all of a minute for the men to walk out of earshot, making their way down the little hill to the gate before Sasha burst out laughing. Seth sighed, heaving Kevin into his arms, not caring much about dirtying up his arms.

"Shuttup." He scoffed, standing up again. "I like tattoos, ok?"

"You had puppy eyes, it was so cute." She giggled. "You think they were gay? They seemed like they were together." 

"Who knows." Seth said bitterly. "Not my business."

Sasha took Kevin and they made for the parking lot too. To distract himself from watching the other two men leave, Seth whipped out his phone, checking the time. It was hard to believe the sun was already setting.

**Did u want to come over? Deans doing his library thing n i made empanadas** Roman had texted him.

**Yes!!!** Seth texted back, already grinning. 

"Gunna go hangout with  _ Roman _ ," Seth bragged, sliding into Sasha's car and resettling his dog on his lap. Sasha grinned, starting the car and turning on her lights.

"Me and Bay were gunna hang out too," She admitted. "She gets done guarding at eight and we were going to watch TV."

"Netflix and  _ chill _ ." Seth teased. She sighed, turning on the radio.

Sasha earnestly thanked him for being an ear to her thoughts, letting him off back at the entrance to his apartment. Seth leaned in the window, holding his dog tight to his chest and patting his pocket to make sure he hadn't left anything behind.

"It's no problem." he nodded. "I'm sorry if I like… made an ass of myself. You're cool and all, I didn't want to piss you off."

"It's ok," Sasha blinked. "I dunno how to talk about this stuff much either, we'll figure it out."

"Yeah-" He gave her a toothy grin. "I'll see ya' Sash'"

Trying to walk quickly but not jostle his dog, he climbed the steps and eagerly bounded to his door, prepared to wipe off Kevin's paws and put on a sweatshirt before driving over to Roman's. He hadn't said anything explicit about what they might be doing, but Seth had a feeling it might be something fun and kinky. 

His dick was already hard, imagining himself all tied up and helpless while Roman had his way with him. He'd poured over little scenarios in his mind previously, letting his cock get warm and bothered as he closed his eyes, re-enacting porn bits he'd seen in his head with both of his lovers interchangeably fucking him. He'd secretly been a little exasperated with Roman for dragging it out for so long. It wasn't like he was going to climb a mountain, he didn't get why everything needed to be a  _ session _ or a  _ scene _ . Wasn't sex just sex? 

"Hey," Roman smiled warmly down at him in his doorstep and Seth grinned the usual, uncomplicated smile he felt when Roman's gaze gave him nervous butterflies. They walked inside the dimly house. Everything smelled like warmth and cinnamon, emanating off a plate of empanadas lined with a towel that was cooling on the kitchen countertop. 

"You been doing ok?" Roman leaned into him and Seth slumped, resting his head up against his chest and drawing in a breath.

"Yeah, really good." Seth smiled. "Think I'm gettin' a little too addicted to cuddling with you though."

"Oh yeah?" Roman laughed and Seth loved the little shake of it. Taking in a deep breath, his brain felt fuzzy and light.

"Yeah," Seth mumbled, chancing a glance up to catch Roman's stormy gaze. "Dean's at the library?"

"Yup." Roman drew back, giving his sides a squeeze and grabbing an empanada. "He's been going every Wednesday night now, I dunno what for because he won't tell me."

"Really?" Seth shot him a curious expression, nodding as Roman made to offer him a pastry.

"I looked at the library events and there's just a chess club, a knitting group and some baby storytime thing." He shrugged, grabbing some vanilla ice cream from the refrigerator and spooning it on top of the plates. "You think Dean could secretly be some type of Bobby Fischer genius?"

"I guess anything's possible." 

They cuddled together on the sofa, watching a football game from earlier in the week that had been recorded on the DVR. Roman lay flat, resting on the side of the couch, while Seth piled on top of him, resting on his ample chest. A large hand splayed over the back of his head, scratching softly through his bun while both of them chewed away at the stack of treats.

Seth had missed this- the little intimate things you couldn't quite ask of a one night stand. He'd never really had to ask Roman to provide it, perhaps something about him had just given off the need. Sex was great, having it rough or soft gave him a great release, but being able to relax and bury himself into a warm body scratched an itch he'd nearly forgotten about.

The feeling seemed to be mutual, looking to how glossy eyed and tender Roman had gotten, his heart beating slow and steady against Seth's cheek.

"You like Aaron Rodgers?"

"He's ok," Seth mumbled. "I like him best when he's not killing the Bears."

"I'm surprised you're not a Green Bay fan, coming from the midwest and all."

"Beaaars," Seth hummed, grabbing another empanada.

The fourth quarter wrapped quickly, the Panthers coming through ahead most of the game to beat Green Bay. The whole time, Roman kept having to readjust, his dick knocking up against Seth's, painfully obvious. They were both warm and handsy, but their mutual appreciation for football kept them waiting until the sportscenter recaps started to roll.

"Dean will probably be back soon," Roman sighed, turning off the television with the remote. "But so long as you don't mind him butting in-"

"I think I'll survive." Seth said softly, grinning and staring down at Roman's face, his head resting on his hands. Roman smiled and they leaned in together, kissing sweetly.

They each tasted like cinnamon and sugar, honeyed lips smacking back and forth. Seth felt Roman's dick shift, hard and swollen, making his own press back against his stomach. Hands groped the bubble of his ass, fighting against the tension of his belt to sneak in, grabbing a handful beneath his underwear.

"Bedroom." Roman purred, squeezing. Seth chuckled, slipping off of his lover's lap and shimmying awkwardly with his erection. 

If the wicker chest hadn't been so obviously visible from Roman's bedroom door, Seth might have forgotten about the promise to do something vaguely kinky. Feeling cocky and comfortable, he skipped ahead, bouncing right up to the chest and giving Roman a look of mock surprise.

"Well WHAT'S this?" He cackled, drumming on the top with his knuckle, making the wicker creak. "I WONDER what's in here?"

"Shuddup," Roman grunted, rolling his eyes. Seth opened the top of the container just a crack, making like he was going to peek inside. "You can look all you want, I don't care."

"Really?" Seth pulled the trunk open completely, a little surprised by Roman's candor. 

"Not all of it's mine and I some of it I haven't even used." He shrugged, sitting down on the bed and sliding out of his socks as Seth kneeled, looking through the chest. "See what strikes your fancy."

Seth grabbed out a pair of handcuffs with velvety soft guards to inspect before setting them on the floor to continue his search. A few different paddles and floggers rested upright to one side, on the other, coils of rope and loose leather were stacked. The bottom was full of it's own boxes, some transparent and and obvious about their contents while the others appeared more discreet. 

"What's this?" Seth asked, pulling up a long leather sleeve with buckles every few inches, Roman's mouth twitched.

"My arm binder." He nodded. "That's one of my favorites, cost quite a bit 'cause I got it custom fitted." 

"Do you just… go to a leather shop for something like that?" Seth asked, inspecting the binder more closely. 

"I went to the Folsom Street Fair a couple years ago." Roman grunted, laying back and watching Seth continue to go through his box, fondly. 

"What's that?" Seth asked, pulling out a collar and chain. Everything looked very well crafted and finely made. 

"Big… leather… event?" 

He showed him a picture on his phone and Seth gawked. The image showed Roman walking down a street with his hair down, grinning happily and looking a little sun kissed. He was wearing a chest harness, a collar and a studded leather jockstrap with fur lined knee boots. It would have looked obscene if it wasn't for so many equally naked people posing alongside him, looking ecstatic.

"What is that?" Seth looked dumbfounded. "Where- when is that?"

"It's in California." Roman laughed. "I went because a friend of mine wanted me to model his gear, so we agreed for him to fly me out and house me and Daniel while I just got to walk around in his stuff and hand out cards. Pretty sweet deal." 

"I wanna go to that." Seth said quietly, he'd heard of something to do with Folsom before, but he'd just assumed it was some pride thing. "Would you go again?"

"Maybe," Roman shrugged. "I doubt I could get time off, but if I got a deal like that again, sure, why not?"

"I feel so… uninvolved." Seth admitted, pulling out a spreader bar. "The pride stuff in Iowa was so tiny and lame. I've never gone to anything really big and cool- I bet the Orlando pride is really fun."

"It's ok, something to do." Roman shrugged. Seth pulled out a clear, unopened plastic box, his eyes widening as he looked at an array of butt plugs.

"Anal trainers, right?" Roman sat up a little, "I never opened those."

"These look… fun." Seth purred, staring enthusiastically at the silicone plugs, going right up to a size well wider than a usual healthy girth. Roman stood up, laughing lightly at the ring of gear that haloed him on the floor. He held out a hand for Seth, the other, adjusted the dick in his pants.

"Let's start slow." Roman helped him to his feet, grabbing a satin blindfold from the inside of the cover of the basket. "You're for  _ sure _ cool with Dean possibly busting down the door?"

"Yeah, let him join in, I don't care," Seth laughed, letting Roman toss him down, back first onto the mattress. Still clutching the plastic box in his hands, Roman set it aside and pinned him down, kissing him wildly.

It was wet and hard, beards rubbing together fiercely and scratching up their cheeks. Seth fought, wanting to close his eyes, but was so possessed with seeing the gorgeous man that he didn't want to lose sight of him. His dick sprang but up to full alertness and he ground it up against Roman's leg, fighting a whine.

"Let's try this," Roman slipped the satin blindfold onto his forehead. "You're not too chatty, but if you don't like something, you'll just say so, yeah?"

"Y-yeah…" Seth mumbled. "Why wouldn't I like it?"

"I dunno," Roman laughed. "Just being safe."

He slipped the blindfold down and instantly Seth felt vaguely robbed. Roman was the hottest dude he'd ever had the luck to get mixed up with. What was he supposed to dwell on now? Hands shifted him, pushing him back on the bed and he went limp, not really sure of what to do or how to pose. His pants were worked with and came off, Roman palmed up his shirt and Seth tried to assist, getting himself naked except for the satin covering. 

He swallowed, feeling the bed shift and the weight of his friend shift ominously beside him.

"Oh, you're _ alright _ ," Roman grunted, giving his limp dick a little friendly squeeze. "You're gunna have lots of fun." 

"Yeah?" Seth said shakily, his ankles were eased up, spreading towards the head of the bed. His impaired senses struggled for a moment, trying to ground himself as his ass was hiked up into the air. 

"Oh yeah," Roman muttered. Seth felt a hand on his belly, holding him upright. With a warm breath at his backside, he trembled, his legs tensing. A hot tongue came down to taste his rim.

The blindfold was freeing in that Seth didn't feel any pressure to physically articulate how he was feeling. During sex, he was really quite body conscious and was always minding how he presented himself, worried he was too sweaty or his hair was too messy. With vision out of the picture, he relaxed into Roman's hold, breathing hard with his head turned to the side.

"Yeah," Roman said breathily as Seth let out a single, trembling whimper. "You can be loud baby, let it out."

"S-so good." Seth sighed as Roman circled his rim expertly, wetting him up liberally and kneading his ass with a firm grip, just a little harder than usual. For a while, Seth just laid into the treatment, occasionally letting off a gasp or a shudder as Roman's tongue worked faster, peeking inside and tickling him just right. It was difficult to tell how long he lay, unaccustomed to being blindfolded. His dick fattened despite his ass-up orientation and Roman teased him with soft strokes, playing with his balls and rubbing softly as his head, making him throb.

He was hot, so hot, sticking to the bed sheets, constricted by the satin. Seth let off a long moan, his legs shaking, cramping slightly from being splayed apart for so long.

"You taste sweet." Roman said, laying him back down, flat on the bed. Seth felt dizzy, his whole body reorienting to being supported by the mattress. He wanted to yank the blindfold down, see Roman and beg him to fuck him, but he wasn't sure if he was allowed to take it off by himself.

Noiselessly, Seth shifted, hoping he wasn't about to fall off the bed. Turning to Lay on his stomach with his ass presented skywards, he hoped his need would be obvious. His cheeks were sensitive from grabbing and the friction of beard hairs, but he wanted to feel a little pressure on his prostate, something stretching him open.

The sound of the plastic box being opened made Seth's dick shiver and he licked his lips, turning to the noise expectantly. 

"I wan' the big one," He murmured. "Please."

"You'll feel it," Roman chuckled, giving his ass a hard smack that punched a moan out of him, he shook, a little fearful for the invading object he couldn't see. However, a soft, smooth finger touched his rim first, spreading a warm, thick lubricant. "This'll help open you up even more."

Numbing and tingling, Seth breathed hard as his back sagged. Fingers toyed with him lovingly, teasing his rim and dipping in to test the waters as the lubricant removed some of the burn. It was so different, so strange from the usual immediacy of sex, Seth felt a little frustrated, wanting it all  _ now _ .

"F-fuck-" he ground out, gritting his teeth and Roman finally obliged him, a large plug grinding up with a slowly building pressure that had him shaking all over. The patience, the time elapsed made everything bigger, grander. He let out a low, guttural cry that began to pitch and escalate until the whole plug was inside and Roman was draped over his back, grunting.

"Fuck yeah babe, just like that." He growled, Seth's cock bucked and his lover nibbled his ear, licking and kissing while a hand bumped and teased his backside, shaking the plug back and forth to tap against his prostate.

It was a sensation overload like he'd never felt before and the growling in his ear was doing nothing to stop his engine from revving. Seth swallowed, gasping, needy and begging while Roman pumped their dicks, humping the plug in place. With a wanton cry, he began to come over his lover's fingers, biting down hard into the bedspread and burying his face, the shocks making his body buckle.

Roman wasn't far behind, seizing and painting his back with his own come. He moaned loudly, the slap of his hand on the wall echoing loudly as he drained himself endlessly.

The sound of a car coming up the driveway was enough to make them both laugh, but Seth felt as though he'd melted, oozing over the top of the mattress. Still blinded, he was sure he'd made a mess of some sort, but had collapsed on his side, trying hard not to drip too much on the sheets. He could hear Roman breathing hard, easing off the bed and standing, presumably cleaning himself off or drinking from his water bottle by the bed. The plug was still stuck hard up his ass, the lube feeling thick and dry around the rim. But Truthfully, Seth didn't really mind if it stayed in for a little longer.

"That was so nice," He said blissfully. Roman chuckled and Seth could feel hands by his face, coming to assist with the blindfold.

"You ready for light?" Roman asked, Seth just nodded dumbly, completely forgetting to shut his eyes against the harshness, screwing up his face and recoiling from the lamplight. It took a few moments to focus properly and for a second, Seth was afraid he'd actually damaged his vision. Things were a little blurry and hazy even after some hurried blinking.

"Haha," Roman patted his cheek. "Your eyes are all huge, wow."   


"What?" Seth struggled, blinking hard and trying to see straight. Roman leaned over, grabbing a hand mirror to press up to Seth's face to inspect. He could hear a noise from the front door and the shuffling of Dean arriving home. 

"Why?" He looked, perturbed at his reflection. His pupils were hugely dilated, making his face look cartoony and strange. "Is it a light thing?"

"Nah, you were just in the zone." Roman grunted, tossing the blindfold back in the chest. "The intense sex zone."

Dean opened the bedroom door but paused, looking down to all the BDSM gear on the floor and Seth and Roman, naked as the day they were born, surveying each other. It was quite comical, Dean's wide eyed but non-judgmental expression, putting together a scenario in his mind. 

"Can I eat the last things on that plate in the living room?" Dean asked lowly. "They look good."

"Yeah, yeah you can," Roman laughed. "Put 'em in the microwave for a second, they'll taste better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lightest, most tiniest BDSM you can imagine. Haha.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, let me know if you did, etc.


	50. Hand over land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's Seth forgotten this time? Is Dean still a criminal in the eyes of the state of Florida? Cesaro continues to be supportive.

 

The foray into using Roman's gear had given Seth a little buzz for the rest of the night and into his morning on Thursday. While he wasn't particularly sure blindfolds were his thing, certainly not the 'hardcore' BDSM situation he'd imagined himself in, Roman assured him that starting off light in restricting was the way to go. 

"You can keep playing with those anal trainers, I don't really need them." Roman put the box of plugs back into Seth's hands as he prepared to leave. Dean had laid out on the couch, eating the leftover empanadas and scratching his legs lightly. 

"If you say so," Seth grinned. "I dunno what I'm training for, but I know I'll do well."

"You guys are weird," Dean snorted, watching Roman kiss him on the forehead as he made to leave. "So much planning for sex."

"You should join us sometime." Seth strode over to Dean, bending down and giving him a one handed hug as a means of farewell. 

"I don't need anything fancy," He mumbled, accepting the embrace cooly, still chewing. "I'm a simple guy."

Seth felt light and calm the whole ride home, having to really focus on keeping his eyes alert so he could drive safely. Kevin was curled up on the couch, too sleepy from all the excitement of the dog park to greet him in his usual enthusiastic manner. 

It was late enough and he rubbed his eyes, sighing and yawning as he ambled into the bedroom to sleep. His behind was still loose and feeling slick from the effects of the plug, the carriage of his stride just slightly shorter, more timid. 

Seth collapsed down onto the sheets, shimmying out of his pants and tearing his hair out of his bun, relishing the loss of tension and humming into his bed. He thought about Sasha and her situation, the fact that she had thought to confide in him still confused and surprised him. But Seth had never really been close friends with a woman before, generally gravitating towards men, simply out of habit. 

There was also Dean and his nebulous living situation, but Seth couldn't muster up the energy to make himself anxious about anything. Still though, he wondered curiously if the two men wouldn't tire each other out. Surely both he and Roman were learning how to cohabit to avoid problems, but if they worked such similar schedules, wouldn't they get bored of each other?

Seth yawned wide, curling up in his sheets and frowning, he felt as though he had forgotten something important… 

The end of the week wrapped up the swim sessions and Seth's Sea Turtle classes were set to finish much better than expected. Arriving early to get all of his paperwork in order, he went through with writing up a report card for each child and attaching the information Roman suggested regarding their next lessons. White Water would be taking a break from some of its weekly programming to sort out Winter schedules and Seth was happy he'd be getting some time out of the water.

"Gotta give your hair and skin a break sometimes." Roman snickered, drying off from a water tabata class and watching Seth diligently run through all of his pupil's paperwork. "Kids all pass?"

"Pharah needs some more time I think." He tapped at her sheet, "Everyone else is doin' good though."

"Awesome, well, I think Brie was game to take the babies next, she said she was good for it. Finn was talkin' to Dean too about getting a chance to teach too. Do you feel like you'd be comfortable letting him shadow you?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine."

Getting in the water and taking turns with each of the kids, Seth encouraged a relaxed class where they could all focus on showing off any newfound confidence around water. Tabitha and Rudy loved jumping into the pool and Stanley was finally getting used to blowing bubbles with his face in the water. Emmanuel's mother was incredibly excited with how much her son had developed, nodding eagerly as Seth told her about the class progressions.

With almost all of his students ready to sign up for Sea Lion class, Seth felt great about what he'd been able to do in just a few weeks with the student's he'd had. He supposed that was the appeal of working with such small children, the fact that they made such leaps and bounds so quickly, but Seth was just pleased that he'd been able to do something new and succeed readily. 

"When am I getting my lesson instructors certification for real?" Seth asked, bouncing into Dean's office and leaning over him cheekily, still drying off.

"You're wet." Dean noted, chewing away at some rigged chips, Seth was dripping on his shoulder a little. 

"Yeah yeah, so what?" Seth kissed him on the cheek, feeling bold and excited. "I wanna get paid more, you should set up a class or somethin'."

"I could, Finn and Sasha both need certs." He stretched, tickling Seth's side with his outstretched hand. "We'll see next month maybe, we def need instructors, but it's always a time crunch."

"What're you looking at?" He straightened up, looking to the computer monitor which had some property listings and photos of condos. "Apartments?"

"Yeah, I need to call this place back." Dean rubbed his eyes, looking unenthused. "I've put in like eighty dollars worth of application fees to about four different places and none of them have gotten back to me."

"Huh." Seth frowned. "That sucks."

"Yeah, like, I've given 'em about a week but it can't take longer than that to process something, right? Does your complex have any openings? All of these places are practically downtown, I want something closer."

"Maybe," Seth shrugged, a little bloom of excitement in his chest. "You want to be neighbors with me? I can check."

"Better than some Dolph-condo in South Eola or somethin'." 

"I'll look." Seth smiled at him. "It was just twenty bucks for the application fee when I was submitting mine." 

He went off to shower, unable to stop himself from imagining the possibilities of Dean living so close by. Seth didn't really have any friendships with his current neighbors, just managing to mumble out a hello anytime they passed in the hallways. Having Dean around could be just as fun as the time he'd spent at his apartment before, without any of the stress of sharing space. 

Rinsing off his thighs with body wash, he winced a little, feeling the burn in between his legs from where Roman's beard had rubbed up on him. He wondered dimly if Roman was still in the building, he knew that he usually took off earlier toward the end of the week because he handled the morning classes. It wasn't really important for Seth to see him, but he always knew there was the off chance that they could hang out after work hours.

_ We should all see if we can't get the same day off sometime _ He thought sweetly.  _ If we schedule it right, we could all do something together.  _

He paused, dropping his arms to his sides, standing under the shower head and thinking hard. Something was nagging at him and he couldn't place it. He'd forgotten something.

Seth's eyes widened and his stomach dropped, his mother's voice filling his head, her face looking at him.

_ Were you planning on coming up for Thanksgiving? _

"Shit!" Seth cursed, kneading his forehead. "Goddamnit!"

He finished as quickly as possible, almost putting his shorts on backwards in an attempt to get out as soon as he could. Seth had completely forgotten about the holiday and his family- he'd barely talked to them since his mother had called and had long since missed the opportunity to ask for any time off in the schedule. 

Barreling into the break room and tearing through the new November calendar, he startled Becky and Dolph, each turning in their chairs to see what was the matter.

"Goddamnit!" Seth cursed, heart sinking as he traced down to Thanksgiving on the 26th. He was supposed to work until two, closing out the pool for the day. 

"Shift thing?" Becky asked cautiously, watching Seth slump slightly, sighing.

"Thanksgiving!" He said sourly. "How did I forget Thanksgiving?"

"Oh no!" Becky looked sympathetic. "Were you tryin' to go back home?" 

"That sucks," Dolph agreed, sipping from his water bottle.

Seth swallowed, he still had the weekend off, so that was something. He could perhaps figure out a plan where he could leave on Black Friday and see his family over Saturday and Sunday. It was so stupid, he couldn't believe he'd forgotten.

"Hey-y mom." Seth dialed her number when he'd gotten into his car, starting the engine and rolling the windows down a little bit to cool off. "Hey- can you hear me?"

"Seth! Hey sweetheart!" His mother's voice crackled through the receiver. "What's going on? How is your day going?"

"It's fine, well-" Seth sighed. He didn't think his mother would be upset, but it still wasn't great news. "So, the schedule came out today and I didn't get time off."

"Oh... Well…" 

Seth bit his lip, he'd pin it all on his job.

"Yeah," he began, creating his lie. "I asked for time off, but maybe I just did it too late. Other folks have seniority and stuff so I guess I just couldn't. I do-" he swallowed, "I do have that weekend off right after, so maybe I was thinking that I could come down then? Just to see everyone?"

"That Saturday?" His mother paused, thinking. Seth ran a hand through his hair, feeling despondent. "I'll have to check, but I think that Brandon was going to Des Moines that weekend for some sort of gaming thing, he said it was right around the end of the month, so it might be then."

"Well-" Seth sniffed. "Are you guys going too? I want to see Brandon, but-"

"Channey wanted me to take her daughter shopping too, I knew that much. She said there was still going to be a lot of deals going on that weekend and they were going to be out of state or something, celebrating the holidays in Hawaii or something crazy."

"Ok," Seth tensed his fingers, trying not to lose his patience. "So, did we want to look for tickets? Or not?"

"You should if you can sweetheart, but it might be a… funny weekend. I'm sure you and dad could sit around and watch football and all, he'd like that. I know Grandpa wants to see you too, why don't you look online and let us know what you can figure out?"

"I-" Seth struggled. "I can try mom, but I don't really…" It was embarrassing to admit, but Seth hadn't really replenished his savings much. He had just about two hundred dollars in his bank account set aside, which wasn't much of a rainy day fund, but he was still fresh from relocating and putting his life together. Seth knew his parents weren't terribly well-off, but he'd expected that his mother might help him out a _little_ bit. "I don't know if I have enough money… right now…"

"Have you been saving?"

"Yeah!" Seth exclaimed loudly. "I don't want to make you pay for it or anything, but I dunno if I actually have the money! I really want to see you guys!" He blinked hard, looking outside his window, annoyed. "I really miss Davenport and I miss you, but if you don't have the money, maybe I should just come down for Christmas or something."

"Well, you shouldn't have to spend your Thanksgiving _alone_." His mother sighed, frustrated as well. "I'm about to start up dinner honey, how about you go look at some flights and let me know what you find and how much it is, ok? We'll figure something out."

"Sure, ok." Seth said, snapping a little harder than he'd meant to. "I'll talk to you later mom, love you."

Driving home, he sat frowning in his seat, tapping his blinker back and forth rather harshly as he turned. If Seth didn't like eating turkey and stuffing so much, he wouldn't pay Thanksgiving any mind. Family was important to him, his mother's wandering mind didn't bother him nearly as much as the futility of his financial situation. Being a lifeguard was a decent job, but it didn't have a decent pay. At twenty-six years old, Seth often felt like a bit of failure for the fact that he wasn't as stable as some others his age. 

He'd look for some flights, see if he couldn't fly economy on one of the a la carte airlines and steal a deal. Though truthfully, it might not be worth the effort if it meant depleting his whole savings account. Seth sighed, turning the key in the ignition and hearing his engine die, imagining his parents doing their usual weekly checkbook crunching, trying to see if they couldn't manage a plane ticket. 

By his luck, the rental office was actually open when he went inside, noticing the secretary sitting behind her desk for once. She always waved to him whenever he went out the front door, seeming to spend her entire shift on a permanent cigarette break. 

"Hey, how's it going?" He walked through the threshold of the office door. "I uh, had a friend who was trying to find a place and I was wondering if there were any openings here right now," Seth asked, pocketing his keys and watching the woman grunt and pull out a laminated brochure, her stubby ringed fingers running down the different unit options.

"We got one or two 'uh each style comin' up for December." She pointed to the different floor plans. "But you'd 'ave to act quick like, we got a coupl' other folks comin' through tomorrow gunna look at the units."

"Oh, ok." Seth nodded. "And… how much was the application fee again?"

"Twenty-five." The woman sniffed, looking bored and unenthused. "That covers the criminal background check, and then there's the one month's rent deposit."

"O-oh…" Seth's eyes widened and the woman nodded, turning back to her computer. "Thanks a lot ma'am."

His heart sunk. Was Dean still on record for something? It seemed the most likely possibility considering none of the landlords were returning his calls. But then, how had he found an rental in the first place? If it was to do with some drug related offense, it was a wonder that Dean hadn't realized it himself and stopped wasting his money.

_ Unless he doesn't know or doesn't remember _ Seth thought sadly. Entering his apartment and shushing Kevin's excited yips. 

He was fidgety and annoyed, and didn't feel like messing around with cleaning. His computer was dead and, frankly, Seth didn't want to deal with matching prices on plane tickets and trying to call his mom to organize anything. 

_ Why did I move so far away? _ he thought grumpily, snacking on the last bits of trail mix from a plastic bag.  _ Two day drive or some expensive plane ticket? What's going to happen if I'm in real trouble and I need them?  _

It was a little morbid to consider, and Seth thought himself to be independent enough to sort through any random acts of god, but moving to Orlando had been a selfish act. His parents had looked at him funny when he'd first proposed it, but as ever, supported his decision. 

Checking to make sure on his phone, the last WOD class of the day was going to start at his Box in about a half hour. He didn't feel like bothering Cesaro, Seth was worried that they were seeing a little too much of each other. He'd started to realize he was using fitness as a stress reliever quite often lately- it was always the first thing he turned to when he was feeling unsure or anxious. Though it was probably better than just sitting at home and moping, it was still a lot to ask that his friend just drop everything and get a sweat in with him when he was pissed off.

So Seth got back in his car and drove towards the Box alone, surveying the rows of palms in the street median grumpily. 

"Thought you could sneak one in without me?" Seth laughed as he saw Cesaro was there anyway, standing at the open door to his car and texting. He was leaning over, face obscured by a hat, but stood up and grinned when he saw his friend.

"I DO workout without you, sometimes." He snorted, grabbing his blender bottle. "I just finished a PT appointment so we will see if I am actually much good today."

The service doors to the facility were open, letting in a cool breeze. The class before was putting away Pylo Boxes and jump ropes, sweating hard. 

"Today sucks." Seth began, unapologetically complaining as both men fell into a low squat to stretch. "Gunna have to pull some teeth if I want to see my family for Thanksgiving."

"That's no good." Cesaro shrugged. "Be like me and just chose not to celebrate pointless holidays?"

"When was the last time you saw your family?"

"Two years?" Cesaro shrugged, leaning for side to side. Other people were beginning to file in, stretching and chatting. "My parents are both older and they do not make much money so international flights are very hard, but I would like to go back and visit them soon- hopefully once I get my personal practice in order."

"That's rough." Seth sighed, once again feeling spoiled. "But turkey's so good! I don't know about whatever Thanksgiving is  _ supposed _ to be about these days, but my mom's stuffing kills." 

"We'll do a handstand walk for our warmup!" The trainer called over the fast paced guitar blasting out of the stereo. Everyone rose, Seth felt a particularly exasperated sigh escape his lips before he could stifle it.

"You can do it!" Cesaro encouraged. "I will help. I will help your legs."

Most of the others had either figured out the inversion or had at least attended the clinic Seth had, coming down on their hands and flipping up to begin the walk across the room. Seth shook out his wrists and went down, trying his best to flip his legs high.

"There you go, there you go!" Cesaro smiled, tipping his thighs back a little as Seth's shifted back and forth on his hands, trying to stabilize. "You got it!"

"You're not-" Seth licked his lips, unable to see if his friend was helping.

"Walk!"

Tentatively, Seth placed a hand forward, expecting to crumple, but he remained upright. His heart soared.

"See see?" Cesaro came trotting by, confidently placing his hands ahead of him. "Not bad at all once you get up."

Seth just laughed, placing his left hand out, having similar success. He got half way across the room before he fell over lightly, coming back to standing. His face was red and his orientation a little shaky, but he couldn't help feeling pleased.

"Great job Seth!" The trainer cheered. "Excellent!"

He stopped where he had fell and tried to pop up again, managing after the third try, continuing across the room to where the rest of the class had stopped and began doing lunges. Seth couldn't help grinning like an idiot as he went back, sinking into a deep lunge, mentally patting himself on the back for getting it all right.

"Today is better? Yeah?" Cesaro joked, ruffling his sloppy bun as they came back to the wall. "Cannot be so down on yourself."

"I know I know!" Seth mock grumbled, panting a little. Cesaro just winked at him, tossing him a medicine ball so they could start doing cleans. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Crossfit Gym is called a Box in case you were confused. I'm not sure why this is, other than Crossfit is special or something.   
> I've been swamped with work and this chapter was weird to write. I'm sorry it's late and shorter than average! Fun things are coming up though. 
> 
> Review if you'd like. I always appreciate feedback! 50 chapters in the hole! Can you believe how much time has passed? I dare you to reread this. It's so long!


	51. Responsibilities, Yelling and Taco Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New Lifeguards? Did someone just get fired? Who's getting sick?

 

Seth's luck with airfare was about as dismal as he'd expected it to be, with most roundtrip tickets to Davenport costing about three hundred to thirty hundred and fifty dollars. Even with a layover, he was still too short on cash to finance a journey himself.

"You gunna be alright alone?" Seth's step dad had asked over the phone. "Your mom's real upset about it, but we had to put new struts and tires on the van so that set us back some."

"Really, it's ok," Seth sighed, fidgeting with his keyfob and staring at the front entrance to White Water across the parking lot. Apparently Alberto had no-called no-showed and Seth had been called in, unable to turn down an easy shift working midday in the lap pool. "I won't be alone. I've got friends down here and everything, I'll figure something out."

"Well, if we got you a ticket for christmas, you think you could sort out some time off? If you've already got a plane ticket, they can't hold you down, right?"

"I dunno." Seth said honestly. "I'll get on it though and figure it out."

"Ok. We'll mail you a package or somethin'. We should do one of those Skype things soon, your Grandpa's gunna be sad he's not gunna see ya."

"Yeah, yeah." Seth agreed. "I gotta go though dad, I'll talk to you later. Love you."

Seth thought about asking Dean what his Thanksgiving plans were as he was almost positive his friend had no close family to visit with. He checked the schedule in the break room again, looking through the week in question. Roman had Thursday and Friday off, but Dean had a four day break to himself.

"Hey," Seth slid into Dean's office at the end of his shift, letting his hair down so he could re-tie it. "Did you have any kind of plan? For Thanksgiving?"

"Uh-" Dean blinked, looking away from his computer screen. "Uce's family invited me to their thing. I've gone the last coupl' years."

"Oh…" Seth's heart sank. "That's… cool."

"Yeah, it's up in Pensacola and shit." Dean nodded, not catching Seth's disinterest. "His cousins are hilarious, it's so great. They cook like four birds cause there' so many people."

"Ok, sounds fun." Seth sniffed, making his way back out of the office grumpily. The door snapped shut behind him and he could sense Dean watching his back through the glass, probably wondering what the deal was with his attitude. Part of him wondered why Roman hadn't mentioned anything to _ him  _ about a Pensacola trip? Had he just assumed that Seth would be with his folks? Or was Dean just closer to Roman's family at this point, having been a friend for so many years?

Bayley and Finn both wandered the deck, watching the rush of children that had just come into the pool. Seth sighed, rubbing his beard and wondering if it wasn't worth asking Hunter or Stephanie if he couldn't rework the schedule a little.

_ I came in today.  _ He reminded himself.  _ I'm a great employee, Randy owes me about a hundred favors. Why not? _

Hunter's office in the lap pool wasn't vacant when Seth returned, dressed in street clothes again. Standing in cramped room were two women and a man, unfamiliar to Seth.

"Were you… busy?" He asked, cracking the door and making eye contact with his boss. Hunter smiled, nodding.

"We were just finishing up." Hunter gestured to the three in front of him. "Seth, these are our new hires-"

"Rehires." The man corrected, smiling haughtily. 

"Yeah, yeah, well," Hunter snorted. "Chris has been here before and he helps out a lot when he can." His gaze shifted to the women. "This is Dana and Alexa- they're part time as well, should give us an extra hand. Have more folks on deck."

"Awesome," Seth grinned, shaking hands will all three of them. Upon a second glance, he was sure he recognized one of them from Dolph's party. "I'm Seth, nice to meet you."

"Were we all set then?" Dana, the platinum blonde girl asked in a bored sort of nasally voice. "I was actually going to get in and do a little swim."

"Yeah, go ahead guys." Hunter waved them off and they picked up their bags, ready to leave. Seth held the door for them before plopping down in the adjacent office chair, thinking about how to ask for what he wanted.

"That's nice that we've got more people, yeah?" Seth said lightly. "Not gunna be so tight around here."

"Yeah, give you guys an easier time of it." He sighed, turning to his computer and closing out of a window. "Alexa won't start till December, but it's better than nothing."

"Well," Seth began, biting his lip. "I uh, screwed myself over with my November availability- My family was trying to get me to visit and get time off for the holidays." He grimaced, watching Hunter's face go slack, unreadable "It's my fault, but I was wondering if it wasn't possible for me to get... some time?"

"Not… likely…" Hunter said woefully, bringing up the master schedule and looking down the weeks, peering through tiers of names, all color coded and sorted. "I'm closing that day just so I could get Sami out of here. It's really important you put down your preferences before the fifteenth."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry." Seth sighed. "Could I… maybe do Christmas then? Just get that figured out?"

"You can, but it's still limited." Hunter explained, pulling down the December calendar. "We don't want anyone taking off more than three days at a time for either Christmas or New Years, so you sort of just pick which one you'd prefer."

"Do I…" Seth thought carefully, trying to be strategic. "Would it be easier for me to get New Years off?" 

"Typically yeah." Hunter nodded. "Less folks care about it. Only a couple other people have put in notice so I could just fix it now." 

"I'll just do that then." Seth nodded. "If you can assure me I'll have that off now so I can plan for it- then that's easier than having to guess."

"Yeah, no sweat."

Hunter went through the December schedule, drawing his cursor down and blocking off the thirtieth to the first. Seth half smiled, knowing his Christmas could be just as lonely and boring, but the certainty of assured time off was the best course of action.

"Alright. You're good."

"Thanks a lot Hunter," Seth sighed, standing up. "I appreciate it." 

"Absolutely." 

Seth had just hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder, preparing to leave, when Paige and Kevin came to the office door, knocking hard and peering in. 

"Yeah?"

"Hunter, Alberto's up front and he's really upset." Kevin looked stern, his jaw set hard. Paige wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, but her face was red and uncomfortable. "Says he wanted to talk to you?"

"Paige, you can stay in here if you want." Hunter said gruffly, standing up. "You want to come with me Kevin? Is Sami handling it?"

Without thinking, Seth trailed after them, concerned as the tone became serious. They walked hurriedly through the family locker room toward the front. Seth's blood chilled as he could already hear raised voices.

"All I get? A message?" Alberto was yelling in the lobby, dressed in his lifeguard attire he was gesturing violently with his sunglasses in hand. "He change it!" 

Roman, AJ and Lana were all standing in the entryway, smiling nervously as patrons passed by, confused. Charlotte was helping to check people in while Sami stood, trying to direct Alberto. His eyes widened when Hunter came into view.

"You need to leave." Hunter said firmly. "You no-called no-showed and I called you. You need to go now."

"You fire me?" Alberto quaked. "So' mierda you hear you want to do that?" 

"You need to leave." Hunter repeated. "Just go Alberto."

Seth and Roman caught eyes with each other and grimaced. Alberto's face contorted angrily, looking at all of his coworkers vehemently. 

"Say you fire me." He snapped. "Say it now, to my face." 

"You can come in later and we can discuss this. This isn't proper."

"Not proper? You want to do me like that and I will not be quiet about it!" He yelled, everyone seemed to wince, shaken. 

"If you don't leave, I'll call the police. It's your call." Hunter said quietly. "I don't want to do it, but you can come in at an appropriate time and we can sort through this."

"This won't have happened if he just let me in." Alberto seethed, pointing at Sami. "You want to make me like I am criminal not-reliable, I do not want to be treated like that."

Sami swallowed and Alberto dropped his hand, storming past AJ and throwing himself through the glass doors. Everyone sighed, sinking a few inches. 

"Just make sure-" Hunter pointed to Kevin, "Make sure he gets to his car and gets out without doing anything. I don't think he will, but the cameras catch the glare of the sun really bad this time of day. You ok Sami?"

"I'm fine," Sami peeped, rubbing his eyes. "Whoo, ugh. I'm just glad I didn't let him in! If he was going to act like that in the pool…"

"Write up an incident report."

"What the hell was that?" Seth laughed nervously to Roman, walking over as everyone began to disperse. 

"Beats me, I was just switching out the front schedules and got caught in the middle." Roman shrugged, clearing his throat. He handed a couple of papers to AJ, who passed them, walking back up to the adaptive pool. "That guy always had a weird edge though. I dunno where we find 'em."   


"Yeah… well... " Seth rubbed his shoulder. "I'll see you, I guess."

"You doing… ok?" Roman asked. They were the only two still standing in the lobby, looking strange, right in the middle of the walking space. Roman's cool eyes were fixed on him however, concerned, Seth frowned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, why?"

"Dean said you were kinda snippy earlier, I dunno."

"Oh." Seth looked away. "Just... family crap. It's fine."

"Ok…" Roman nodded. "I'm gunna be here most of tonight. If you want to come by tomorrow though, I'll make you dinner."

"I want… to make something," Seth smiled, their gazes meeting again. "I can cook. Why don't you come over to my place? You still haven't been."

"I haven't." Roman grinned. "I could do that, bring Dean over and bring dessert or something. Where you at?"

Seth texted Roman his address, blushing the whole time. Patrons passed by and eventually Sami got bored watching them, throwing a towel over playfully.

"You guys work in the lobby now?"

"Nah, this place sucks." Seth jeered, waving at both of them. "Smell you later."

Roman waved back and Seth could barely hear the light teasing from Sami as he let the door shut behind him, walking down the concrete steps to his car in the lot. The sun was setting and there were minivans full of families coming and going in the drop off zone. He wondered, trying to imagine the conversation, what Dean would have said to tip Roman off about him being in a sour mood.

He'd tell his family the plans he'd figured out for the winter holidays and hopefully they would suffice. It was perhaps a little selfish to assume that New Year's would be a sufficient time to get in some kind of Christmas celebration, but they had enough notice to be flexible.

Seth could worry about it later, at current, he was too excited to figure out a dinner meal he could prepare and impress his friends with. He signaled to turn off the main road before he hit the highway, pulling into the Publix lot, intent of getting some groceries. Before he had even thought about quickly looking up a recipe on his phone that the three of them would enjoy. Seth smiled to himself, looking at all the fresh produce at the front of the store.

"Taco Pizza," he mumbled allowed, laughing to himself and picking up a green bell pepper. He hadn't ever made the meal himself, but he hadn't found any place in Florida that could make it for him. 

**Im making pizza** Seth texted Roman and Dean in their group chat.  **Taco pizza**

**When** Dean texted back first

**Tomorrow** Roman answered for him  **Sounds good Ill make pie**

With a load of groceries homeward bound, Seth rolled down his windows, enjoying the cool air. He had the rest of the weekend off, so he could relax a little and clean his house. He hadn't done a real 'deep' clean since he'd moved in and his space was due for some attention. Dust had started to settle in a little and the back of his sink was due for scrubbing. 

After catching a workout early the next morning, Seth blasted music and set about making his space a picture of comfort. Compared to Roman's house, Seth's space was much less established. Nothing he owned really matched or coordinated correctly, looking more or less like a hodge-podge of second hand items. Nevertheless, he cleaned them as best as he could, wiping down every surface and changing out his little trash cans in every room. In the bathroom, he tugged a great wad of his own hair out of the drain and organized all of his toiletries. 

Unusually sleepy by three PM, he took a break to grab a gas station coffee before making up pizza dough and chopping vegetables. Sipping on the drink as he worked, he wasn't sure if it was the little caffeine buzz or the genuine enthusiasm he was carrying around, thinking about his friends, but he began to feel a little aroused.

He groaned, wiggling his butt in his kitchen, trying to shake his dick down in his shorts. He sighed, rinsing his hands off in the sink and thinking, popping his hips back and forth awkwardly to the tune of the song. 

Seth's mind turned over the last time he'd been with Roman, remembering back to the anal trainers that were now stashed by his bed. Deviously, he walked to his bedroom, wondering if he couldn't jump start his evening with a plug. The last thing he wanted to do was work himself up and orgasm prematurely, but he felt a little lame, having left them in the box since he'd used them last. 

Lubing up one of the average sized plugs, Seth groaned, tilting himself down with his pants around his thighs, sticking himself. He'd used the bathroom already and felt fairly light and loose, he figured he would have a few hours where he could let the plug sit, giving him a nice tease. After taking a few steps, he laughed, bouncing on the balls of his feet and getting a little tickle. 

Finishing up dinner, Seth's heart pattered quickly when his phone rang and Dean's voice crackled on the other end of the receiver.

"Yo, let us in."

Seth jogged daintily down the steps in his flip flops, letting out a pleasured sigh and tensing slightly as he made it to the first floor. Dean and Roman stood under the awning on the other side of the glass door and he smiled, blushing. Both were donning thick sweatshirts and trucker hats, Dean was holding a plastic bag with a rubbermaid container.

"Welcome to my mansion." Seth joked, holding the door open for his friends. "Pizza's in the oven. What do we got for pie?"

"Key lime." Roman said hoarsely, Seth frowned. "I think I'm getting sick…"

"Yeah?" Seth asked, the little boost he felt from the plug diminished slightly. Roman rubbed his forehead, clearing his throat.

"I dunno, I'm still here, so it can't be that bad, right?" he blinked hard. "Headache, sore throat. Whatever."

"He was washin' his hands when he made the pie, so it's all fine." Dean grunted. 

They made it upstairs and Kevin barked excitedly at the men, eagerly jumping all over Roman as he walked over to the couch and took off his shoes.

"Hey dog," he mumbled, petting him. "You miss me? Nice place, Seth."

"Hey thanks," Seth had to stop himself from wiggling his backside constantly, trying to keep the plug in a neutral zone. He didn't want to reveal himself just yet, he was actually hungry smelling the pizza in his oven. Dean set the pie down on the kitchen counter and Seth turned down the music.

"What's new?"

"Here's something to snack on-" Seth poured out a bowl of tortilla chips and the three sat on the couch. Roman's breathing seemed to be coming up a little raspy, but he continued to pet Kevin's ears. "Uh… nothing much."

"You get that family stuff figure out?" Roman asked curiously.

"Oh-" Seth shrugged, not wanting to sound like he was fishing for attention. "Yeah I guess, it was all about visiting for Thanksgiving, but I don't think I can." He shrugged. "I talked to Hunter though, I'll get some time off after Christmas for sure to go back to Iowa, it's not that big a deal."

"That's still lame though." Roman sighed, "I think my mom's actually called and yelled at Hunter before to make sure I can get home for the holidays."

"Well, I got the whole damn weekend off." Dean grinned, nudging Seth's knee with his leg. "Wanna go on a little trip?"

"Where to?" Seth looked curiously at his friend, Roman groaned, wincing a little as Dean's eyes narrowed.

"Miami." He said, wiggling his brows. "You ever heard of  _ White Party _ before?"

"Y-yeah…?"

The oven buzzed and Seth stood up, thinking as he went to take the pizzas out of the oven. White Party was a gay event he'd heard about vaguely, mostly in passing by other gay men he didn't talk to very much. He was almost positive Jimmy had gone at least once.

"Seth… it might  _ not  _ be your thing." Roman suggested, trying to make his voice heard from the other room, cracking slightly.

"What do you mean?" Seth frowned, popping his head around the fridge. "I'm cool! I can hang!"

"It's more-" Roman sighed, "Dean... tell him what it is."

"It's a lot of fun and a lot of hot guys." Dean laughed. Seth could hear them teasing each other and laughing as he cut the pizzas up, slightly annoyed at his friend's mothering. 

"Thank you," Roman croaked as Seth handed each of them plates. "White Party's the largest AIDS fundraiser probably in the whole world. There's a whole bunch of events that all take place across the city and it's a giant gathering. But-" Roman looked at Dean meaningfully. "It's mostly a bunch of dancing and drugs and beach orgies."

"The group sex isn't even that big of a thing anymore." Dean scoffed. "I ain' trying to spend 600 bucks on some VIP pass. I just like to go around and scope shit out."

"Well, I feel like I still need to recover from Halloween a little." Seth shrugged. "But I dunno, why not? What's the problem?"

Dean began digging up photos from the internet from clubs and bars, showing them both. Seth nodded, grinding his behind into the sofa a little deeper at the sight. Nearly every man shown had his shirt off, sporting a clear six pack. Roman just rolled his eyes.

"Uce doesn't like this stuff like this 'cause he gets molested by other dudes for being too hot." Dean explained, Seth laughed, both of them grinning at their exasperated friend. Roman just ate his pizza quietly, clearly finished with giving his input.

"Well, I'd say let's do it." Seth nodded. "I haven't been to Miami yet- you could show me around. What all do you do when you go?"

"Little of this and a little of that." 

Hardly sure what that meant, Seth didn't press the matter too much. He could do his own googling as to what could be going on in the city if he actually ended up going. The men all ate the pizza, complimenting Seth on the meal he'd thrown together and drizzling taco sauce over the slices. Occassionally Kevin would whine and Seth obliged him a little bit to snack on from his plate. One the meal was finished, they gathered in the kitchen for pie, getting refills of water. Roman kept clearing his throat, eventually falling into a short coughing fit.

"You ok?" Dean looked at him with as much concern as his face could pull off, patting him on the back. Seth set down the pie plate he was about to load up, similarly tentative.

"Y-yeah- yeah," Roman swallowed, eyes watering. "It's cool, just had some phlegm." 

"If you need to go home, it's ok." Seth offered, looking between his friends. "Do you work tomorrow?"

"Just in the morning." Roman grunted. "Perfect time to be sick, right? No swim lessons. I'm good, it's fine." 

Seth squirmed a little, easing his weight back and forth carefully as he went to dish up the pie. Rather unfortunately, Dean saw the opportunity for Seth facing away as a good chance to slap his ass. 

"We're not leaving before... pie." Dean mumbled, withdrawing his hand slightly mystified as he'd felt something hard make contact with his hand and Seth yelped almost dropping the plate as he braced himself on the counter. "What-"

Seth was blushing all the way down to his forearms, staring up at his friends as they looked back at him, almost scared. It took a few moments, but Roman let out a coughing laugh, rubbing his face and looking at Seth like he was the most hilarious, precious thing he'd seen.

"Plug?" He rasped. Roman looked at Dean as Seth nodded quickly, "I gave him… toys…"

"You got a thing in your butt?" Dean laughed. Seth just sighed, feeling more comfortable looking at the pie slices than at his friends. Dean's hand came back, much more soft and careful, feeling the underside of his clothed ass to find the base of the plug, immediately stirring up his arousal. Seth shivered, looking over his shoulder to see Dean, perhaps a little confused, but mostly appreciative for what he was feeling.

"You haven't been keeping them in for too long have you?" Roman asked carefully. "You can hurt yourself if you're not careful."

"No," Seth said quietly, giggling a little as Dean rolled his eyes so only Seth could see. Roman readjusted the front seam of his pants, watching Dean grab a firm handful of Seth's backside, rolling it in his palm.

"Well uh-" Dean picked up the top of the rubbermaid for the pie and closed the container excitedly. "Uce, you probably…"

"I'll watch," Roman chuckled. "Keep my cooties to myself."

Seth wished he didn't have to walk from his kitchen to his bedroom with a plus up his ass and an erection, it was difficult to look at either of his lovers as he waddled off, letting them trail in his wake. Neither of them said anything to tease, perhaps too aroused or enamored themselves to poke fun. They had their time, the pie could come later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is here! Ugh. 
> 
> Trying to write more Dean. I dunno what it is but I always hit a weird slump when I write exclusively Rolleigns? I dunno what it is. Your input and reviews are always appreciated.


	52. The Return of Jericho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sex and love, or is it love and sex? Seth works a shift with Chris. It's hard to teach water aerobics when you can't talk.

Seth had never had much use for the papasan chair in the corner of his bedroom and usually, it was just laden with sweatshirts and hats he liked to use on a weekly basis. Roman turned the chair so it had a great view of the bed, opting to shift the clothes to the side so he could plop down and watch Seth and Dean go to work.

"Show me." He grunted hoarsely, watching Seth shudder into the bed as Dean slid out of his pants.

"No, me," Dean play-argued. Seth swiveled his head, rosy faced as he reached down to unbutton his jeans and slowly slide them down his legs. His underwear had been stained slightly from lube, a thin ring had been impressed into the fabric from where he'd sat. Dean helped, tugging down the cotton and chuckling at the sight. Neither man could tell the size of the plug just from looking at the base between his legs, but his eyelids fluttered and he groaned as Dean pushed against it lightly, marveling at his erection. After a few moments teasing, he pressed Seth's legs open wider, making sure Roman got a nice view of his behind.

"Goddamn," Roman sighed, tugging his cock out and smiling. "Seth, babe, you still got room for a bigger one?" 

"Y-yeah," he panted, burying his face as Dean continued to tease and toy with the base, rubbing the back of his thigh. "They're… they're in the box…"

He leaned down, pulling out his black leather bag of toys and lube and the box Roman had given him. He felt a little self conscious, displaying his small selection of toys for his friends to see, but he grabbed his lube quickly and grabbed the next size up of plug.

"I'll do it," Dean held out his hand for the toy. "Though, I think I wanna fuck you before too long."

"Swap 'em out," Roman advised. "Then- Seth, you suck Dean."

"Personal Porno." Dean laughed, but he settled Seth down on his knees and slowly, carefully began to pry the plug loose. Seth breathed hard, resting on his elbows and trying his hardest not to let his backside make any unflattering noises. Ready with the new toy, Dean fitted it, easing the taper down, the circumference just so slightly larger. "How's that feel baby?"

Seth just purred, pressing back his hair as Dean took his ass cheeks in hand, grinding them against the plug and tracing little droplets of lube with a forefinger. Remembering what Roman had said, Seth tried to slowly flip over, easing himself to sit so he could give Dean attention.

It was quite a sight, with Seth trying to tug Dean's clothes down and suck, while Dean wrestled back, trying to get his own mouth occupied. Roman eagerly began beating his dick, watching as they laid out, cocks in each other's mouths, lapping wetly and whining. 

Seth had missed the sort of raw, wet ferocity that was Dean. His mouth worked manically and his hands were wild, pulling on his thighs and slapping his ass to stimulate the plug. The more time he spent between him and Roman, the more he appreciated their unique subtleties. Where Roman was a warm, intimate embrace, and a generous lover, Dean fucked and fondled like they were in a gas station bathroom, minutes away from being discovered.

By the time Dean was drawing away and sliding the plug out of it's place, Roman was restraining a cough, grunting and grinding into his hand hard.

"Settle down Uce, was just getting to the good part."

"Fuck," Roman rasped, slumping and slowing his frenzied pace. He looked at both men incredulously. Seth peered back, his head tucked against the bed again, as he liked it. Dean sheathed himself with a condom and slid in easily.

"How should I fuck'im?" Dean grunted, rolling his hips around in a way that made Seth let out a strained  _ oooahhhh _ "Real fast?" He pivoted his hips quickly. "Or  _ really  _ really fast?"

Seth let out a garbled cry, fisting his hair and gritting his teeth against the bedsheets as Dean speed-fucked him, skating around in the lube like it was nothing.

"Be sweet Dean," Roman counseled. "Make  _ love _ ."

Dean yielded, sitting on his knees and looking at Roman quizzically. Seth huffed, his heart racing, Roman's choice of words was definitely… strange? Dean looked a little thrown, smiling with just a hint of snark at the edges of his mouth. He rolled his hips more carefully, a little more decisive with where he laid his blows. Really, Seth was just glad he was being fucked, he didn't mind much how it was done.

"So, you meant  _ slow _ , right?" Dean teased his friend, running his hand down Seth's back and working patiently. "Fuck like I'm  _ you _ ?"

"Sure."

Seth's cock was shivering, drawing pre-come lazily across his sheets. His knees were stinging a little from being spread out and his legs were dangling awkwardly off the bed, but it didn't matter. Going slower, Dean was kicking right up against his prostate with every hit and whatever it was, the timing or the fit, it was just so perfect that he felt amazing the whole way through. Getting into it a little, perhaps thinking of what Roman usually did, Dean drew closer, laying into him and rubbing and massaging where he could. 

"T-touch me." Seth spluttered, riding the edge. "Please."

"Would you touch'em Rome'?"

"Yeah, why not."

Dean kissed Seth's back lightly and Seth whined, he'd obviously meant his cock, but Dean took his time drawing his hand down, pecking up his spine with his mouth.

"Fuck," Roman rasped. "Hell yeah."

"Missed ruinin' your bed." Dean giggled and Seth's felt himself bucking to shoot, deep in his belly. Just in time, a hand wrapped around his length.

"'M come-" he cried, throwing back his head. "F-fuck." 

Spunk shot out all over his sheets and Dean burrowed deeper, cursing at the shuddering pulses he was feeling around his dick and holding Seth to his chest. Roman sounded as though he was having some trouble breathing from the chair, making a mess of himself.

The room was thick and humid by the time they'd all finished and Seth lay crooked on his side, eyes unfocused and staring to his side wall. Yet again he'd been fucked so well he couldn't put his mind together. It was so thrilling, so real and his ass felt warm and wet. Dean tied off the condom and went to the bathroom to wipe off, tossing Roman a wad of toilet paper to help himself. 

Seth's hair was curly, usually dark eyes nearly black. His whole body was shining with sweat, tinged pink, heaving breaths. A nervous energy ran through him that he began to distinctly associate with getting well fucked by his two friends, calming but energizing. If it wasn't for Roman having another little coughing fit, Seth could have laid down for longer, enjoying his quiet mind.

"Y'alright?" he asked, watching Roman hack and wheeze into the crook of his arm. His face was rosy and over-hot, more so than anyone else. He just nodded, unable to speak for a moment. Dean came back into the room, still naked, surveying the scene.

"You should go home and rest." Seth offered, sure that Roman would suffer through dessert if it wasn't for his insistence. "If you've got work tomorrow, you want to have your voice a little, right?"

"I'll drive." Dean shrugged. "What do you think?"

"I'm ok, really." Roman grunted. "But… maybe… if Seth, you want to keep the pie for  _ later _ …"

The key lime pie was stored safely away, with the promise that they'd come by again soon and eat it together. With a cheekiness that was impressive for being so raspy, Roman assured him it would be the best pie he'd tasted, so if he _needed_ to try some before they came back, it was alright. Seth grinned and accepted a hug from Dean and wave from his sick-friend, closing the door and feeling buzzed and content with how the night had gone. 

There wasn't accounting for sickness. He was just thankful he'd been able to get what he'd got. 

The next day, Seth was guarding the lap pool in the early morning, excited because he was pretty sure Cesaro was scheduled to be there with him. He'd liked his little break from lessons because he worked a little earlier and had been able to take shifts with folks that he'd originally trained in with. It rained all the way through his commute, but it was still warm so his hair was a poofy mess coming through the front door. 

There weren't very many people around and Sami was leaning on the desk, spreading cream cheese on a bagel. Both he and Kevin were talking and laughing to the newer guy that Hunter had introduced him to a few days ago.

"Hey!" Sami greeted Seth eagerly, wiping sugar from his beard. "What's up? Wanna bagel? Chris went to Einsteins and hooked it up."

"Just cause?" Seth dropped down over the counter and rummaged through the bag.

"Alberto got fired." Chris grimaced. "It's not to celebrate, I just wanted to get us a pick me up." 

"Thanks dude." Seth grabbed a blueberry bagel. "You guys seen Cesaro in yet? I think we're relieving Dolph."

"He's  _ switched _ actually." Chris smirked. "So you're partnered up with me. Said something about needing time 'cause of some PT thing." Chris looked at Sami, wiggling his eyebrow. "It's good I guess to see that he's finally doing  _ something _ with that. Talked about taking classes forever and building a practice. Good on him."

"Oh… cool…" Seth's mouth went thin. It wasn't as though he needed to have his friend around to get through a five hour shift, but the resting expression this new guy wore was so haughty and self righteous, it made Seth want to roll his eyes.

"I wasn't even supposed to start till next week. We'll see if I actually make it through to December. It all depends on if we can't get this studio deal figured out- cause then we'll do our southern tour." 

"Band doin' good then?" Kevin asked, emptying out the trash cans behind the desk. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'd say." Chris drank from his coffee and Seth's eyes widened as he saw Chris fiddle with the front of his Carhartt. Tucked into the zipper was a thin, expensive looking scarf that at first glance, he'd just thought was the front of a sweater. "We're changing things up a bit…"

Working with Chris wasn't as bad as Seth had started to think it was, but he definitely was not the cool, easy going energy that was Cesaro. Both men put on their tubes and packs and Seth sat in the guard stand, watching the lap swimmers circle swim. Chris was immediately an enormous talker, sipping off his water bottle and scanning, but shooting Seth half glances. 

"Your hair is so great man, I like the grown in roots look." He chirped. Seth clenched his teeth a little, very aware that his hair was do for a touch up, but getting a little worn on the constant attention it required.

"Y-yeah… thanks."

"It's cool that Steph and Hunter aren't so hung up on that stuff. I remember when I started, they were always turning people away for tattoos. But you look at everyone now and you wouldn't believe it. Self expression is so important though, it's not like the patrons really care anyway."

"Yeah, I didn't even ask really."

"What inspired it?"

"Huh?"   


"Your hair."

"Uhh…" Seth shrugged, turning pink. "I dunno. Just did it? I… moved down here and kinda just wanted a change I guess."

"Oh… I see"

Seth tried walking laps to get some breathing room. Chris wasn't even that bad of conversation, but he mostly liked to talk about himself and Seth got overwhelmed. One of the nice things about lifeguarding was that it required a certain amount of attention so patrons didn't bother him very much to talk- unless Seth was actually up for socializing. 

_ Listening to him, you'd think he was here since day one _ Seth thought snidely to himself, striding along the deck and watching as the water aerobics ladies came down. His heart lightened for a moment, as he realized Roman would be around to facilitate.

"Chris!" 

"Is Chris back?"

Seth sighed as all the older women fussed excitedly, coming to catch up with the old guard. Chris smiled widely and nodded, shooting Seth a  _ you got this?  _ Glance over his shoulder. Seth sighed, turning to the pool to take full coverage, but he could still hear everything. Chris went into a similar sounding, self-congratulatory speech about his band and his life, explaining how he'd obliged Hunter a great favor to return for a few shifts.

"Well we missed you so much!" One of the older ladies cooed. "Really, just a great guard."

"Well, I missed you too Gracie."

Roman came out, looking blearily to Chris and the ladies. Seth waved and Roman nodded back, already coughing. 

"You doing ok?" He strolled over, passing the group of ladies putting on flotation belts and watching as Roman quickly set up the boombox. Roman sighed, grumbling a little, when he opened his mouth, Seth's heart sank. 

"Whee'l see," Roman rasped, barely audible, he cleared his throat but it didn't seem to make much difference. "I 'unno 'ow much this'll 'elp." He pointed to the microphone headset wrapped around his ear.  "'M go' 'ome after this, 'm ok."

Seth just grimaced, looking to the pool as Roman began to play one of the CD's. Chris came over to the guard stand again after the ladies got in the pool, watching.

"That's what I really miss about being here, It's the people. None of the staff really sticks around! I was here when they first started doing some of these classes, back when Roman was a lifeguard and all." He wiggled his eyebrows, as though preparing to dump some juicy gossip. "Ages ago…"

"Yeah, yeah. That is a long time." Seth agreed hastily. Roman started the class off with a disclaimer about his voice, apologizing for his raspiness.

"Qui-yet music tuh-day." Roman smiled weakly, turning down the boombox. "Eez-ee 'og, ladieez."

"He'd going to get us all sick." Chris scoffed. 

"Probably."

The day went by quickly and by the time Seth got off he had a text from Cesaro, apologizing for standing him up without notice to go meet with a client. They both agreed to workout and as soon as Seth got to the box, he complained animatedly about how weird and arrogant Chris had been, eager to make fun of his gelled hair and stupid scarf. The two went through lots of thrusters and medicine ball cleans, and once Seth had gotten a good amount of grousing out of his system, he began to worry about Roman. He knew that some people really lost their voice with just a little cold, but Roman was a big guy, right? He'd be alright.

There was also the fact that he had Dean around to assist if there was any real need. Though, Seth did wonder if Dean had an instinct to jump in and provide if his friend was really sick.

Supposedly, Dean had been the one to insist that he and Roman meet Seth at the end of the 5k, He couldn't be  _ totally _ clueless. 

However, things seemed to be going south once Seth had gotten home and settled in for the evening. His phone buzzed and, upon a second take, he realized Dean was calling him for the first time in living memory. Seth paused, brow furrowed before picking up the phone, confused.

"Hey…?"

"-Ey," Dean mumbled, "I'm tryin' to find drugs. I'm at the drugstore."

"...ok…" Seth half-laughed, sitting on his couch and fiddling with the ribbing of his sock. In the background, he could hear someone, probably a store associate, asking Dean if he needed anything.

"'M fine, I'm good," Dean mumbled. "Nah, but like, cough medicine doesn't work as a painkiller, right?"

"I dunno, most bottles say what they do, right? It's for Roman, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Is he ok?"

"Well, I'm… buyin' him stuff so he could probably be better." Dean admitted, shuffling the phone in the crook of his neck, looking around and causing the speaker to crackle. "He's probably not gunna be able to work tomorrow. 'M gunna cover his class if I gotta, but he's just been sleepin' a lot and coughing."

"Ok, well…" Seth bit his lip. "I can try to google something for ya'. You'll probably have to buy two different things though."

"Yeah, yeah,"

"Let me know," Seth said meaningfully. "Let me know if I can help. I'll… I'll make... soup... or something…"

"I got soup." Dean laughed. "Just tryin' to think of shit I like when I'm sick."

"Oh… Oh good."

"Yeah."

_ Oh excuse me _ , Seth smiled, hearing more voices on the other side of the line. It wasn't difficult to imagine Dean walking around in circles, comparing prices and medicines, trying to get exactly what he thought Roman needed and probably completely unaware of his surroundings.

"I'll catch you later."

"Yeah, have a good night."

Seth had a weird feeling, hanging up the phone. It really was lucky that they didn't have swim lessons that week because covering Roman's shifts would have been nearly impossible. Hopefully, Dean would come through and not get sick himself, with Roman coming back to full activity right before the next programming session started. 

Sliding out of his day clothes and falling into bed, Seth set an early alarm for seven AM. He figured he should check his phone early on in the morning, just to be sure everything was alright. If everything was alright he could just keep on sleeping or get an early workout in before his guard shift.

_ Poor Roman _ he thought sleepily patting the bed and accepting Kevin into his space. He wandered into sleep, having a chuckle at the thought of Dean trying to be motherly and sweet, rubbing it in his friend's face for all the molly-coddling he usually put up with. Personally, he felt a little stupid for being so worried, but Dean _had_ thought to call...

In the end, it didn't take an alarm to rouse him. Seth's ringtone began to trill loudly quite early and his heart raced him awake. He pulled the covers apart wildly, his hair a tangled, humid mess, almost hanging up the call on accident, feverishly trying to answer it.

"Mmyah..?"

"Hey sorry-" Dean said, sounding very awake. Seth rubbed his eyes, trying his best to be attentive. For a moment he'd forgotten why he'd expected this.

"Roman ok?" He asked blearily.

"I'm... gunna take him in." Dean said, sounding a little shaky. Seth's eyes widened and he strained to hear beyond the general shuffling, blinking hard. "I woke up cause he was throwing up fluids. He's awake an' stuff, but he doesn' just got a cold."

Roman rasped something from nearby and coughed. Seth's heart strained for his friend, sounding throaty and miserably. 

"Yeah," Dean mumbled back. "Hey, so, I'm gunna take him to the Urgent Care place, but I still gotta cover his shift in a little bit here. You think you can come and swap out with me?"

"Yeah, yeah." Seth mumbled, stumbling out of bed and going to pull on pants. "Just tell me… which place…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this chapter. I hesitated on including Jericho from the start but I actually really like writing him. I hope you liked it too! 
> 
> Over 10k hits! Wowee oh wow! <3


	53. Quarantine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family over everything, in sickness and in health? But family is always where you find it.  
>  A little gambling and a little conversation and Seth's as confused as ever.

It was barely seven in the morning by the time Seth got to the little clinic, shaking his head hard every couple of minutes to keep himself awake. Walking through the parking lot with the street lamps still buzzing, he realized it was the same clinic that Roman had taken him to when he'd had heat exhaustion. 

He spotted Roman's jeep in the lot, one of the few cars parked. Seth didn't bother texting ahead, but walked in through the automatic entrance, instantly met with the hyper-clean, sterile smell. There was only a handful of people in the front of the building and Dean was sitting in the lobby, slumped in a chair by the fish tank.

"Oh jesus-" Dean grumbled when Seth came closer, startling him. He sat up, yawning and accidentally knocking over a stack of kids books and magazines on the end table beside him. "Goddamnit."

"He in?" Seth yawned, chuckling a little as Dean picked up the books and tossed them back in place. 

"Yeah. We think he's got strep or somethin'. I looked at his throat after he was throwing up water and 'e had all that white gunk on his tonsils."

"Perfect." Seth rubbed his eyes, looking around. "Good on you though. Aerobics at nine?" 

"Eight." Dean shook his head. "So I gotta get. He knows you're grabbin' him. I already texted Hunter."

Dean yawned again, hugely, swearing under his breath. Seth felt the urge to hug or comfort him, mostly just as encouragement for being so caring as Dean himself didn't really seem worried. 

He settled for the more platonic option of drinks. 

"I'll buy you a beer tonight, you've been a good friend," he promised. 

"Deal. I gotta stick 'round till you get off anyway." Dean stretched, pulling out Roman's keys and jingling them.

They swapped out and Seth texted Roman, letting him know that he'd arrived and they could go to the pharmacy or do whatever he needed to do once he got out. Rather unexpectedly, Roman texted him back quickly, with a sense of breathlessness.

**Thank u so much I can't thank u enough. Theyre supposed to run some lab test but i think theyll just give me drugs anyway cause its p obvious that its strep. They just need to come back so it probably wont be much longer.**

**I can't talk at all rn so ill probably just have to text u everything haha**

**No problem**

He busied himself with the August and September issues of Men's Fitness until the doors to the exam rooms opened up again. Roman came walking back out and Seth smiled sympathetically, he looked as ragged as Seth had ever seen him, layered up in a thick sweatshirt, loose pajama pants and slip on sandals with thick gym socks. His face was ringed with exhaustion and his hair was hastily pulled into a loose ponytail, tangled and humid. In his hands, he held a doctor's note and a some soft of prescription.

"Gotta return the favor, right?" Seth smiled cheekily. "For when I was here?" 

Roman nodded and they made to leave, getting back into Seth's Cadillac. His usual form of communication impaired, he fixed his seatbelt and typed out  **_Walmart_ ** on his phone. 

"Sure, yeah." Seth nodded. "There's that one off Dixie Bell, right?"

The whole way, Roman was texting on his phone. Seth didn't mind, he assumed that Hunter had probably wanted to check in with him and figure out what was going on. There was a few times where he sighed, exasperated, but Seth didn't want to be nosy, so he just kept driving. Just as they came off the main road and to the front of the supercenter, Roman's phone lit up, buzzing loudly and he groaned, holding the phone up to his ear.

"W'n I say I 'ant 'alk I mean et-" Roman rasped, looking out the window.

"Then you listen, how about that."

Seth's ears pricked up, the voice certainly wasn't Hunter's. He couldn't recognize it to be anyone he knew, but it was clear enough to be heard without any noise coming out of the car radio. Roman's already over-warm face flushed harder, his eyes wet and worried.

"Your mother about ready to drive down and take care of you 'cause you can' do it yourself. Do you know how bad you scare her just giving her text like that? I don't give a damn how nervous you are- you want to live far away from home and be gamblin' with your health like that? do you know how upset that make her?"

"'S ok." Roman breathed, rubbing his face. "'S jus' 'trep-" Seth took his keys out of the ignition and sat, twiddling his thumbs and trying to pretend like he couldn't hear every word being said.

"That doesn't matter. You can' hide thing from us." 

Seth's eyes widened. Assuming that the man on the line was Roman's father, he was striking a very peculiar tone and had an accent that Seth couldn't be sure of. Roman was alright- he had his friends to take care of him. Why was he being so venomous when Roman was already sick?

"'Ot 'ryinn to."

"I want a call by noon." The man demanded. "Before noon. You have pharmacy card? Your discount?"

"Yea-" Roman croaked, rubbing his throat and wincing. "'Otta go now. 'Alk to oo latur. Luv' oo."

"Jeez." Seth whistled, Roman hung up his phone. "Sorry, about that."

He just shook his head, pulling on the car handle to hobble out of the passenger door. Roman continued texting on his phone for the whole walk into the store before turning to Seth and showing him his phone.

**Sorry about all that. My parents r kinda nuts but its all good- hospitals trip me out so i dont like going until i really gotta. I almost died when i had a hernia that one time so its not great but thats why he was all mad.**

"O-oh-" Seth nodded, stepping up to the pharmacy counter. "That's awful man, I'm sorry."

Roman just shook his head, typing away again. 

**Its ok lets just get this shit an go. I should be fine once i get home so you can go home n sleep.**

They put in the order for the meds and did some quick shopping for other helpful over-the-counter meds and snacks Roman could eat relatively painlessly. The whole time, the man looked enormously apologetic, stopping every few feet and furrowing his brow to type something out on his phone. However, Seth didn't mind at all, wearing a sort of sad smile and waiting patiently for his friend to get his words out. 

"It's fine man, really." Seth laughed, unable to stop himself from putting an eager hand on his lower back and rubbing enthusiastically. "You brought me into the hospital, right? Freakin' doctor felt me up and you were in the room and it didn't stop you from being my bud."

The old lady cashier looked at them dumbfounded, her hands pausing on jar of applesauce she was ringing up, as though she was considering withholding it. Roman let out a choked laugh and Seth turned pink.

He had never considered himself to be very nurturing person. Seth had always felt slightly uncomfortable with other people worrying about him or giving him 'extra' care. It always felt a little forced, and subconsciously, he was always sure it was building towards a favor he was expected to return. Grown up as he was, Seth knew logically that there would be times he would need assistance- but it would only be after he'd worked his damndest to help himself. 

Naturally, he applied this thought process to pretty much everyone else. If someone was sick, they should try to get themselves to the grocery store or pharmacy and pick up their own cough medicine. It wasn't that hard.

Nonetheless, none of that conservatism was on his mind as he got out of his car at Roman's house, hearing him fall into a coughing fit on the way to the front door.

"You good?" Seth asked carefully, faltering at the top step as Roman screwed up his face and hacked, spitting in the grass. Curling his hand tighter around the plastic bag from the store, Seth walked back down the path and put his hand on Roman's back to rub comforting circles. He groaned, gurgling in the back of his throat and trying to smooth his hair back out of his sweaty face.

Putting aside all of his usual worries about germs, Seth pulled him close, laughing sympathetically and planting a kiss in his hair. Roman's chest rumbled and he drooped into his body weight.

"How about-" Seth thought out loud, rubbing his back. "You can… shower? I'll make some soup up and then you can eat it…" He glanced at his watch carefully. "You can eat and then if you need to call your dad or whatever-"

Roman sighed, Seth just kept rubbing.

"Then… you can sleep? I'll go to work?"

"Y-eah." Roman croaked, nodding into Seth's shoulder. 

It felt automatic at this point, obvious. Roman needed help and Seth understood that. They split apart so Roman could go and rinse himself off and Seth could make up some of the chicken soup that he'd got from the store. The sun had fully risen now, it was still early morning and he yawned wide before washing his hands. Everything from rummaging through Roman's cooking wares to turning on the pilot light on his stove seemed thoughtless.

_ Roman would cook for me _ Seth thought with a smile, dumping out the can of soup and turning down the flame.  _ Dean probably would too…  _

It was funny to think about the little arrangement they'd found themselves in. Months ago, if Seth had thought that he might be housing Dean temporarily or caring for Roman when he was sick, he would have laughed. Well, maybe at  _ first  _ he would laugh, though in his head he'd probably be drunk with delight. Confused, surely, but happy.

Once a week now, he was having uncomfortable thoughts. Surely this couldn't last forever? While none of them seemed terribly jealous or secretive, Seth didn't know how a friends-with-benefits situation could end without either morphing into a relationship or a full dissolution of association. 

And that's what this was, wasn't it? Friends with benefits? No strings attached? Though, it didn't seem like Dean or Roman were playing much of a field outside of their three man game. 

Just as Seth turned the burner off and stirred the contents of the pot into a bowl, the noise from the shower died. He smiled, amused for some reason.

_ We need to talk soon. Before something bad happens. _

Roman ate at the kitchen island quietly, looking a little less ragged after a good rinse. Seth sat, nibbling on some pita chips and hummus he'd found in the fridge, sitting at the end with his feet resting on the other seat. When he'd finished, Seth took his bowl without question, making to clean it with the rest of dishes they'd dirtied. 

He had to guard soon. Even though his mind buzzing from the empty house and the half thoughts he'd been turning over. Wordlessly, Roman held out his hands as Seth passed by, and he stopped, standing in front of his seated friend, accepting them into his own palms. 

Roman looked up into Seth's eyes, strangely wet and vulnerable. Seth swallowed, unsure, unconsciously rubbing his hands with his thumbs.

_ Thank you _ Roman mouthed. 

_ Yeah _ Seth mouthed back without thinking, then blushed. Roman grinned wide and they both laughed, he looked away, embarrassed, but kept the grip on his hands strong. Roman grunted, trying to clear his throat.

"It's… no problem." Seth repeated for maybe the tenth time that day. "I just wanna make sure you're ok. Your parent's aren't  _ really _ mad are they?"

Roman shook his head, looking a little embarrassed. Seth decided not to press the matter, but rather leaned in again, kissing him on the forehead. 

"I'm gunna steal Dean tonight for a bit," He said. "If you want something from Eskimo Joes, let us know."

And then he left, making sure that Roman's antibiotics had ended up on the kitchen counter before making his way back to his car outside, wincing a little at the bright sunlight. He had his work bag in the trunk, ready enough to just go straight to White Water.

Dean was busy, running back and forth between his and Roman's offices in the adaptive pool and P-pool, so much so that Seth was a little afraid of bothering him when he came to check in before his shift. However, clearly glad for a distraction, Dean took off the headset from Roman's desk and began idly spinning in the rolling office chair with his eyes shut.

"AJ's not here 'cause his kids got strep too." He explained. Seth sighed, sitting at the vacant desk and peering curiously to a family photo showing three bright faced blonde boys and AJ's tiny, modestly dressed wife. "So Brie and Hunter are covering some of the adaptive stuff, Stephanie's guarding for some'a my shifts and _ I   _ have to be Roman."

"I can help if you want." Seth offered. "At least there isn't lessons."

"Yeah but all the prep for next week still has to get done." Dean opened up a filing cabinet and logged into Roman's desktop. "If you got a sec, you can write out all these skill sheets for all the class levels. It's uh… You, Me, Roman, E, Kofi, Nikki, Chris and…" Dean paused reading down the list. "Oh, and I guess Finn's got sections too. They're doubled up on your name." 

"That's cause he's shadowing to start I think." Seth looked down at the list over Dean's shoulder. "That's what Roman said at least."

He sat at Roman's desk while Dean used AJ's computer to do some other menial task, looking back and forth from the monitor to the class sheets and scrawling names down from the rosters to sort them by instructor. Seth had only got through half before it was time to guard, but he agreed to help Dean finish after his shift if there was still a need.

"How's Uce?" Dean asked as he stood up, stretching.

"He's ok." Seth said, nodding as he remembered his morning. It seemed strangely disconnected, like it had been a dream. "Got meds. Then- well, his dad called? And yelled at him or something?"

"Sounds about right." Dean snorted, chuckling darkly. "I'm pumped to go to their place for Thanksgiving, but I'm gunna keep a pack of cigs in the car for when they go at it."

"That's just how they are?"

"Kinda." Dean shrugged. "I dunno really, like, what  _ your _ family does. But they sometimes kinda pick on him for not doing what they want all the time and living far away and shit." 

"My family doesn't do that."

"Well nah, I mean, he's got a huge ass family. It's different." Dean leaned back in AJ's chair, thinking. "He's the baby and all of his siblings are married with kids AND He's the gay one that didn't finish college." He rolled his eyes. "Which is why I'm always surprised and shit, like- I'm not refined or nothin' but Roman still always brings me and they always treat me nice. But then, I think that's 'cause they feel sorry for me an' shit. I don't think-" Dean laughed, biting his lip and looking to Seth cheekily. "If his family knew we were fuckin' around, they'd blow a gasket."

"That's horrible." Seth's brow furrowed, remembering distantly the conversation he'd overheard after Halloween.

_ Your parent's 'd like him more. You guys both got long silky hair… gunna look real cute for your pictures at Sears... _

"Yeah, well, what can you do." Dean played with a rubber band that had been on the desk, fiddling it in his fingers until he pulled the tension back and shot it at Seth's leg lightly. "Beers though?"

"Beers." Seth agreed, stepping over to the chair after shooting the office door a furtive look. Nobody was going to intrude on them. He drew down over Dean, intending to give him a chaste kiss on the lips, but Dean tugged on his hips, growling and pulling him deeper, giving him a few rich smooches, leaving him breathless.

"Let's hurry up and get the fuck outta here then."

Because he'd started his day so early and was looking forward to his time off the clock, Seth's guard shift crawled along at a snail's pace. Sasha was his second, and seemed to be understanding of the situation when he explained Roman's visit to urgent care, so he paced along the deck to keep himself awake while she sat in the guard stand, doing the majority of the customer service. 

Seth fiddled with his whistle, watching her conduct a couple swim tests for kids and shifting his gaze to the group in the deep end that was diving to the bottom of the pool. Normally P-Pool was a lot less busy now, he didn't know why all of the kids weren't in class in the mid afternoon.

"Some public school break for teachers I guess." Sasha sighed, drinking from her water bottle as Seth made another round. "Working out once you get off?"

"Nachos and beer." Seth corrected her, grinning. "Me and Dean are going to Joe's."

"I wanna come." Sasha play-whined. "Me, Bay and you guys, we should do a double date."

Seth frowned, trying to imagine how that would work. Knowing the girls, they would probably spend the whole time teasing them while they sat, unamused and uncomfortable. It would be easier to do that sort of thing with Roman included, then they'd at least have them outnumbered.

"Some other time." Seth drank from his own water bottle. "We're both… stressed out about Roman."

"I just want fried ice cream." Sasha smiled back, sitting up a little straighter when a boy came up, dripping wet and looking between the two guards nervously.

"Band broke-" he explained, holding out his swim test wristband that had snapped.

"It's cool, I got it." Seth said to Sasha. "Here, kid, throw it out. I'll grab you a new one…"

Thankfully, Dean miraculously finished a good chunk of the paperwork that had to be completed, so they didn't have to stay much longer. Once he'd changed, both men traveled separately to the little bar and grill a few blocks over. The lot was actually pretty full when they arrived and Jojo the hostess looked swamped.

"Bar seating ok boys?" She asked, Dean shrugged and they wandered toward across the restaurant, moving stools so they could steal the end corner by the drink station. A bowl of chips and salsa was offered up and Dean signaled the bartender quickly.

"Whatever's cheap," he instructed. "What'd you want?"

"I… don't care." Seth yawned, rubbing his eyes. "NOT a pumpkin lager… I'm done with pumpkin for the year I think."

Bingo cards were being passed out for the weekly bingo competition and, with a handful of dollars in their wallets, they amused themselves with paying for a sheet. Seth looked over the seated area, seeing quite a few older folks, shelling out for multiple cards and pouring beer from pitchers. Seth supposed that this was a regular part of their Thursday nights.

"Me and Randy used to do this sometimes." Dean admitted, sucking on the lime off his beer. "He won a blackout round once and got five hundred bucks. Prizes are smaller now I think though."

"Well, if I win off these six dollars and get my money back, I guess that's a good night." Seth smiled. He checked his phone just in case- He'd asked Roman if he'd wanted food but there was no answer. Seth just supposed he was sleeping.

They each ordered food and listened carefully from across the bar as the din of chattering and noise would die off for bingo numbers to be called. 

_ B12… B12… G63…. G63…. _

"So, how many times have you been to Roman's for the holidays?" Seth asked, peering down his bingo card and marking off G63. Dean strained, thinking.

"Couple years maybe? Rome' started asking me pretty quick. I turned him down at first 'cause he was with Daniel and there was awhile where I didn't know Dan that well and I just thought it would be weird."

"What did you do instead?"

"Just like… go to a bar. Watch football." Dean shrugged. "It's not like I grew up with a big tradition of turkey and pie and shit. It's whatever. I call my mom, just to say hey. Normally my sister's with her."

"So you  _ do _ talk to your mom?" Seth asked. The way Dean had mentioned her before, it just seemed like Dean hadn't had anything to do with her. 

"Kinda. Just depends." He bit into a chip. "These last few years she's kinda been getting her act together. My sister's around and so she helps a little, I dunno."

_ I45…. I45…. _

"Huh." Seth still felt awkward, prying into Dean's life. "But you know his family well and all."

"Yeah, yeah."

A plate of taquitos was dropped in front of Seth, enchiladas in front of Dean and they struggled to make room for their bingo cards and drinks, eating but also trying to pay attention. Seth wasn't having much luck with his sheet as more and more numbers were called. Eventually, a large old woman with multiple boards in front of her called a bingo and the game was reset. The bingo caller came by again, selling new boards.

"Again?" Dean asked, nodding to Seth and wiping his mouth with his hand. "Let's get one for Uce, yeah?"

"Ok," Seth laughed, setting a third board down in front of them for the next round. "I'll be mad if he wins though."

"I hope he bounces back quick." Dean sighed. "Lessons are gunna suck next week otherwise."

"How was water aerobics?"

"Shit." Dean laughed. Seth grinned, not really able to imagine Dean conducting the session with the same sort of success. "Old ladies don't like me. Some just left, didn't want to deal with me."

"Rough," Seth laughed. "Well, I'm sure you did alright. You're just not the  _ golden _ boy."

"I like, taught him how to do that job." Dean sniffed, taking a swig of his beer. "Damn old birds."

"Alright, this one's a top, middle and bottom round." The bingo caller called into the microphone. "Take a look at the backs of your cards if you're not sure what the pattern looks like- you'll need three lines, top middle and bottom to call a bingo. This is  _ not _ a regular round."

"Ho boy." Dean tapped his dauber on the counter. "Here we go. If Roman wins, we'll just take it for gas money for this morning."

"Deal." Seth laughed. "Our own reward."

It was honestly Seth's favorite bar experience in a long time. Almost everyone in attendance was over forty and focused on the game, so Seth and Dean could just relax, chat, eat and go down their cards, hoping for a bingo. Once, fairly quickly in the round, a man called a bingo from the bar, unaware that it was actually a special round.

"Man, I love drunks." Dean chuckled, breathing a sigh of relief as they continued the round. Playfully, he dabbed Seth in the middle of his hand with the dauber, leaving a little black circle.

"You've _marked_ me." Seth joked, making to dab Dean on his hand with his own green dauber. Dean recoiled his hand in time and they giggled, stamping the surface of the counter with a green spot. 

_ O75… O75… _

"So, what _were_ you gunna do for Thanksgiving?" Dean asked Seth, cooly sliding his drink over the mark as the waitress came by. "You said something about your family, what were you gunna do if you had the time off?"

"Just... eat food and see family." Seth shrugged, finishing off his drink. "Me and dad watch the game a little and I try to help my mom by making something."

"You like it though?"

"What?"

"Doing that?" Dean asked. "Like, your folks are cool and it's a good time?"

"Yeah, yeah, always." Seth nodded vigorously. "It's family, like, it's always a little weird and sometimes it's annoying, but I wouldn't trade it for nothing. My brother is a bit of a dork- my mom worries about stuff a lot and my dad, my step-dad, well, I dunno if he really gives a shit half the time, but they're all good people."

_ B5… B5…. _

Both men marked the box on their cards, thinking for a moment. Dean looked a little curious, like he wanted to say some remark. Emboldened slightly by beer and a genuine curiosity, Seth pressed the question. 

"Don't you like that too? When you're with Roman's family?" Seth asked. "Being in a group like that and being a part of something?"

"It's nice." Dean nodded, leaning on the counter and looking at Seth carefully. "But it's a choice, you know? It's not like I'm really apart of it. I'm invited in 'cause I don't have shit else to do. There's no real  _ connection _ ."

"Yeah, but if you  _ didn't  _ come, now." Seth smiled, trying to catch him. "After all these years of showing up, if you just weren't there, you don't think you'd be missed?"

_ N27…. N27… _

"Not for more than a couple minutes." Dean snorted. "Why?"

"I dunno, I just…" Seth set down his dauber, thinking. "I find it hard to imagine that you just  _ don't  _ care about anything… that you  _ don't _ feel anything included or excluded when it comes to this stuff. Like-" He licked his lips when Dean made a strange face. "Not like you're _lying_ or anything! But, you know, say Roman just  _ didn't _ ask you this year. Would you really  _ not _ care?"

Dean sat for a moment, thinking. The bartender sat new drinks in front of them and he stared at his bottle, trying to come up with the words.

"Maybe." Dean admitted vaguely. "You tryin' to ask if I would like… cry or somethin?"

"Yeah," Seth laughed. "I wanna know if you'd  _ cry _ ."

"No," Dean said firmly, wiggling his eyes brow. "I wouldn't."

_ O76… O76… _

"Shit," Dean swore. "I'm close. Damn."

"Roman's not doin' so hot." Seth examined Roman's board, which, admittedly, they hadn't been watching as closely. 

"Is this the first Thanksgiving you'll be alone?"

"Yeah." Seth sighed. "You got any tips?"

"Just treat it like any other day." Dean shrugged. "'Cause it's really not that different… at all…"

"I'd eat turkey every day if I could though."

Dean began drumming his leg hard on the foot stand of the stool, staring at his card.

_ G50… G- _

"BINGO!"

"Fuckin' for real?" Dean groaned, watching a man in a trucker hat eagerly wave his board around while his table cheered. The game was paused to check and Seth laid a hand on Dean's leg, trying to calm it.

"Better luck next time I guess."

"Man…" Dean drank from his bottle, leaning on his arm and looking at Seth's hand pensively. "When you get older, you wanna do all the same shit your parents did?"

"Like… what…" Seth's eyes darted, confused.

"Thanksgiving. Christmas…" Dean waved his hand. "Family shit. Have kids and do stuff like that?"

"Uh…" Seth wet his lips, taken aback by the bluntness of the question. Dean smiled however, looking slightly pleased with himself. He played with his fork, watching the bingo caller going through the list of bingo calls.

"Thats not a true bingo folks-" The called returned to the stage, his tired eyes small and unfettered. "We'll continue-"

Dean laughed, pulling his card into view again. Seth was still thrown by the question.

"What about you?" Seth asked, watching the bingo balls dance in the little plastic cage. 

"Asked you first." 

"Yeah but-" 

_ I22… I22… _

"I dunno." Seth said lamely, glancing at his and Roman's cards. "I think there are things I wouldn't mind doing. I don't know about kids or anything crazy like that. But I do want to find some… I want to build something…" He swallowed. "My mom- she didn't settle on anyone for sure for awhile, but she carved an existence out for me and my brother. She did good by us. Her and my dad, they're simple people." Dean nodded. "I respect that a lot."

"So you would." Dean raised his eyebrows. "You would do what they did."

"Sure." Seth shrugged. "With a number of exceptions, sure. And you?"

_ I29… I29… _

"I just don't see the point of that stuff." Dean said, waving his hand. "Like, you can do that, it's great, but like, for me it just feels like so much effort-" He snickered. "I go to White Party after Thanksgiving 'cause being around that structure of 'moms' and 'dads' it's so… draining…"

"Gotta unwind."

"Yeah, like. I wouldn't ever get married." Dean said firmly, looking at Seth, his face set. "If I have kids, I ain' planning 'em. Maybe I'm an asshole, but what's the reward of doing that?"

"So you'd do what your parents did too then." Seth said, teeth gritted. "At the end of the day, that's the same, right?"

Dean blinked, his smile fading slightly before jerking right up into place again. He looked confused, unsure exactly what he was supposed to feel, he sat back, puzzled.

"B3… B3…."

Dean looked at his board, his eyes widening.

"Bingo!" 

"Hold on, we have a bingo."

Seth cackled as Dean looked from Seth, to his board, to the bingo caller that began to walk over with his list, ready to check the board. After several moments of checking over the card, the man nodded. 

"That's a bingo folks."

"How much?" Seth asked excitedly, slapping Dean on the shoulder, he looked elated but overwhelmed.

"Three hundred twenty eight dollars and thirty eight cents." 

They cheered excitedly, nearly slamming their plates to the ground in celebration. The other players looked bored and disappointed, capping their daubers and folding up their cards. Dean hugged Seth round the middle and for a moment, he looked as though he wanted to kiss him, but he refrained. Three hundred dollars didn't seem worth the trouble of a controversial display of public affection. After a few moments spent collecting themselves, both men wandered up to the front table where a little cash till was opened and the caller began counting out bills.

"Oh man, we gotta do this more often." Dean patted his chest. Seth laughed the money was collected.

"Yeah, yeah," He snickered, thumping him on the back. "Lucky night, this is great dude."

Keeping true to his promise (but still giving Dean plenty of grief for it) Seth paid for their beers, closing out their tabs and stacking their dinner plates to be collected. Dean looked to be in a sort of daze, grinning stupidly, but shooting Seth a curious, penetrating look any time they made eye contact. Thinking back, it had maybe been a little harsh to say that Dean would just repeat what his parents had done- knowing full well that Dean was a much more adjusted, healthy person. 

But 328.38 dollars richer, Dean didn't seem too concerned, the conversation was conveniently forgotten as they finished up with their night, heading back to their cars. 

"Good to drive?" Seth asked, pulling up the hood on his sweater and pulling out his keys. "Tonight was fun. Make sure Roman know's I'm thinkin' about him."

"Yeah yeah," Dean wiped his mouth, looking around carefully. Seth's mouth twitched. "I'll uh… text you."

"Yeah." 

They embraced, Dean gave him another considering look and Seth blinked, looking at the ground before giving him a kiss. His beard rubbed up against Dean's bare chin and Dean rubbed his arm back, patting him softly.

"See ya later."

Getting back into his cadillac, Seth tossed his phone and wallet in the passenger's seat, thinking. It had been a weird day overall. Normally when he was having an emotional, difficult time with one of the two men, the other came in to counterbalance the mood with a distraction. Now it seemed there was tension between all three of them. Not in a bad way, but there was some lingering in their eyes, some ineffable… thing…

Rubbing hard at the dark spot in the middle of his hand, Seth started his car, thinking hard to something his mom had said pretty quickly after he and Marek had broken up. He was still miserable then- directionless and mourning the loss of the relationship from his parent's house.

_ You're learning right now, that's why it's hard. _ She'd said over dinner one night, while Seth poked at his food dejectedly. He'd hadn't really been listening then. Their breakup had been a dark cloud over the family for several weeks and every night he'd been expected to give some sort of 'Marek update' as far as the state of the condo they'd had, or else everyone was giving him ideas and encouragement for cheering up. 

_ You can't be who you were before so you have to figure out who you are and what you want now. It's going to be really hard sweetie, but once you get your confidence back, you'll be so much stronger.  _

Broody and wretched, Seth had rolled his eyes. But now, sitting in his car, hundreds of miles away, Seth nodded, biting his lips. He wasn't sure what he wanted had a name- but he was going to find it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to roll downhill... not in a bad way, more like they're just in motion. Only took 50 chapters! I'm sure you're running out of creative things to say in reviews, but I appreciate all of you and I hope you enjoy the updates. Kudos to those who are sliding money in my coffee fund! 
> 
> I wrote more Dean, he was a little absent in the last few chapters but he's never gone for long. Thanks!


	54. Weak Link

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth's running out of mental space to keep compartmentalizing his feelings. Drama all around. Finn is exceptional, to the chagrin of the jealous.

With antibiotics, Roman gradually improved with each day. Because he had waited so long, he was still coughing a lot and very throaty, but his energy was back. Hunter and Stephanie worked to pick up the slack, already run ragged by the holes left in the schedule by Alberto.

Seth did his part by helping Dean out and agreeing to help close the lap pool on Saturday. He hadn't made any big weekend plans anyway, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to help his friends.

"And I hear Paige no-call no-showed the other day also." Cesaro laughed darkly, helping Seth round up the lane lines onto the spool. "Hunter will be begging us not to leave at the inservice."

"Crap, was that tomorrow?" Seth whined, pulling the thermometer out of the pool and looking at the read out. Sunday was going to be his lazy day. 

They completed the chemical check and shut off the lights, putting away the lifeguard logs in the first aid cabinet and locking everything up. When Seth emerged, Dean was sitting in the lobby on his phone, bored, while Kevin was giving the carpet a quick once-over with the vacuum. 

"You going to the inservice tomorrow?" Seth asked, flicking a stray hair behind his ear. Cesaro waved, intent to leave as soon as he could.

"Hmm yeah." Dean nodded, standing up and grabbing his bag from the chair. "It's mostly just talking. Hunter and Steph wanna address all the bullshit that's been going on lately."

"What-" Seth looked around. Kevin was actively not listening to what they were doing, winding up the vacuum cord and facing toward the stairs. "What  _ has _ been going on lately?"

"Just drama." Dean sighed, rolling his eyes. "People trying to politic their way to a couple more dollars an hour- it's stupid."

"Yeah-" Seth walked to the door, holding it open for his friend. "But you heard about the whole screaming match, right? Me and Roman were here and Alberto was about ready to cuss out Hunter."

"Yeah, I heard some about the fight that he had with Paige at Dolph's-" Dean pocketed his phone. "But I know he's been trying to get promoted for awhile now and has been stirring the pot about it. Dude was trying to go after  _ my _ job for a minute there, but Hunter chewed him out."

"Oh wow, really?" Seth's eyes widened. He faltered, their cars were on opposite sides of the lot, but he wanted to keep talking. 

"Yeah, like," Dean shrugged his shoulders again, clearly bored of the whole affair. "I'm salary now, and really I don't think he wants that. But before he got the axe he was trying to gang up on Dolph and Randy, trying to get one of their positions. Whatever-" He sniffed. "Dude always had some problem with somebody."

"Yeah…" 

They looked at each other for a moment, considering, until Dean cracked a smile and began walking backwards. 

"Later."

"See ya."

It was hard, upsetting even. Seth walked back to his car, fidgeting anxiously with his keys. He hadn't expected Dean to pull him into some breath-taking kiss or yank him into the water park for another one of their risky encounters, but Seth was getting tired of trying to play it like he didn't have any feelings. 

Driving home, parking and then bracing as he anticipated Kevin's shrill barks at the door- Seth felt like he was holding one long breath until he let it out in his bathroom, staring at the mirror.

He'd thought about this in passing since the three of them had their first little menage a' trois, and because he was incapable of believing that either man would fall for him, he'd maintained an arm's length distance. But now, things seemed muddied, complicated.

Seth chuckled, looking to his tired, slightly ashen reflection. His beard was getting bushy and thick, his blonde patch was growing out, his roots apparent. He'd never felt less polished, but Dean and Roman were both giving him that  _ look _ , the one that lingered over his face and dared to meet his eyes. Dean's was always a little more frantic, like he was giving off morse code under his overgrown bangs. But like Seth, he'd get rosy faced and his eyes would look shiny. That was, until his mouth would go thin and he'd look away, gaze darting off again.

Roman was so much more intense and consistent. Even if Roman wasn't happy-go-lucky, looking broody and troubled, any time he looked at Seth there was a definite focus. 

Seth moaned, pulling hard on his cheeks so his bottom eye-lids dropped morbidly. 

"How am I in love with two people?" He asked aloud, his voice shy and quiet. "Why is it like this?"

For a moment, he thought to whip out his phone and call a friend- Cesaro, Sasha, hell, maybe even Jimmy- but his voice shook just talking to himself. He wasn't sure if he would be able to get the words out and there was no way he  _ wouldn't _ regret it in the morning. 

"Am I really in love or am I just tired?" He laughed at his reflection, scratching his beard.

He began to get ready for the night, brushing his teeth and taking out his contacts. He sat for a moment on the toilet with his pants pooled around his ankles. Kevin came in and settled in the dip of his jeans, so he checked his phone for a moment, trying to distract himself.

Dean had sent him a photo of Roman on the couch, laying on his stomach. His arms were folded and he was sleeping on them with his head tucked to the side. He still looked a little sick and tired, but had a lot more color in his face.

**He ok? He looks better.** Seth texted back, smiling fondly.

**Yeah hes good** Dean replied.  **Should be back monday he said so i wont have to teach for him.**

**Kk** Seth shifted his legs, trying to encourage Kevin to excavate himself from his pants. Dean didn't really text him 'updates' much. Roman was clearly asleep so he hadn't made Dean do it either...  **Goodnight**

Brazenly, he sent a couple of little kissy emojis. It was stupid, but he didn't care.

He was getting ready for bed when Dean sent him a tongue emoji, Seth laughed and stared at his phone while Kevin whined, clearly ready to sleep.

**Shit no wait**

**That was th wrong one**

Seth looked at Kevin, grinning like an idiot. Dean quickly sent him three hearts and a  **_gnight_ **

"From him, that's  _ a lot  _ Kev." Seth explained to his dog, eagerly. He plopped down onto his bed dramatically and plugged in his phone, sending three hearts back before setting his alarm for the night. 

Seth didn't think there was any feasible way to date one man and exclude the other- it was just ridiculous given their current living situations. That said, it didn't stop him from having sleepy thoughts about it.

Having Dean for a boyfriend seemed like a wild, hilarious idea that made Seth feel tingly from his head down to his toes. Seeing him at work each day and watching Dean go from his neutral bored expression to one of sarcastic delight was one of his favorite parts about coming to work. They would go biking and eat junk food together and Seth actually bit his lips and buried his face in his pillow at the thought of going to the zoo or doing horseback riding for a date- some activity outside with animals since that seemed to be the sort of thing Dean gravitated toward.

They'd have more crazy, bareback sex where Seth would be stifling yelps, hoping they wouldn't get caught in public. They could go to Miami together, wherever, and Dean would lead him by the hand through all sorts of exotic 'Dean fun' and Seth would be holding on for dear life but enjoying every second.

And then there was Roman- and Seth had to pet his dog to prevent himself from turning on all his lights again to frantically masturbate his way through his thought process. Roman was so calm and comforting- he'd probably cook for Seth every night he could and lavish him with all the love and attention he'd ever want. There would be no shortage of back rubs and massages and barbeques in the backyard where they would goof off- but never be  _ too  _ far from a couch or a bed where they could cuddle and fondle each other as long as necessary.

Roman would be a model boyfriend and probably treat him like he was the most important thing in world. Seth could actually imagine making a house with him, building a home and living a life that he could feel really happy about. It was a scary thought, but Roman was so nurturing and guiding, he knew he'd be receptive to anything Seth would want- he'd listen and be communicative and genuinely want to make him happy every day they were together.

He blinked in the darkness, thinking. Options. Options. There was no way things could just  _ be  _ like that. Suddenly, his pillows and blankets felt over hot and stifling as the nauseating images of his friends ran through his head, dejected and alone for being excluded. 

Dean would laugh, and Seth felt his stomach knot up horribly at the thought. If he got with Roman, Dean would smile and nod and wish them luck, crumbling horribly inside while assuring them it was probably the best thing for them to do. There wasn't any happiness to that relationship, that friendship, with Dean watching from the sidelines, telling himself it was what he should have expected all along.

_ And what about Roman? if I got with Dean?  _ Seth groaned, turning in his bed and kicking his blankets to the floor. Roman would become stubborn and cold from rejection, unlikely to let Dean continue living with him if he was just using his home as a landing pad. He'd grow frustrated with both of them, lamenting the friendship that they once were able to share.

The rest of the night was spent with Seth moaning and whining through troubled sleep and nightmares, mostly regarding some mismatched amalgamation of the three men where something was horribly wrong. He awoke, covered in sweat from one such nightmare where all three men were being bitten by bugs, stuck in Dean's office at White Water, another, much shorter episode, Seth was trapped in restraints in a dark room while he heard a stern, parental voice, urging him to quit and stop fighting. 

By morning, He was exhausted and cranky, yanking his hair into a bun frustratedly and swearing as he clumsily dropped his toothbrush on the floor.

When the inservice rolled around- Seth had caffeinated himself enough to appear sociable, which was good because Finn was the first person that greeted him. Standing behind the counter with Sami, he was holding the lesson rosters and beaming excitedly. 

"Seth! Hey mate-"

Seth tried to match Finn's enthusiasm, but looked a little stony and forced, nodding to the junior guard.

"I got the list from Dean, the lessons," 

"Yeah, I wrote those up actually." Seth sighed, looking down at Finn's list of Pike and Ray classes, recognizing a few names from his first rounds of teaching. "So… I think what'll happen…" He rubbed his eyes, wracking his brain. "If you want to come in early tomorrow and watch me do my Flying Fish class- then I'll stay and help you with yours for the first day."

"Alright." Finn nodded. "My week's gunna be real tied 'oop like. In tha' mornings I'll have my outdoor ed class where we'll be doing field work, so I'll try tuh get here on time."

"Yeah, please do." Seth said, maybe a little more firmly than he'd meant. "Those moms'll get mad if you keep 'em waiting."

Thankfully, Hunter and Stephanie seemed keen to get the inservice over and done without too much extra activities. There was still the fitness portion- a 200 meter side stroke and a minute of practice CPR. Seth glanced down the check-in sheet to sign in, noticing the talking piece of the agenda looked to be rather short. 

Dean had already arrived, but he looked busy, sorting through papers in his office with Randy and Dolph standing over him, so Seth sat on the deck next to Sasha and Bayley, waiting for the time to hit one o'clock and  _ hopefully  _ everyone would be ready on deck.

"There's croissants in the office, did you see?" Sasha asked him.

"Huh? Wha- no," Seth furrowed his brow, looking dismally down at his showered body and wet speedo. "I'm all wet anyway, they'll be gone by the time the meetings over..."

"Ok, well…" Sasha raised her eyebrows looking at Bayley, knowingly. " _ We _ were just trying to guess whether or not Paige was going to show up."

"I… don't care…" Seth grumbled, fully laying down on the deck and folding his arms over his face. "If the girl wants her job, she'll show."

"I probably would be pulling this stuff too if I was her age." Sasha shrugged, ignoring Seth's obvious grumpiness. "I dunno if she really thinks her and Alberto are  _ soulmates _ or something. She wouldn't respond to my texts."

"It just sucks," Bayley said sadly. "Just the whole situation. I hope we can clear the air a little bit here. I don't wanna work with drama like that, and I'm only part time."

Cesaro came out, managing to improve Seth's mood a little by slapping a croissant in his hand without being asked. Seth sat up and watched as Chris, Charlotte, Dana and E came down from the locker rooms, finally filling up the deck with the majority of the crew, minus the guards that were watching the other pools.

"Alright everyone," Stephanie began, setting a kick board on the floor so she could sit on the deck in front of everyone, wearing her usual skirt and modest-rise heels. "Make sure you sign in if you haven't yet-"

"We want to thank you all for showing up-" Hunter said solemnly, making sure to make eye contact with every single person, nodding slowly. Dean mumbled something and nearly tripped coming out of the office, Randy smirked. 

"We know that being a lifeguard isn't the most rewarding job ever-" he continued. "We know we expect a lot when it comes to making time for these meetings and maintaining your certifications. We appreciate it a lot- the level of work you guys consistently put in to maintain a high level of safety for our patrons."

Seth almost laughed, noticing Bayley watching raptly and quietly mouthing  _ You're Welcome _ as Hunter spoke. 

"If you're feeling burned out, if you're here full time and you're feeling like you've been in one area or in one capacity too long, we want to know about it. Now, I'm not saying that I can put you on a totally different task, but it's important that we maintain communication so we don't have you unhappy in the workplace."

Everyone nodded, already aware of what Hunter was talking about.

"And, if we hear something going on outside of work-" Stephanie interjected, "We're only going to intervene if we believe that there is a safety concern that is actively affecting your ability to do your job. We don't want to tell you you  _ can't _ do something or that you can't be in a workplace relationship-"

Some people laughed, watching as Hunter and Stephanie side eyed each other. 

"We're about professionalism." Hunter smiled. "That's the bottom line. We expect that when you're at work, you're on the clock and what you do on your own time is your own business."

Seth's ears turned red and for a moment, he thought someone was staring at him. He turned slightly. Dean and AJ were both leaning on the wall behind him, but both were looking at Hunter, listening carefully.

"We want to continue to give you incentives." He continued. "More often than parties and stuff- so we've decided to reinstate our Employee of the Month reward."

"You're serious?" Randy scoffed, some people, mostly the older staff mumbled and turned to their neighbor. Seth didn't really understand the issue, at the last pool he'd worked at, there had been a regular employee of the month. He had actually won it fairly regularly. Hunter gave Randy an exasperated look.

"Yup! We think you guys are a great crew to do this with. We used to do Employee of the Month, but we dropped it awhile ago after some folks started… taking it a little too seriously…" But this time around will be different." Hunter paused, giving Finn an overlong, almost fatherly look. Seth swallowed. "We want to offer the winner a parking spot and a fifty dollar single bonus. Makes sense right? Just show me your best effort. Everyone working is eligible."

They wrapped up after talking about some clarification on a few pool rules, then wrapped to complete the fitness portion. Seth hung back, wanting to wait until the lanes weren't so congested. Hunter flagged Finn, pulling him aside and Seth's gaze narrowed. He didn't know why it bothered him so much- but he didn't think Finn was  _ that _ much better than him. Surely a great guard wasn't always jumping in the pool and saving people... There was such a thing as  _ preventative  _ lifeguarding. 

"Waitin' for the bus?" Dean teased, pulling a towel over his head. Seth snapped out of his broody thoughts, turning around.

"Huh? Oh no… just...for a lane..."

Seth tried to finish his sidestroke as soon as possible before showering, not really wanting to linger around Dean for too long. His thoughts from the night before were still haunting him. Cesaro tried to make small talk in the locker room, mentioning something about a Thanksgiving themed workout that their Box was throwing together. Seth mumbled something affirmative and tried to leave. 

He was stopped in his tracks by Randy, Dolph and Dean, all crowded around the front with Sami and Kevin. Roman was back, dressed in sweats but smiling and laughing with them, looking more or less healthy.

"Hey-" His face brightened as he saw Seth, his voice still a little raspy and hoarse, but present. Seth half smiled, waving. 

"I'm cootie-free now." Roman explained quietly. "Was just stoppin' in to check up on things before tomorrow. Gunna be the employee of the month?"

"Huh?" Seth shook his head, squinting a little. "Oh, yeah… sure."

Roman looked at him quizzically and Seth just tried to make his face relax so he didn't look so grumpy. He really just needed to go home and get a nap. Randy continued with some animated story and Seth hovered awkwardly, wanting nothing more than to just be alone and away from work.

"I'll see you later-" he mumbled to Roman. "Glad you're doin' ok."

"Hey, yeah-" Roman nodded, "See you tomorrow…"

Seth never felt great about being short with anyone, let alone his friends that earnestly wanted to see him- but he had really needed his day off. Hopefully they would understand, as he was want to be moody sometimes. 

The next day was just as rainy and Seth still felt anxious and exhausted, having had a night of similar nightmares to the one previous. This time, Seth had found out that Roman and Dean had been making fun of him behind his back and had somehow managed to tell Marek about what an unsatisfactory lover he'd been. He woke up nearly throwing Kevin off the bed, murderously angry.

Luckily, Paige showed up at work to be his second on the lap pool, making sure that he didn't have a whole pool to guard by himself during the morning rush. Both of them seemed fairly uncomfortable and antisocial, patrolling opposite sides of the deck to give each other space. 

"Pool's cold today." Wendy, Seth's regular commented, dipping her foot in the deeper side and looking to Seth curiously. 

"It should be eighty-five." He mumbled. "Tested it just a couple hours ago."

"Maybe it's just the weather now," She shrugged. "Makin' me all chilly."

Seth wanted to grumble something about how sixty degrees was hardly cold weather, but realized he was being exceptionally sour. Rather than trying to navigate his way through being social, he nodded and turned to keep watching the pool from a more distant vantage point.

If Seth was a stormy raincloud, Finn was sunshine by comparison, arriving to work for his first teaching shifts wearing a draping yellow rain jacket, soaked to the bone and dirty. Despite it all, he was grinning, eagerly discussing the outdoor class he'd just finished.

"All uf ar' wood got wet, yeah? So we jus' ended tha' class with puddle jumpin'" He grinned, accepting the teacher's rash guard from Seth and trying to pull it over his wet head. "My car'll probably be a lil' musty smellin' but it was a fun day."

"Alright well," Seth mumbled, "So long as _you're_ in good spirits, we'll be fine."

Seth had only had a few quiet sixth graders show for his Flying Fish class. He mostly just drilled them on some kicking forms, wrapping class early to get Finn ready. 

It was hard to think about all the things they'd have to cover, Seth remembered when Dean had gone through the class material, eager to have Seth to himself in an one on one situation. He frowned, kneading his temples as he checked through the roster, watching Finn excitedly pick out toys that he wanted to use for his class. He wasn't sure what he'd rather be doing at the moment, but Seth didn't want to be at work.

There were three girls and two boys in the first class and Seth took the lead, going down the registry and introducing the both of them to the parents for the first time. 

"Stephanie, Skyler, Michelle, Janine… and Brandon…" Seth nodded, trying to will up some enthusiastic energy. "Are you guys excited?"

None of the children answered. All of them were around eight and nine years old, sitting shyly side by side and unsure. Seth sighed, taking a wider stance and readjusting his rash guard awkwardly.

"I'm Mister Seth," he tried, pointing to his chest. "I'm gunna help today, but Mister Finn is gunna be your teacher for most of the time."

"Aye everybody!" Finn waved, the children looked at him questioningly, confused by his accent.

"He's from Ireland." Seth mumbled.

The children were instantly interested and began asking Finn questions about how far away his house was and why he was in America. 

"I'm 'ere for school!" Finn answered happily. "But I also wantid to teach you 'ow to swim!"

The irritating cramp gathering in his chest seemed to deepen, watching Finn mirror his actions, infinitely more likable and natural. They went down the line to meet in the middle, helping the children float on their backs. Seth bit his lip, trying his best to be encouraging.

"Just look at the ceiling," He instructed. "Relax your body, just like you're laying in bed."

Janine winced, jerking forward as soon as she felt water touch her ears.

"That's ok! That's why we're learning."

"Pretend you'rea…" Finn thought, "Like a biiiiiig starfish. Arms out, leg's too."

Skyler spread his limbs out and Finn grinned, easing his hands out from underneath.

"See guys?" Seth sighed, "Yup… that's what you wanna do…"

Going down the skill list so Finn could get a brief idea of what the class consisted of, Seth let the man take the reigns for the next session, sinking into his shadow and looking for opportunities to correct when applicable. It was stupid, holding a grudge against a man for being good at his job, but Seth was jealous. He just wanted to feel like he was comfortable at work, probably the only part of his life he felt confident about at the moment.

"Was tha' ok?" Finn asked, turning to Seth as the Corey, the last of their students, was helped out of the pool by his father. 

"Huh?" Seth blinked, squeezing his bun to wring the water out of it. "Oh… yeah… it was ok."

"'Eah?" Finn sat on the side of the deck. "'As there anythin' you noticed?" 

"Nah, nah, you did great." Seth amended, blushing a little. "I'll… I'll put the stuff away. You can go shower."

"Ya sure?" Finn grinned. "Thanks, Seff." 

"Yeah, yeah," Seth mumbled, forcing a smile as he piled rubber ducks and noodles together at the side of the pool. "Don't mention it."

Little did he know, he _would_ have his opportunity to shine. Though, he hadn't imagined it would be at the expense of his fellow guard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life plows on- I'm barreling through things as per usual and just kind of screaming whenever I catch my breath.
> 
> Writing this is all super fun, but I'm still a praise addict at heart :D If something made you aww or giggle, let me know. Going to be very busy coming up and there might be some weeks where I take time off, if you're curious, check my tumblr for information, otherwise just sit tight and try not to hold your bladder.
> 
> <3


	55. Swept Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What cures the blues? According to Bayley and Sasha, it's ice cream and hugs. Finn is out and Seth can't catch a break.

He was walking down a hallway, but Seth could hear his phone going off. He kept nervously tapping his sides where his pockets should be, realizing he didn't have his device on him. Despite this, the grating, vibrating noise grew louder. Fear spurned him and he ran, sure that he was going to miss the call. 

His footsteps thudded loud. Seth couldn't really see where he was going, but the place felt familiar- even though he couldn't place it. Just as he rounded the corner, catching hold of cheap brick to fling himself to the right, the noise died. He stood for a moment, stooping and panting. 

_ Think  _ he kept telling himself.  _ Think think think, what's next?  _

"Seth!" He heard from afar, a panicked shout. It sounded like Dean…  _ maybe? _ But it was lower, disturbed. Just as he stood up again to full height, he felt a horrible stabbing pain in his side and he swore, clutching his rib.

"Seth!"

Seth's eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness, but he struggled to breathe, hearing the horrible deafening sound of water bursting down the hall in his wake, flooding the building, sure to wash him away. He yelled, trying to stand at full height and feeling the spasm in his side.

_ It's too much _ he thought, screwing up his face,  _ fuck fuck fuck FUCK- _

He cried out and nearly fell from his bed, tangled up in the sheets. Kevin barked loudly, clearly distressed with seeing Seth so afraid. He panted hard, pulling loose hair out of his face as he sat up, disoriented and shaking.

He was in bed, he was fine. The clock on his bedside was reading 4:45 AM. There wasn't any imminent danger of roaring water or bodily discomfort. His blankets had curled into a knot and pressed up into his side, screwing with his dreams- his phone wasn't actually ringing. 

"Goddamnit." He grunted, kneading his forehead, disgusted with how much he had sweat. "Really?"

Kevin padded over on the bed, ears back, trying to assure him everything was fine. Seth flopped back on the sheets, pulling the little dog onto his chest so he could pet him. If he could breathe and calm down… maybe he could fall back asleep…

There was no such luck to be had. That morning, Seth tried to substitute a good night's sleep for a huge cup of starbucks coffee on his way to White Water. He got all the way to the parking lot before he tripped on his own foot, splashing some on his sweatpants and dousing his car door. He cursed loudly, having to stop himself from punching his own vehicle.

"Oh lord," Sasha sighed sympathetically from behind the front desk, watching him come through the lobby, wordlessly. 

Seth couldn't even respond, he was livid. It didn't even phase him how strange it was for Hunter, Stephanie, Dolph and Dean to be crammed into the office together so early in the day, talking low and looking upset. Seth didn't really give a shit about much of anything at the moment, he didn't think there was much that could actually make his day worse.

Midway through his guard shift, Dean came to the stand, looking unsettled.

"Finn fell out of a tree stand with his college class or somethin'." He began. Seth's heart dropped. "He's ok... but I guess he's screwed up his shoulder bad... so he's not coming in today- probably for a little while."

"Seriously?" He stared, disbelieving. "Huh..."

"You doin' ok?" Dean asked, tapping the arm to the guard chair. "You need a bathroom break?... Anything?"

"No. I'm fine."

Dean didn't say anything, but continued to stare raptly at Seth as he walked away. Seth just sighed, he could think about both of the men later. Naturally, this injury meant that he would be taking charge of all of Finn's classes, and for the eleven to noon hour, he was just too pissed off about everything to be anxious.

He paced around angrily, trying to think of a good excuse he could give Hunter to explain why he couldn't stick around. But after some thought, he calmed, thinking how it would actually be some easy money. None of the students were very troubled or fearful. 

"Hey," Sasha poked him as he was taking off his tube, preparing to take the stand. "Let me and Bay take you out once you finish teaching. You look like you're gunna go postal or something."

"My pants are all gross, don't bother." He sighed, pulling his whistle off his neck. 

"Me and Sami grabbed your stuff and threw it in the wash." She winked. "C'mon. My treat! I've been craving Eskimo Joe's fried ice cream super bad."

Seth didn't think that any kind of ice cream was going to do much for his mood, but he figured it couldn't be worse than just going home and feeling grey and annoyed. He went through his lessons with a sort of preoccupied detachment, trying to be optimistic about leaving work. At five, he and Sasha waited around for Bayley to finish her shift before cramming into the back of her Ford Focus. Seth listened to both of them banter back and forth over the radio station before they ended up playing some old N'sync song over the stereo.

He ended up just staring at his phone, mistrusting the time on his phone. He felt like it had to be nighttime already. 

"Finn's such a sweetie, look." Bayley showed Seth her cell. Finn had apparently sent her a snapchat from the hospital, grinning despite his arm resting in a sling. Seth just nodded, already thinking about how being in the pool for so much longer each day was going to yellow his dye job.

"I could probably help you with the Ray or the Pike class," Sasha brought up, reading his mind. "Me and Bay both could- except for the nights you got class, right?" 

"Yeah, just not Thursdays." Bayley agreed.

"It's fine," Seth sighed, looking out the window and frowning. He needed the money anyway, he'd just have to suffer through it.

Eskimo Joe's was nearly deserted as it had started to sprinkle outside, looking a little sad and empty. They jogged indoors, meeting JoJo at the host counter to be seated. A few old retired folks were sitting at the bar, now ringed with christmas lights and signs for holiday specials.

"Y'all are getting ice cream?" Jojo laughed. "It's cold outside!"

"Never too cold for ice cream!" Bayley insisted. 

They sat, and, as Seth had gloomily predicted, the two mostly just seemed to talk to each other. 

It wasn't as though he was in much of a talkative mood, but Seth had to stop himself from tapping his leg and sighing loudly while Sasha gossiped about Paige and Bayley described some struggles with writing a paper for a class. It wasn't until he slapped his menu down a little over-dramatically on the table surface that Sasha frowned, resting her chin in her hands to look at him inquisitively.

"What's up?" She asked. 

"Nothin'."

"Finn will be ok." Bayley offered, clearly mis guessing what the problem could have been. She smiled at Seth. "I was worried too, but he seems really optimistic about the whole thing, like, he knows he can figure out how to finish up his classwork and such."

"Is it about-" Sasha bit her lip, shooting Bayley a sideways glance. "I already told her about your boy problems so…"

"My what?" He snapped, "What's to tell?"

"I dunno, what  _ is  _ there?" Sasha tried, unperturbed by his tone. "I just said that you were kinda trapped in a love triangle right now. Did that change?"

"No- I mean-" Seth fumed, rubbing his eyes. "It's not-"

"It's ok," Bayley said softly. "Really. Sasha just told me because she said you were talking to her about… well… about her feelings and stuff…. She wasn't being mean."

"Yeah, you know, cause we're  _ friends _ ." Sasha said meaningfully. 

"I don't  _ need  _ help." He lied, "I don't need to go to other people with my problems."

"You're human, settle down." Sasha sighed. Seth almost jumped as she touched his hand, trying to comfort him. "What's wrong, really? Roman actually came to me 'cause he was worried about you- said something about how you weren't able to see your family for the holidays."

"It's not… that." He grunted. Luckily, the waiter came by with a round of waters, saving him a few moments of trying to spin a lie. He took a long drink, shivering from the cold liquid. Seth didn't like to be dishonest with anyone- he felt especially bad doing it since he'd told himself he was going to be more open about his feelings. Bayley and Sasha continued to regard him carefully, worried.

"It's complicated." Seth said lamely. "It… never has  _ not  _ been complicated. I told you-" he looked to Sasha. "I told you before that I like both of them, Dean and Roman. Well, I dunno… It just seems like I'm actually getting into this and I don't know what I'm supposed to do-" 

He paused for a moment because he actually felt like he was going to cry, and no way  _ in hell _ did he want to do that in a restaurant. Sensing his distress, both women nodded, trying to be encouraging.

"Nothing is going right lately! I feel like shit because I don't have the time or the money to see my family and I have NO IDEA what the hell's going on with Roman or Dean. I haven't been able to sleep because I'm so stressed out about it." He exhaled hard, wide eyed. "Like, I don't have a fuckin' clue- I feel like I'm getting to this point of no return and each of them have been really good to me so I dunno what the hell I'm gunna do or like- what's even POSSIBLE, you know what i mean?" 

He chanced a glance upward at his friends. "I'm just- I'm gunna fuck something up or do the wrong thing and I'm gunna lose them as my friends." 

"That's so awful." Bayley said, putting her hands to the sides of her face. "I'm sure you can talk to them about it though, right?"

"I dunno how." Seth lamented, dabbing at his eyes.

"I don't think they would stop being friends with you," Sasha wrinkled her nose. "It might be awkward if you made advances on one of them, sure, but that would be pretty shitty if they just cut you off."

"Well, both of them are living together now." He shrugged. "I feel like the asshole here- like I could screw up how they're room mates or something."

They sat quietly for a moment and Seth felt slightly vindicated. The grumpy voice in his head just felt like cheering,  _ why would they have any input into things like this? People always SAY they want to help, but when something really sucks, it's not like they can actually do anything... _

But then, he heaved a breath and his chest felt a little lighter, less tense. The hanging bar light above their table flickered slightly, Sasha toyed with the cutlery in the sauce holder at the end of the table.

"If you-" Bayley frowned, choosing her words carefully. "If you wanted to date one of them, why would you do it? What would the point of that be?"

"'Cause I  _ like  _ them?" Seth said, an edge of defensiveness creeping in his voice. He sat back, arms folded. His face felt warm.

"Yeah, but-" Bayley squinted. "You know, like, what would be gained of doing that? It's ok if you don't know-" She said quickly, "But do you feel pressured to make a move because you  _ want  _ to? Or because you feel like you  _ have _ to?"

It was an interesting question and Seth deliberated. Bayley didn't seem to have a mean bone in her body, the way she had asked it made it feel like she wanted Seth to think through it.

Chips were delivered to the table with a pitcher of beer, Seth spooned some salsa on a chip and chewed it, carefully.

"I feel like…" Seth sighed, half blinking. "If I don't do something soon, I'm going to come off as insincere. Both of these guys have done a lot for me and I've never felt this way before, like, I'm about to be quartered by horses or something. I feel like something has to change and I'm not going to feel good until it all settles."

"You gotta talk to them." Sasha shrugged. "Call a bro-meeting or something."

Despite feeling nearly nauseous with worry, he allowed the girls to order him ice cream, fully aware that they just wanted to help. Seth had never been the type of person to have lofty plans for partnership with real goals in mind and he was sure it was finally nipping him in the ass. He wanted to feel things out as he went and feel comfortable to go fast or slow as he pleased. Was that so hard?

"You'll figure it out." Sasha said encouragingly, watching Seth dip his spoon into the sundae, looking tired and bored. "You're a smart dude."

"I guess," He huffed.

"Dean and Roman are nice too." Bayley said sweetly. "Just tell them how you feel. Maybe they're feeling just as mixed up."

"Yeah or maybe they know better than to get mixed up _ in _ something." Seth said darkly. "Roman just got out of that relationship with Dan, right? And Dean doesn't take anything seriously."

"And you're you." Sasha offered. "Not to sound mean, but, you know, you got your own issues. We all do! That shouldn't stop you though, you can't just decide  _ for _ someone else."

"'M just being realistic." He grumbled, pushing his ice cream dish to the side and laying his head in his arms. It felt childish, but he didn't care anymore.

"Here, Seth," He could hear Bayley shuffling out of the booth, standing up. "Get up quick."

"What? Why?"

Bayley's hands were open at her sides palms up. Seth stood up, frowning hard and looking at her confused. She was about a half a head shorter than he was. Standing together closely, it was hard not to be affected by the constant warmth that was constantly being exuded by her smile that went right up to her eyes.

Without much warning, She pulled him in and hugged him. Seth froze, not sure exactly what to do with his arms, stunned.

"It's gunna be ok."

"I know it's gunna be ok, why wouldn't it be ok?" He swallowed, ears burning. "Is this… necessary?"

"Just take a deep breath," Bayley giggled, "You're all tensed up."

Seth sighed, trying not to seem as uncomfortable as he felt. He looked over at Sasha sheepishly, wondering what was allowed.

"Hug her back you dork." She laughed. "I can attest to the healing properties."

Grumbling slightly, Seth put his hands on her back, feeling as though he was hugging his own mother- struck by how small Bayley was. His heart started to settle and his shoulders slumped.

"Thanks… I guess…" he mumbled as they peeled apart. Bayley grinned, Seth wasn't about to tell her, but he did feel a lot less anxious. 

Things didn't necessarily improve over the next few days, but Seth was definitely too busy to be upset. He slept restlessly and tried his best to just work and do Crossfit to keep his mind occupied- even though he was yawning and mumbling his way through. Dean and Roman watched from afar, definitely puzzled, but busy with figuring out their own Thanksgiving plans. 

Occasionally, Seth would get a text, asking if he wanted to come by or hang out. Dean had gotten his hands on a road bike and wanted Seth to come ride with him, telling him to borrow one of Roman's. However, Seth refused, too tired after most days to consider putting himself through the ordeal of forcing a happy face and trying to pretend he wasn't heartsick.

Standing in his shower, absentminded, he realized he was probably technically depressed, but he figured he would have Thanksgiving to himself to think about how he wanted to proceed with his friendships. Though, the more he thought about going to Miami with Dean, the more uncomfortable he felt, sure he wouldn't be in the right headspace to have a proper vacation.

_ I should just tell Dean I can't go _ , Seth thought bitterly, flopping down on his bed with freshly dried hair, pulling his phone into his hand automatically. He swallowed hard, sure he didn't  _ actually _ want to back out, but he knew he couldn't drag himself through a road trip with such a loaded mind.

"Heyyyyyy-" Dean said smoothly as he picked up the line. Immediately Seth's heart fluttered, making him grimace. "I was just gunna call ya."

"Yeah?" Seth's voice wavered.

"Yeah so, we're leaving- me and Uce, we're going the day after tomorrow. But we wanted to do some dinner before we bounced out." He sniffed casually and Seth felt a little shiver run down his spine. "Ya ain' allowed to back out or nothing, well, unless it's somethin' important I guess…"

"I… I can… come…" Seth mumbled, feeling his stomach twisting into knots as soon as he agreed. "Yeah… It shouldn't be a problem."

"Ok, sweet." Dean muttered. "Your family been talkin' to you much? I bet it's been hard and all, if it's like your first time that you can't be with your family and stuff. Me and Uce wanted to just crash your place the other day but we thought it might freak you out."

Seth laughed nervously and he heard Roman mumbling from close by.

"Hey, yeah! You eat that pie?"

"What? What pie?"

"That pie from the last time we came over. The one that Rome' made."

"...Yeah…" Seth chuckled, "I ate all of it... It was really good."

"He says good." Dean reported. "Yeah- uh, awesome then. Let me know if you need anything, ok? Either of us. I mean-" He snorted, talking lowly. "I know there's  _ probably _ nothin' I can do about it, yeah? But Roman's worried, and hell, I am too. So even if I can't do nothin' just let me know, ok?"

"O-ok." Seth laughed again, "I'm-I'm fine though, really I am."

He actually felt it a little. Hearing his friend's voice through the phone helped. He'd forgotten momentarily what he had even called about, caught up in the moment. 

"Ok, well, is that all?" Dean asked. "Did you just wanna talk? Or…"

Seth knew in his heart that he didn't want to drop out of the vacation with Dean, even if he was feeling glum. Doing so was some sort of admission of defeat, some failure in a battle that he hadn't even tried to fight. He swallowed, stalling for a moment, before he heard Roman shuffling around and Dean mumbling something back to him.

"I dunno, it's dumb." Seth mumbled, spreading out on his bed and curling up small. "How… How are things going? Any luck on finding a place yet?"

They ended up talking for about an hour and a half, not even about anything remotely important. Dean admitted that he was sure his previous struggles with the law were setting him back so he'd mentioned something about asking for legal advice to see what he couldn't do about it. For the most part, they just bullshitted about work, discussing the usual, mundane things, plus Finn's shoulder and Paige. 

At some point, Dean put the phone on speaker so Roman could join in on the conversation. Seth lay naked on his bed, flopping out, his hair a curly, post-shower mess. He was smiling and laughing, hearing Roman and Dean argue it out over whether or not Crispy was a lame chicken.

"He  _ did _ mention something about her being  _ finished _ by Thanksgiving." Seth said conspiratorially, smirking as Dean spluttered over the receiver.

"She's got character! She's like a pet!" Dean insisted. "You don't EAT pets!"

"She hasn't laid an egg in a  _ year _ ." Roman sighed. "You know full well I wouldn't just murder Crispy in cold blood. It would be humane. You'd get a really good soup out of it."

"She'd hatch some eggs if you gave them to her!" Dean said scandalized. "Put her back to work! She can make more chickens!"

"You don't have a rooster though." Seth butted in. "How would you make more?"

"You just like, stick her under some fertilized eggs." Roman explained. "Chickens are stupid, you can just stick eggs under them and they'll instinctively sit up them and keep them warm. Yo, but Dean- you  _ really _ want more chickens?"

"Roman, if you didn't stop him, you'd have a zoo."

"Why do you wanna pay for eggs to eat, huh?" Dean mumbled. "Getting chumped by the grocery store…"

They all laughed and chatted their way up until ten o'clock. It was dark and blustery outside and Seth curled into his sheets, petting Kevin and rubbing his eyes.

"I'm not tired." Roman stated boldly, immediately falling into a yawn and making the other two men smile. 

"M'make me-" Seth yawned as well. "Shit, is that the time?"

"I gotta teach earrrrly." Roman whined. "This couch is comfortable."

"M' bed is comfy."

Dean yawned as well, as if to complete the circle. They all just sat, allowing dead air to pass through the conversation, punctuating the last thought they'd had. Seth blinked, his mouth just slightly agape, staring towards his ceiling with the phone resting on his bare chest.

"Well, thanks-" he mumbled, stretching slightly. "I'm glad you… wanted to have me over for dinner tomorrow."

"Of course." Roman said. "Gotta watch out for our boy."

The words stung at Seth in a warm way. Roman had uttered them completely casually, he likely hadn't even thought about the meaning or the tone- but it made Seth curl his toes. 

"I like you both a lot." He muttered. "Thanks so much for… being there for me and helping me like, find my place here..."

He knocked his knees, hoping he'd said the right thing. For a moment, there was silence, and for every second that passed, Seth felt like a cinderblock was being thrown on his chest, weighing him down.

"Uce is blushing." Dean muttered. Seth laughed nervously. "Go to bed babe, we'll tuck ya in."

"'M in bed." Seth smiled, "I've been in bed this whole time."

_ Sweeeet Carolineeee _ Dean sang and Roman snickered.  _ Bum Bum Buummmmm Good times never seem to goooood. IIIIII've been inclined bum dun dunnnnn to believe it never woullllld….  _ "Is it working? Are you asleep yet?"

"Mmyeah." Seth grinned, glad the men couldn't see him, exuberant and rosy faced. "Thanks guys."

"Goodnight babe." Roman said softly. Dean made a sort of causal affirmative grunt, still humming along to Neil Diamond.

He hung up, quickly plugging in his phone and turning off the lamp by his bedside. His apartment was quiet- and for once, his head seemed less restless. In the darkness, Seth turned on his side, pulling his pillow up against his face, yawning one last time.

It wasn't much, but he finally slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ALRIGHT, so I'm looking for beta readers??? Anybody out there feel qualified to take this on? You don't need to be professional by any means, but if you can produce some writing to show me and you've got the time, I'd love to have you proof my chapters. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading! Review!


	56. Sweet Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys have their dinner. Roman's family is stern. Is Dean really clean? The boys find a video game they can all enjoy. 
> 
> \----
> 
> My friend drew some funny fan art from the last chapter, check it out!
> 
> http://safty.tumblr.com/post/151348102523/sendendo-died-on-the-way-back-to-their-home

White Water was swamped with the last swim meet of the month when Seth came into work the next day. He felt a little slow for forgetting that it was on the schedule, but was pleased enough that there weren't any swim lessons happening that day. Both the Gainesville and Miami teams had arrived on multiple school buses, and Shawn was bouncing around the lobby, helping to check in families as they arrived.

"Hey Seth!" Shawn smiled warmly, patting him on the back. "I had asked for you, but Hunter stuck me with that lil' blonde guy?"

"What? Who do you mean?"

Enzo came toppling through the back office behind Sami at that very moment, dropping a box full of spare meet-suits and ribbons on the floor. Sheepishly, he began to pick them up, apologizing for knocking over Sami's stack of clean towels.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Seth shrugged. "I'm guarding the regular lap pool today. I'll catch you around though."

Seth wouldn't have minded working with the coaches or the kids to help facilitate the tri-meet. The prospect of getting dinner with his friends was enough of a little energy boost where he wouldn't have minded really working for a day. John, Nikki and Rusev kept coming into the lap pool and grabbing forms from the office. An older gentleman that Seth recognized from Hunter's pool party came in on their heels, wearing sunglasses indoors and chewing a toothpick.

"I can't be assed about these liability waivers," he joked, giving Ru a hearty nudge on the shoulder as he flipped through a clipboard. "This's the sorta thing I thought Kid woulda' handled before the season even started."

Paige finished her lap around the pool and waved to Seth; they exchanged tubes and fanny packs, keeping an observant eye on the handful of lap swimmers who were moving back and forth. There was an awkward tension lingering in the air as she left.

"Have a good meet, Scott." She smiled, quickly grabbing her bag and slipping into the locker room. Scott grinned heartily and gave Seth a brotherly shake on the shoulder.

"Gotta' good gig up in here, yeah?" he murmured. "Babe city." 

Seth nodded tentatively, sympathetic for Paige, but mostly just resisting the urge to laugh.

The noises of the meet could be heard through the walls and most of the other patrons took the time to complain to Seth about the difficulty they'd had parking and getting through the locker room. Cesaro came in for backup coverage, but eventually the patrons dwindled down to just two, giving the men license to relax by the guard stand, still scanning the pool, but keeping it conversational.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Cesaro asked. "There is a special Thanksgiving themed-WOD we could do."

"I saw something about that last time I went in," Seth mentioned, referring to their Crossfit Box. "I just got work tomorrow. I wouldn't mind."

"I want to ask too-" Cesaro rubbed at his neck, tucking his tag back into his shirt. "If you are not doing anything Thanksgiving,- I was going to make food in the evening. If you want to come you should."

"Oh really?" Seth's eyes lit up.

"Yes, I like to eat, even if I don't have family here." Cesaro grinned. "I heard you weren't leaving town-"

"Did someone  _ tell _ you?" Seth accused, watching Cesaro struggle slightly, turning pink.

"Dean  _ let _ me know." He shrugged. "We were talking about the holiday and he said he felt bad leaving when you weren't doing anything." Seth's eyes widened a little. "He didn't tell me to invite you! I just thought I would offer, as one man without family to the other."

"Well, thanks." Seth blushed. "I appreciate it, no doubt. Do you want me to bring food?"

They talked the rest of their shift away, Seth eagerly chatting on and on about his favorite Thanksgiving cuisines while Cesaro explained his turkey method. Occasionally Enzo popped in with snacks from the concessions stand, clearly trying to escape the swim meet. Dean and Roman each came through to check in as well, pumping him up for the dinner they would share that night.

"So, things are going ok?" Cesaro asked cautiously. Seth readjusted his tube just as Roman was leaving, probably more bright eyed and pink than he wanted to appear. 

"Huh? Oh… yeah, I guess so." Seth fidgeted with his beard. "Can't… complain…"

"I just want to make sure." Cesaro waved his hand. "After Halloween-"

"Oh- yeah… no… that was just… me being wasted," Seth half lied, looking at the door Roman had just walked out of so he wouldn't have to look at his friend. "It's complicated, I wanna tell you- just maybe later…?"

"No pressure." 

He hurried home to change as soon as his shift ended, showering and looking through his closet to see if he didn't have something nice to wear. Dean had teased him, saying something about how he had to dress up because it would be a _ fancy _ thing, but Seth wasn't sure if he'd been joking or not.

**R we really dressing up??** He texted Roman quickly, standing in the middle of his room in just his underwear, frowning.

Seth had to laugh as Roman returned the message, showing a quick snap of Dean in the bathroom shaving. He was in a state of preparation, surely, but he was wearing an undershirt and black slacks.

**_Yes_ **

Seth giggled, setting down his phone and pulling out a white dress shirt. It was fun to dress up every now and then. He put enough product in his hair for it to behave properly worn down, and fed Kevin his dinner before leaving the apartment. 

It was a fairly warm night for the time of year and Seth rolled through Roman's block with his windows down, silencing his music and smiling as he noticed the porch light was on, waiting for him. Seth could actually hear music from out back, and so he helped himself, strolling through the backyard with a bottle of wine in his hand. He figured it was the least he could do. 

"Hey Crispy," Seth smirked as the chicken came drifting by, poking at the ground by his feet. Roman was standing by the porch awning, lighting tiki torches as he came closer. 

"Hey babe." He grinned, Seth blushed on approach, surrendering into a wide hug. Roman too was well dressed, wearing a murky burgundy shirt with white slacks. "You look great." 

" _ You  _ look great!" Seth's eyes found the table, which had been transformed with a cloth and some candles. "All of this? You're going all out!"

"Figured you should have something nice." Roman shrugged, still pulling his sweet smile. Seth's eyes widened. "Little early Thanksgiving."

"Is all this shit gunna fit on the table?" Dean called from inside the house before Seth could react, coming through the sliding door with his hands full of plates. He paused when he saw Seth, smiling. "Hey man."

"Hey-" Seth said softly. "Are you guys serious? This is all for me?"

"Well,  _ we _ like food too," Dean joked. "Uce is serious about this stuff though, yeah? And well…" Dean set the plates down, suddenly looking strange and uncomfortable. As though reading his mind, Roman nodded and went back inside, giving them a moment.

"I thought about what… you said," Dean mumbled, leaning on the table. Seth's heart raced. "Earlier, at the bar, right? Like when you were talking about being invited to family events and stuff. Roman's invited me every year since we've been friends, and like, at this point? If I wasn't goin' and doin' something?"

"Y-yeah-" Seth said sheepishly, not really sure where this was going.

"Right… so…" Dean rubbed his face. "I just, I dunno, I felt kinda fucked up after I said that 'cause you were just like, trying to level with me and I just acted like a jackass about it like 'ngh I'm some tough… motherfucker...ngh!'"

Seth laughed and Dean smirked.

"Yeah, well, if Roman didn't invite me, if I didn't have shit to do, I'd be pissed off. So we didn't want you to feel like we wouldn't have invited you or something, cause we woulda."

"T-thanks-" Seth sighed. Dean held out his hand and Seth came closer. He set his wine bottle down on the table and Dean put a hand on his hip, carefully.

"I didn't… think that you and Rome' were ditchin' me or anything," Seth said quietly, looking down at the hand that was rubbing at his sides. "I just was sour about the whole situation really." 

"Yeah, well." Dean's sweet eyes seemed to smile along with his mouth. "Turkey don't hurt."

Roman brought out mashed potatoes and cornbread as Seth hastened to be useful in getting dinner underway. The three cycled through the kitchen and the porch, grabbing cutlery and glasses to set the table. Dean helped Seth find a corkscrew and wine was poured as Roman grabbed the turkey out of the oven.

"I'm crap at doin' this," Roman mumbled as the other two men sat, watching him close the battery case on a serrated carving tool, turning it on and buzzing through the breast meat. Seth smiled, watching the candlelight glimmering in the reflections of the shining plates. The smell of all the warm foods was heavenly. Dean sat across from him, clinking his fork softly on his plate. 

"I made the potatoes and seasoned the bird," he mumbled, passing the bowl Seth's way after serving himself.

Everything was predictably amazing and it was difficult for Seth to stop a steady flow of compliments from falling out of his mouth as he tried everything. Roman passed the gravy boat around and he eagerly mixed everything together, dousing it with thick sauce.

"So do you guys know where you're staying when you get to Miami?" Roman asked casually once they'd all made a little head way with their food. He wiped his mouth off on a napkin, looking to Dean.

"Not really." He shrugged. "I normally just figure it out once I get there."

"Mmm well," Roman thought out loud. "I get deals on a couple hotels through my family. If you figured it out in advance I could help you with it."

"Mmm."

"Have you looked at anything you want to do in Miami?" Roman turned to Seth.

"Uh, not… really…" Seth frowned. "I should… I'm pretty much open for anything."

"We're not… fussy." Dean laughed. "Nah Uce, you know my Game plan. Jetskis and Whiskey. Maybe… a little something else too... I dunno." 

"Like… what?" Seth asked curiously. Dean winked in a smarmy way, but Seth wasn't really sure what he'd meant by it.

"Dean, you can't-" Roman laughed, "You gotta be honest about this-"   


"I ain' kno what I'm gunna do till I get there!" Dean laughed, spitting cornbread crumbs. "Look, some years I go apeshit and sometimes I don't! You gotta feel these things out."

"Ok," Roman grimaced at Seth, "What do you  _ not  _ wanna do in Miami?"

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Seth laughed nervously. 

"Uce, I'm not gunna do an eightball or nothin' if he doesn't want to, why are you stressing?" Seth's eyes widened, looking at Dean carefully. Dean just rolled his eyes. "I like to have fun, ok?"

"I thought you were clean?"

"I am! ...Kind of." Dean snorted. "White Party is… different… but look! I'm not an animal, ok? Does me doing coke freak you out?"

Seth paused, looking between both men.  _ What was the right answer?  _ Seth hadn't ever done cocaine- he knew that people  _ could _ handle it recreationally, but he had no desire to do so.

"Uh, y-yeah?" Seth mumbled. "Maybe a little bit, yeah."

"Then I ain' gun' do it." Dean pointed to Roman animatedly. "Satisfied?"

It was all a little awkward, with all three men sitting in a strange silence for a moment. Seth grabbed more cornbread, regarding Dean tentatively. For a second, he swore he saw something like disappointment flash across his features, but then he sat back and the moment passed. 

"When are you guys leaving?" Seth asked, trying a new conversation. "I was gunna hang out with Cesaro tomorrow, but I could see you off if it works out like that."

"We're leaving early as  _ fuck _ ," Dean grumbled. "It's like a six hour drive."

"We eat a Thanksgiving lunch basically," Roman explained. "Then it's football and shopping."

"What are Jimmy and Jey doing?" Dean asked Roman.

"What do you think?"

"I only like football if they are there. Roman's cousins-" Dean nodded to Seth. "He's got identical twin cousins- funniest dudes I think I've ever met."

"Here's a question-" Seth tried, suddenly inspired. "So- your parent's know you're gay, right? Are you telling them that you're dating Dean?"

Dean began to laugh darkly and Seth's heart skipped a beat, watching Roman sigh, taking a long sip from his wine glass and clearing his throat.

"Sorry… if that was… weird."

"No, we need to figure that out." Roman looked at Dean. "You're  _ not _ living with me. They  _ shouldn't _ ask cause I haven't given 'em reason to think you are. We'll just… skirt around anything else."

"Aye aye captain." Dean saluted. 

"Would they-" Seth swallowed, setting down his fork, "Would they really be upset?"

He restrained himself from saying  _ about you being with Dean? _

"They just… If I told them anything about…" Roman licked his lips. " _ Anything _ , they'd basically start harassing me about if I was serious or not and when I was proposing. I know-" he laughed at Seth and Dean's nervous faces. "I don't wanna put  _ either _ of you through that." 

The wind flickered the candlelights softly, but didn't blow them out. Dean just sighed, grabbing more turkey. Seth was tracking back through what Roman had said in his mind, trying to find some satisfaction.  

"Just gunna sleep in on Thanksgivin'?" Dean asked, clearly trying to turn the tone of the conversation. Seth blinked, thinking fast.

"Uh, yeah, probably," he mumbled. "I'm gunna call my mom and then Cesaro invited me to somethin'."

They talked until the food got cold, all getting their fill a few times over and sipping from their glasses until the candles burned low and dim. The mood lightened considerably as Roman and Dean went back and forth, talking about which family members they'd be excited to see. Seth talked a little about his own family, but mostly he just listened, happy enough to watch his lovers banter.

He felt as close to what he could call 'perfect' when he was with them, which was what made his heart hurt the most. Being around both men, he felt like he was a better person, more optimistic and charitable with his time and mindset. They'd put a dinner together to see him properly before the holidays, and that really set it for him. Roman and Dean clearly adored him and weren't about to let him believe otherwise. 

"What time is it?" Dean mumbled, pulling out his phone. They all winced at the hard, abrasive light. "Nine?"

"You want some turkey for the road Seth?" Roman asked, tapping his leg. "Got plenty of leftovers."

"Sure, yeah." Seth hopped up. "Definitely not opposed to a to-go box."

The moment they all stood up, there was an eagerness to put everything away as fast as possible. Dean was practically running, filling his hands as full as he could and playfully tapping his ass against each of them before making his way inside.

"You gotta-" Roman snorted. "Put it away for real!" He tossed a rubbermaid container at Dean's head as he threw the dishes down and made to run back outside. Dean yelped, batting it out of the air like he was intercepting a basketball.

"Careful!" Seth squawked as he nearly stumbled and ran into Seth's hand with the electric knife. Dean smirked, turning around backwards so his spine arched, looking at Seth upside down. 

"No roughhousing," Seth mumbled, Dean grabbing him by the sides. "What are you doing?"

"I dunno." Dean giggled. "Wine messes me up man." 

Seth leaned in, planting a kiss on his mouth before he sprang back up again, hopping around. Roman shut the refrigerator, tossing the last spoon in the sink. 

"Me and Uce have been  _ roughhousing _ ," Dean admitted. "Should we do some Wii Fit?"

"We should Wii Fit!" Roman said excitedly. "Oh Seth, you'd  _ love _ it."

"I've… played it before…" Seth blushed. He wasn't really that interested in video games at the moment.

Moving into the living room with their wine glasses, it became apparent as soon as Dean and Roman started to strip out of their clothes that they weren't playing regular Wii Fit. Seth followed suit as the TV came to life and Roman toed the balance board into position.

"Are we-" Seth laughed, blushing down to his shoulders. "Are we just playing Wii Fit naked?" 

"You can leave your socks on if you want," Dean snorted, flopping down bare onto the couch, while Roman stood, pants pooled around his ankles, clicking through the menus.  "We started doing this in the weekends." he sighed, rubbing his nose. "Pretty good way to pass the time. Doin' the segway Uce?"

"Yup."

Seth couldn't help snickering as peppy music filled the room and Roman's little Mii character raced down a virtual beach. Roman himself had kicked his pants away and was in a light squat, huddling over the controller and steering himself around with his weight on the balance board.

"You laugh," Roman mumbled, pushing forward. "This is kinda hard though."

"We're laughin'  _ with  _ you," Dean muttered, eyes melting on the opulent curve of the tan backside in his view, shifting back and forth, tantalizing. The lighting was perfect, carving him out generously as his hair waved around his shoulders. Seth felt his dick fattening up in his lap, and he swore Dean gave his own cock a brazen pump. 

"You get 'em Uce," Dean encouraged, scratching his chest and wiggling his hips in the cushions.

"It's ok if you lose though," Seth joked, eyes never leaving Roman's ass. "Take as long as you need."

"Not likely." Roman rose up to his full height, stepping off the board. "Kung Fu for Dean."

"You don't  _ have _ to pick Kung Fu." 

"You like Kung Fu."

Roman traded Dean the controllers and Dean stepped up, starting a new level using nunchuck strikes back and forth. Dean was wild with it, probably putting in way more effort than he needed, but clearly enjoying himself. Roman sunk down on the couch almost on top of Seth, pulling him close, warm from the light physical activity. They chuckled, putting their hands on each other and snuggling.

"What? I don't get no cheerin' squad?"

"Yeah DEAN!" Seth squealed, laughing, Roman was tickling him lightly.

"Don't try too hard."

"You're a _ ninja _ , you're not racing," Seth sniffed. Dean didn't quite have the bubble of an ass like Roman, but his thighs were muscular, the backs up his arms were well defined and his waist tapered down sharp and thin. Seth just wanted to put his hands all over him. 

"Do I get a turn?" Seth asked at the end. "I wanna race somethin'." 

"I pick for you, that's how we play Wii Fit!" Dean hollered, tossing the controllers down on the sofa. "You're playin' Perfect Ten and that's how I want it." 

"The mushrooms?" Roman laughed, patting Seth up.

"What's that?"

Seth stood on the balance board shyly, hoping his butt was up to par where it was at. Quickly, he watched through a tutorial where his mii character was made to bounce it's behind against virtual mushrooms in each direction. It was the most obviously sexual motion and Seth was positive he was blushing all over his body.

"No, no, lean into it more!" Roman and Dean yelled in tandem, making him laugh as he leaned around, sinking lower and exposing himself more. It was absurd, the light, cheesy music didn't help much, but soon enough Dean and Roman were cheering, encouraging him to keep up the pace

"Crossfit butt! Crossfit butt!" Dean chanted. "Add it up!"

Seth played into it, hitting dance moves with his arms and he slumped to his right and left with his bottom, by the end they were all laughing. 

"Didn't even break a sweat," Seth cheesed, posing. Dean went to fondle him and he jumped back, giggling. 

By the end, they were all stumbling into the large bed at the end of the hall. Roman assured him he could stay the night if he wanted and Seth mumbled something about not having to work until ten anyway. They fell, all three together into the warm sheets, kissing and touching. 

With all the turkey and physical activity sleep came to him quickly. As was their way, Seth ended up in the middle. Roman spooned up tight against him, exuding his warmth to the left while Dean draped an arm over him, snoring to his right. 

_ I love you Dean. _ Seth mouthed out loud, looking to his blonde lover. Saying it felt good, correct. 

_ I love you Roman, _ he tried, feeling just as equally assured. He found the darker mans outline in the blackness of the room, the breath on his neck deep and relaxed. 

In his head, he could hear them both saying his name, it gave him goosebumps. Electrifying his skin. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thanks my beta readers for wading through my swill. Really, they're to thank for getting this out a day earlier and much more thoroughly 'combed' than usual. 
> 
> Next few chapters are pivotal to the series, so even though I'm busier than maybe ever in my life, I'm excited to write them! Consider reviewing or even donating if you're enjoying it! This fic is now longer than the longest Harry Potter book at this point, so congratulations on reading a big bulky book! 
> 
> <3


	57. Mahalo, Cesaro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth celebrates a frugal Thanksgiving

“Can you hear us?” 

“Mom, it’s the video.”

“Oh… can you see us then?”

“Yup.” Seth smiled. He couldn’t help grinning at his ipad, watching his family all huddling around his dad’s laptop and cheesing for the camera. His mother had been holding the computer, but settled it on the coffee table so Seth could see everyone.

“We had to do an update of the software,” his mother explained, moving Marshmellow the cat to the floor so she could scoot closer. “We did a test call earlier and I just couldn’t figure out why the sound was off!”

“Oh. That sucks.” Seth sighed, drinking from a glass of water and smoothing his hair back. “What’s new?”

It was Thanksgiving officially and his immediate family had paused cooking and cleaning in preparation for Seth’s grandfather in order to call him. Seth had woken up late, showered and nibbled on leftovers before coordinating the call. He was going to drive over to Cesaro’s in a little bit, there was a promise of football, finger foods and a few other friends stopping through before making their way over to their respective family celebrations. 

Predictably, Seth’s mother cut into a long, drawn out story about how one of her new coworkers was stealing Keurig cups and creating workplace drama, then, an equally mundane tale of trying to figure out why the snowblower was broken (even though it had yet to snow).

“Well, at least you’ve got time,” Seth mumbled, twiddling the strings on his sweatpants. He was used to his mother’s stories and knew well enough to just ask a few questions and let her have her time. “It was working last year, right?”

“Well, that’s what’s so weird.” She waved her hands animatedly. “It’s been sitting in the same spot it does every winter! I just don’t get it.”

“Hmm.”

“Well, and what else was there?” She paused, looking around. “Brandon- you got your trip for your Magic cards.”

“There’s…” Brandon peeked his head toward the view of the webcam, looking sheepish. Seth wiggled his nose. “It’s a tournament…”

Brandon was a few years older than Seth. The two had been reasonably close when they were younger, closer than most stepsiblings, but as they grew older they had grown apart over different interests. Brandon was obsessed with Magic: The Gathering, swords and Japanese anime. Seth had always been a bit of an introvert and a jock, preferring sports and the occasional book.

Though, it was easy to tell they were siblings, even though they weren't related by blood. Both men wore their hair long and shared similar taste in food and music.

"Panthers and the Cowboys though, yeah dad?" Seth tried, hearing very little input on his father's behalf.

"Should be a good game." Bob nodded. "I don't like that Newton kid though. At least he's entertaining I guess."

"How about you sweetheart?" Seth's mom asked, preventing any major discussions of the game. "We were just saying we ought to be visiting you! I wouldn't want to come up here when it's all cold."

"Yeah, Orlando's nice." Seth grinned. "People complain about the rain here and I just laugh at them. Gets a little colder at night, but for the most part it's really great."

Kevin was sniffing around his feet and Seth thought to pick him up and show his family. His mother awed and smiled, watching the little dog squirm in his hands while Brandon and his father looked mildly amused.

"He's great." Seth scratched the dog's chin and held him in his arms. "I probably need to groom him soon though."

"So did you for sure get work off then?" His father asked, sipping off of a beer and slumping a little lower on the couch. Seth set Kevin down, pausing as his video froze for a moment.

"Yeah, for New Year’s though." Seth nodded. "I figured it was better to be sure when it comes to plane tickets." 

"We sent you a package," Holly said slyly. "We just felt so bad that you'd be by yourself today."   


"I'm gunna go see my friend!" Seth shrugged. "My friend Cesaro- he's from Switzerland and he doesn't have any family here." He licked his lips, watching his parents perk up slightly, suddenly interested.

"Oh, well that's good." She nodded. "How do you know him?... Work?"

"Yeah, he's a guard and he's a personal trainer," Seth said. "He got me into doing Crossfit, so he's kinda my workout partner."

Both of his parents paused for a moment, and Seth's shoulder's slumped. He wanted to tag on  _ I'm not fucking him though... so don't bother asking _ , but knew it would sound too aggressive. They looked thoughtful for a moment before pressing on.

"Well, it's nice that you have such... good friends there," she said quickly, looking to Seth's stepdad and rubbing his knee. "Did you want to run down to the farm? Or should I?"

They wrapped up the Skype call, with much love and assertions that he should call if he needed anything. Seth picked Kevin up again and waved, watching his family say their goodbyes before hanging up the connection. He sighed, looking into his dog's dark eyes, conflicted. 

"Just another day being a dog, huh Kev?" He snickered, kissing the little dog's head before returning him to the floor. "No holidays."

The game would be starting soon and Cesaro had texted him during the call, assuring him he could come over whenever he wanted. Seth paused as he realized he'd gotten a text from Roman as well.

He opened it, his mouth breaking into a smile from ear to ear as his eyes fell over a picture of Dean. He was covered from head to toe in mud, standing in, presumably, Roman's parent's back yard. A few other long haired Samoan guys were also in the frame, looking just as dirty, holding a football.

**Touch football getting serious?** Seth typed. He grinned again as he saw Roman's grey text icon, thinking.

**Two years ago my uncle eddie nearly got a concussion during the family game** Roman replied with a string of emojis sporting pained expressions.  **Me and the sis's r sittin this one out.**

**Miss u guys** Seth typed out cautiously. He bit his lip, pressing send.  **Gunna go catch the game with Cesaro**

**U too eat some wings for us.**

The road was almost completely deserted by the time Seth made his way over to his friend's condo. People could be heard in their backyards, grilling and talking, sitting around fire pits and socializing, but almost every car was off the road. Seth frowned, looking at the highway exits as he switched lanes, not really sure who he was signalling for. He was starting to regret not just forcing himself to be poor for a few weeks and making the trip up to Davenport that weekend. He still had to work tomorrow- was well assured that it would be 'one of the slowest shifts of his life', but not being around his family on Thanksgiving felt humbling and strange.

Seth wondered, vaguely, what a holiday with Roman's family might entail. Would he be rolling around in the mud with a bunch of Samoan brothers and cousins fighting over a football? The way Roman talked about his family, he assumed it was vast and highly protective. He wasn't really sure how 'traditional' they were with their heritage. Seth had never heard Roman speak any language other than English.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Cesaro greeted him at the door with Zoe, his cat. Seth grinned, pressing the button on his keys to make sure his car was locked before walking through the uniform white front door. Instantly, the smell of home cooked food hit him and his insides rumbled. On the couch sat Neville and a friend of Cesaro's that Seth wasn't sure he had met before. He was slumping back and wearing a neckbrace.

"Seth, I don't know if you ever met TJ-" Cesaro pointed to his friend, "He stopped working at White Water right before you started, I think."

"I think we met once," TJ mumbled, leaning his whole body forward to shake Seth's hand. "What's up dude?"

"Hey." Seth grinned. "Are we all the homeless dudes on Thanksgiving then or what?"

"Just us." Cesaro grinned. He was wiping off his hands on a paper towel and wearing a dark grey half apron around his waist. "Neville's  _ volunteering _ -"

"At a shelter, yeah." Neville nodded. "I wanted to stop by and say hi, but I'm gunna leave at half time. The food down there is actually pretty good, but it's not like my family cares about American holidays."

"I just wanted…" TJ giggled, "...to get a buzz on before I gotta see my family."

"Fair enough." Seth laughed. 

The men sat around the couch and Cesaro poured Seth a glass of wine. The coffee table was laden with finger foods and snacks, and the three picked through Chex mix and chips. Carolina kept picking up interceptions and Seth entertained a few texts back and forth from his dad, discussing the game.

"Who are you rooting for?" Neville asked both men, rolling his ankle. "I barely even watch  _ regular  _ football."

"You mean  _ soccer _ ," Seth said snidely, 

"Yes, that."

"I don't care," TJ mumbled, shrugging as efficiently as he could with a neck brace on. "Doesn't look like Dallas has much of a chance at this point." He thumbed his way through his phone. "But I'm not a big football nut."

They talked about sports for a little while and Seth tried to explain some of the finer details of the game and point out a few key players that Neville might not have heard of. TJ cut in whenever he could help, but was mostly satisfied to watch Seth bluster about Neville's lack of knowledge.

"Cesaro!" Seth called, exasperated. "You watch football, right?"

"Uhh…" 

"C'mon man!" Seth snorted, scratching his chest. "This is your TV!" 

"There are… so many commercials…" Cesaro admitted quietly. 

"Bathroom breaks!"

"Did you want a plate, Neville?" Cesaro asked, poking his head out from around the corner. “Food is ready, or were you leaving?" 

"I'd better git goin'." Neville stood and waved to each of them. "Nice seeing you all."

TJ and Seth saw Neville off and immediately rushed the kitchen, observing the array of turkey and stuffing steaming up the countertops with delight. Even after having a dense dinner at Roman's the night before, Cesaro's cooking looked perfectly appetizing.

"Yeah, just cut me off a little breast meat." TJ rubbed his hands together. "Ah man, you're the best."

"Only the best for my good gym friends." Cesaro laughed. "I was reading recipes online, but most of them were in this book, so I just went out and bought it."

"This one?" TJ flipped through the cookbook, inspecting the cover. "You  _ bought _ a Rachel Ray book?"

"I guess so." Cesaro shrugged, handing Seth a plate. "Her web page is mostly a lifestyle thing so I wanted to get a book of just recipes."

"You are a  _ man _ ," TJ teased. "Please don't buy… throw pillows…"

Rather than attempting a sit-down meal, the boys crammed onto the sofa to attend to the television, moving the snacks aside and refreshing their wine glasses so they might dig into the main course. Seth was extra careful not to make a mess, holding his plate close to his mouth and wiping his beard with a napkin. Zoe kept passing through all of their legs, meowing and begging for scraps. 

"How was the big Thanksgiving workout?" TJ asked glumly, carefully lifting his fork to his mouth. "They have you doing rope climbs again this year?"

"No, no, not this year." 

"That was bizarre," TJ recalled. "We didn't even do any WOD's with that one before hand. Messed everybody up."

"You do Crossfit too then?" Seth asked, "Or… did?"

"I did yeah," TJ laughed, pointing to his brace. "I was going to compete for regionals but then I messed my neck up really bad on a bar squat."

"That's awful man." Seth winced.

"Yeah, uh, don't do it," TJ joked. "I just got surgery recently, but you gotta be careful with that stuff."

Eventually TJ finished his meal as well, eating quickly as soon as he realized the time. Swearing, and stifling his ringing phone, he set his dishes in the kitchen before making his way out.

"It's really cool that you did this," Seth remarked, raising his glass to Cesaro. "I was feeling kinda down earlier, but it's nice to know there's someone else out there who's willing to open their door."

"Yeah don't mention it." Cesaro winked. "I get homesick sometimes. There is a six hour time difference between here and Lucerne, so it is hard to call my family whenever I want." 

They were quiet for a moment and Cesaro humored Zoe by giving her a few turkey pieces to inspect. Seth's phone vibrated on the top of the coffee table and he picked it up casually, expecting his dad to comment on the last play. 

Instead, he was greeted with another picture of Dean, sitting at a very low table with two younger boys.

**I said if he kept chewing with his mouth open he had t sit at the kids table but now hes just doing it and he wont come back.**

Seth laughed aloud and Cesaro looked at him, he turned his phone around, shrugging.

"They are having fun then?" Cesaro mumbled, sipping off his glass. "In Pensacola, right?"

"Yeah." Seth blushed slightly. "Roman just keeps sending me funny pictures of Dean, I dunno." He licked his lips. "It's weird but it's nice."

"Roman can be really grumpy sometimes, but then he's always very sweet to the people he likes. " Cesaro paused for a moment, thinking. "Maybe it is weird to say, but girls at work were always jealous of Daniel when he was around because Roman was so sweet to him."

"It's not… weird… yeah, no-" Seth shook his head, still blushing. "I… wouldn't doubt he's like that."

There was a rather awkward pause and Zoe lept up onto the couch looking for more. Cesaro pet her head and set down his plate, watching the game thoughtfully.

"So which team should I care about?" Cesaro asked. "How does this work?"

There was another quarter and a half of the game before it wrapped and the Panthers were playing exceptionally well, but Seth went through, trying his best to repeat what he had gone over earlier with Neville. Cesaro didn't waste time filling up his glass as it emptied and left the wine uncorked on the table. Pretty soon, both of them were yelling at the TV and feeling the energy, occasionally running to the bathroom or the kitchen during commercial breaks to empty out or fill up. Bryan Jones went for an illegal high jump and was penalized, then Cam Newton scored another touchdown, doing an entire dance routine.

"Is he injured?" Cesaro cried from the living room. Seth hastened to finish buttoning up his fly, having taken a moment to piss. 

"What? No way-" Seth sighed dramatically, sinking down on the couch. "Fuckin' Romo…"

By the end of the game, both men were a little drunk, biting into the pumpkin pie and polishing off the last of the wine between both of their glasses. Some rerun of The Simpsons began to play after the game recap and Cesaro patted his knees, thinking.

"I was actually thinking of going to do the Black Friday sales tomorrow," he hummed. "I never really do that, but there are some sales that I saw."

"Yeah?" Seth mumbled, staring at his phone again. It was a little rude, but he couldn't help it. Dean had texted him this time, a blurry picture of a little girl holding out a turkey bone, extending it to Dean and the camera.

**she wont stop**

"I haven't done it either," Seth chuckled, rubbing his face. "Sorry... phone's blowin' up."

"It's fine. I don't care," Cesaro mumbled, looking strange again. "They both seem to care about you a lot."

"Yup," Seth sighed, decisively setting his phone down upside down. "Yeah man, it's crazy… I don't know what the hell I'm doing." He drank from his glass, swallowing the sweet red liquid and blinking. "I'm actually…  _ involved _ with two people? I dunno if it's possible but I think it's ok and I'm kinda losing my mind…?"

Cesaro was quiet for a moment, but it wasn't tense. Seth bit his lip and sank deeper into the couch. He was mostly speaking in the context of his recent life. He felt fine at the moment, a little overfull of food and lightheaded from drinking, but emotionally sound.

"Yeah, I wondered," Cesaro said quietly. "You seemed like you were having a hard time but I did not want to seem like I was asking weird questions or something." 

"Who do you think-" Seth sneered, looking playfully to his friend. He didn't really want to drag the conversation into something too serious. "Who likes me more? Dean or Roman?"

"I don't know!" Cesaro laughed. "They are both different guys. I see Roman more at work, but I don't know." 

"Ok, but if you were  _ me _ , who would you pick?" Seth asked. "I dun' think I can. Definitely can't anymore."

"But you wanna know..."

"Yeah."

"I think... " Cesaro blushed, obviously straining. "Dean."

"Yeah?" Seth's eyes widened, he was so used to hearing Sasha's opinion he felt bad that he wasn't expecting Dean to be the answer. 

"Yeah, I think." Cesaro shrugged. "He is a funny guy. Did I choose wrong?"

"No no! I love Dean!" Seth waved his hand, then blushed an even deeper red. The words, though true, still sounded strange and foreign on his tongue, making his voice come off too quick and too high. "Nah- aggh…"

"It's ok." Cesaro laughed. "I mean, I am sure it is very complicated and confusing."

"It's the worst," Seth whined, looking sullenly at the TV and the heap of cleaned plates. "I dunno… I was having nightmares 'bout all this shit… Probably the most freaked out I've been about a relationship thing in a real long time."

"Well," Cesaro sighed, "just because it is not very ordinary to have three guys all together like that doesn't mean it can't happen. How do you say it? This is a  _ free  _ country?"

"I guess," Seth giggled. "I dunno if I could convince my parents I got two boyfriends very easily."

Just the words _ two boyfriends _ got him excited. It was such a weird feeling, like a lick of warmth that went from his head all the way down his back. But then, maybe it was just the wine. 

"We should send them a photo," Cesaro suggested. "Roman is probably worried about you, right?"

Seth eagerly flipped his camera out and both men pulled exaggerated goofy expressions. They laughed stupidly and sent it through the group chat that the men shared, sitting in wait for an answer. Seth couldn't help but feel a little thankful that Cesaro was as cool a friend as he was. He'd spent his whole life being a little too weird for most groups, always a little standoffish and guarded, but with good company and decent wine he felt the weight on his chest lifting slightly. If Cesaro said it so simply- why couldn't he just date two guys? Outside of jealousy and the judgement of others, what was the hangup?

"I think you should definitely try for it though." Cesaro nodded. "You get very happy when you talk about them, and even though I do not see them around as much as you do, I get the feeling that both of them really like having you around."

"Yeah, I guess." Seth half-hiccuped, feeling his warm face. "Yeah, you saw them after the 5K and all… maybe that was a little obvious."

"Dean told me about that," Cesaro said, winking again. "He told me not to tell you, so that he might surprise you, but he asked me where the race was and everything so he and Roman could meet you."

"...Yeah?"

"Roman offered to drive us too." Cesaro laughed. "I'm serious! I swear!"

Seth rolled his eyes but he felt like his heart was melting. It was a lot to think about. His phone buzzed in his hand and he turned it over, already pulling a smile before he opened the attachment. The top of Dean's head, slightly blurry. Roman was behind him, sitting on the couch, cozied up with a throw blanket. 

**Starting a fire for the kids so we dont have to go shopping**

**_Nice_ ** Seth typed back, reading his words allowed so that way Cesaro might be clued into his conversation. He had no idea why he was doing it. Talking with his friend was just so easy.  **_Have a good night!_ **

"So sweet," Cesaro purred. "Sorry if that is not appropriate, I am not good at these things."

"Nonsense." Seth snorted. "I'm still surprised you're single."

They chatted for a good long while with the TV playing in the background, filling in the blanks of the conversation while they laughed and paused. Once it was eight o'clock, Cesaro went through his kitchen to clean and assess the leftovers while Seth offered to assist with some of the dishes. Still a little tipsy, he filled the sink with soapy water, accepting pans and plates as they were scraped off and running his tan hands through the suds, scrubbing hard.

It wasn't the best Thanksgiving he'd ever had, but he'd certainly made the best of it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is late! This weekend was wild! I didn't have wifi and I was balls deep in work stuff and travel! This month is really hard for me, but I'm hoping for some regularity soon!
> 
> Thanks to my beta readers for picking up the mental slack. I hope you all enjoy!


	58. Party Favors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth comes across something he'd forgotten and the boys are reunited. Will Roman come to Miami too? What's in the bag, Dean?

Black Friday at White Water meant a mid-morning shift surveying P-Pool, which was about as dead as Seth had ever seen it. Upon arrival, he saw only a handful of cars in the lot, and instead of Sami at the front desk, Chris was slouching behind it with a laptop open, watching some sort of music video.

"Paige no-showed, so you'll be in there by yourself," he mumbled, eyes still fixed on his screen. "Randy's the MOD all day. He's on the stand now, waiting for you."

"Oh... ok," Seth sighed. He'd meant to ask Chris how his Thanksgiving had been, but after such a terse conversation, he put it out of his mind.

Just a little loggy from wine and turkey from the previous night, Seth was just glad there wasn’t anyone in the pool. Randy sat slumped in his chair, looking livid as Seth passed him, his footsteps echoing loudly on the tile.

"Thank fuckin' god," Randy sighed, springing up and untangling his legs from the rescue tube. "I swear- if YOU didn't show..."

The shift was long and boring, with only a handful of swimmers and a single large family that came in to wade around in the shallow end. Once he was off the stand, Randy went out for several long smoke breaks and sat in the office. Seth didn't really mind; he never got the chance to work with Randy because he always worked in the mornings. The man was so laid back, it was a nice change for such a lazy day.

In any case, Seth had plenty of things to ponder on the guard stand. He watched, drumming his hands on the seat as a younger boy jumped into the water, splashing happily.

Dean and Roman would be back that afternoon, and then he would be leaving for Miami as soon as they were ready. He'd already agreed to drive and Roman was set to watch Kevin for the night. It would be a three and a half hour drive with great weather and Seth felt like he was vibrating in his spot, watching the clock go down, counting the minutes. 

Cesaro's words from Thanksgiving had encouraged him. While he was still as unsure as ever, he felt like he could certainly say that his lover's were behind him. They would at least listen to his feelings, rather than rebuke him. He still wasn't at all sure how to approach the topic or ask them about their own thoughts, but wasn't that what long car rides were for?

_ Roman should come, _ Seth thought to himself, doing a lap of the pool and stooping to tighten the cord of the single lane line.  _ Why isn't he anyway? _

Kofi came in to relieve Seth of duty at noon. He hustled home to put a bag together and pack up some dog food for the weekend. Throwing all of his lifeguard gear out of his main duffel bag, he tried to find a couple more summer-y shirts that weren't cheap or dirty. Kevin watched from the bed, mildly amused as Seth grabbed toiletries from the bathroom, spiking them across the room into his open bag.

It wasn't until he was looking for his travel-phone charger that he started to get annoyed at the messy state of his room. He stooped under his bed, cursing and fishing around in dog hair and dust, trying to see if he'd left it plugged into the outlet under his bed. He almost gave up, after checking a few of his other bags, trying to remember the last time he had it. His hands reached up, scrambling around on the top shelf of his closet, a dumping ground of sorts for his pockets.

Seth's eyes widened as he nudged something and heard a rattling and a rolling sound. Looking down, he saw two little blue pills had fallen on the carpet at his feet. He squinted, picking them up and then grinning as he remembered. In the haste and horror of escaping the methamphetamine hook-up that he'd fallen into months before, Seth had forgotten he'd walked off with prescription Viagra.

He'd only taken someone else's prescriptions once- but then, perhaps extra strong ibuprofen wasn't much to speak of. Though Tommy the Grindr meth-slammer wasn't the most responsible source for pills of any kind, Seth figured, with a little research, he could determine if it would be worth it or not.

And what a better place than Miami with Dean? He chuckled devilishly, sliding the pills into his front pocket, the same as he had done when he first received them. 

The elevator to the first floor was broken again, so Seth struggled to hold onto his sunglasses,  wallet, bag and dog, nearly face-planting down the stairs as he made his way to the parking lot. He cursed, dropping his keys twice before he managed to unlock his car and get on the road.

"We're still cleaning," Roman laughed from the garage, stooping with a plastic bag in hand, picking up trash from the floor of the Jeep. Seth's chest fluttered as he let Kevin run up the driveway, all eager and excited to see their friend.

"How was it?" Seth grinned, his heart jumping slightly as Roman set the bag down and pulled him into a warm hug as soon as he was close enough. He blushed, leaning in as best he could with his hands full. "Family good?"

"Yeah, it was alright," Roman muttered, patting his back. "Took the kids through the drive thru once and they just spilled stuff everywhere, gotta pick it up. Dean's inside packin' clean clothes."

Seth patted his leg for Kevin to follow him, watching the little dog hop up the step and trot after him through the doorway. The whole house was a little cold from being uninhabited for a few days, but he slipped off his shoes for politeness sake.

"Dean?" Seth called, looking around the doorway into Roman's bedroom and finding it empty. He paced into the living room until he heard a door open down the hall and a familiar grunt.

"Nnhyah?" Dean mumbled. Seth followed the noise into what, he supposed, was Roman's guest room.

"Hey." Seth smiled. Dean was sitting on the bed. As soon as he saw Seth, he dropped the socks he was holding to stretch out his arms and smirk. Seth strode through a sea of jeans across the floor and Dean pulled him close, pressing a whiskery kiss on his lips and rubbing his sides.

"You ready for some fun, yeah?" Dean muttered. "Have a good night with Cesaro?"

"Yeah, yeah. It was great actually." Seth threaded a hair behind his ear, taking in the room. "This… your room then?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Dean tossed the socks into the open bag he was packing, surveying the small room. The bed was an unmade queen, covered in thin fleece blankets. "Home sweet home."

"Ok, well," Seth mumbled, clearly too excited to contain himself. "Don't ask me _how_ I got it, but I'm pretty sure I got us some party favors for the trip."

Seth pulled the pills out of his pocket and immediately Dean's face lit up, intrigued. He picked one of the tablets out of his hand, examining it carefully.

"It's not… " Dean looked puzzled. "E?"   


"No! No," Seth snorted. "Viagra."

"Cesaro gave you this?" 

"No!" Seth laughed. "No, I still kinda wanna, I dunno…  _ google _ it. Make sure it's safe... But I got it from… a source…"

Footsteps could be heard down the hallway and almost reflexively, both men fisted the little pills, keeping the contents hidden as Roman's head peeked through the door. Seth wasn't really sure why Roman  _ shouldn't _ know, but something told him he would be a little more curious about where Seth had gotten the stuff.

"Did you guys wanna take the GPS?" he offered. "Or any of the leftovers my mom packed us?"

"I'm so full I'm not gunna shit for like a year." Dean sniffed. 

"I'd take it." Seth shrugged. "I don't have a mount in my car, but… just in case my phone dies or something." 

"I just got it updated so it's current with traffic and stuff. If you want you can take my Sunpass too, there's enough tolls down the turnpike where you'd want it."

"O-oh… thanks…" Seth licked his lips. "You… you sure you didn't want to come Rome'?"

"I'm fine." Roman just shrugged, looking unbothered. "I got stuff I want to get done. My ass hurts from sitting so long in the car. Besides… who else is gunna watch your dog?"

"Well... " Seth wiggled his nose. "We'll miss you."

"I'll miss both of you." Roman smiled up to his eyes, coming out from behind the door to rest his head on the top of Seth's, holding him from behind. "Dean-o forgot to clean out the coop though, so I gotta rake up chicken shit."

"Only 'cause it was raining for the past three days." Dean snorted. "Leave it. I'll do it when I get back."

Roman just pointed at him, in a sort of  _ now you can't take it back _ way.

Seth used the bathroom and filled up his water bottle from Roman's fridge while Dean finished packing, watching Roman go about putting away some five grocery bags of leftovers from the car. He grumbled, pulling out rubbermaid containers from his drawers, writing dates on the little packages with some ritzy sticky paper specifically for foodstuffs. 

"Do you need any food containers?" Roman laughed, stacking empties on his cupboard to make room. "I swear, every year this happens. They're quality rubbermaids-" He patted the stack, "But my mom hands these out like pamphlets."

"I'll take some, sure." Seth smirked. "Some of mine have cracks and stuff."

"Did you... have an okay time here?" Roman asked carefully. "I felt really wrong- I actually…" Roman blinked, suddenly shy. "I told my fam, I had this  _ other _ friend that I wanted to bring, but then you couldn't come because of work and stuff. If it happens again… like, for Christmas or Easter or something, I'd invite you in a heartbeat." Roman stacked the containers like nesting dolls, shrugging. "It's impossible to be lonely there. Though, I suppose if you're not about a lot of talking and kids running around, maybe it's not your scene."

"I'd- I'd come." Seth nodded. "I wasn't… insulted or anything about you guys going. Mostly I just didn't want to be all alone." 

"Right." Roman nodded. "Well…"

"Cesaro told me you guys were being real..." Seth looked at the ground embarrassed to be bringing it up. "Being really good friends."

"Yeah?" Roman purred. "Damn snitch."

"As though it wasn't already obvious."

Seth checked in on Dean, was was nearly finished switching out clean clothes. They were only traveling for two nights so it wasn't arduous to complete. However, the room was rather unkempt and Dean was trying his best to straighten it up before he left.

"I can throw this stuff in my car if you want," Seth offered, squatting down to grab Dean's backpack and a small canvas bag.

"Yeah, yeah- I'm just about-" Dean's eyes widened and his voice pitched strangely. "Not that one. No."

"What?" 

Dean grabbed the canvas bag and, without explanation, tossed it under his bed, hiding it from sight. Seth stared.

"Just that one."

"Same as last time, right?" Roman emerged again, holding Kevin in the crook of his massive tattooed arm. "Food in the morning and the evening?"

"Y-yeah," Seth mumbled, putting the strange moment out of his mind and patting Kevin's head lovingly. "I put more potty pads in that box too, so if you need them…"

The Cadillac already had a full tank of gas and sat idling on the street while Dean went to the bathroom one last time. Roman buried his head into Seth's neck and pecked it softly.

"I got Dean to reserve a motel for you both," he sighed. "It's right on the coast, should be nice and convenient for whatever you end up doing."

"Oh, sweet." Seth chuckled. "Thanks man."

"Yeah, I've already talked to him a little bit," Roman confided, his hands massaging Seth's sides unconsciously. "He's not going to do anything too crazy, but make sure you let him know what you're feeling if you're not having fun. You know how he is."

"Y-yeah," Seth sighed, wondering exactly what Roman was predicting.

"Feel free to call too. Or send me pictures."

"We will."

"All empty," Dean muttered, clapping Roman on the back and tilting his head for a kiss on the cheek. 

While they waved Roman goodbye, Dean reached over Seth's arm to lay on the horn as they drove off, cruising down the street as the soft voice of the GPS chirped instructions for getting on the highway. 

**_Merge onto I-4 West_ **

"So we got a motel?" 

"Yeah, we can plug in the address when we get closer," Dean mumbled, immediately sinking low in his seat and tapping his hand on his knee. "Biscayne Inn."

"Cool." Seth nodded. "Did Rome seem... worried or something? About us going?"

"Not more than he normally is about everything." Dean scratched his cheek, shrugging slightly. "Why?"

"Just… I dunno." Seth shook his head. "Do you ever get a little worn out on him like, checking on you and stuff?"

"Hmm? Sometimes, yeah." Dean sighed. The GPS redirected for a moment and their cursor icon rotated in place before relocating itself again. "Nothing I can't handle though. Probably good for me in the long run and shit. He's always finding my keys before I do, though I think if anyone _ but _ him was trying to give me tips all the time? I'd probably flip out at 'em."

"Yeah, well." Seth nodded. "Just wanted to make sure you were cool and all- wasn't trying to like-"

"It's cool."

They talked more in depth about their weekends as they headed South, getting onto the turnpike and jetting over to the leftmost lane. Seth fiddled with the radio, trying to find a station that wasn't a evangelist broadcast or fast paced cuban music, but eventually he just put his phone on, quietly playing through one of his more mellow spotify playlists. Signs for Fort Lauderdale and Miami dotted the side of the road, as well as special attractions.

"There was only  _ one _ fight," Dean laughed, rubbing his nose and sucking on an energy drink he'd pulled from Roman's fridge. "Jus' Roman's sister and her mom, so it was chill for us. Normally his mom or dad will get a lil' tipsy and make some dicey comment to Uce and I gotta sit there like a dumbass while he figures it out. But nah-" he laughed. "Some BS happened when they were at the mall and then they just came home all pissed off and didn't fuck with us."

"Did you get to spend time with his cousins or whatever?" Seth asked, trying to recall what Dean had mentioned before he'd left. "Didn't you say you really liked them or something?"

"Jimmy and Jey? Yeah." Dean grinned. "I had them on our football team in the backyard. They got even more filthy than me."

"Sweet."

"Yeah, you might like those dudes. I think Roman's brother and his dad are kinda jackasses, but everybody else is really chill." 

Seth explained some of his time with Cesaro and skyping with his family, being relatively quick because he was sure it wasn't terribly interesting. Regardless, Dean listened, politely amused.

"What's Magic cards?" Dean asked when Seth talked about his brother's weekend plans. Seth's mouth twitched, his information rather limited.

"It's like a trading card game, you know, like Pokemon?" 

"I thought that was a video game."

"It's cards too."

"Oh."

They eased into a comfortable silence after awhile. Seth turned the radio up just slightly so the drone of the air conditioner wasn't as pronounced. There was a few times when Dean nodded off, his seat reclined as far as possible with his head lulling, puppet-like, to the side. Seth grinned, sneaking glances whenever it was safe. He had a hard time not appreciating how open and honest Dean was, in his words but also in his features. Straw colored, overgrown hair hung around his face and his lazy eyes drooped under lax brows. Occasionally, he'd snort a little snore, breathing deep and turning to wake enough to look out the window or smack his tongue, sitting up straighter. Seth couldn't help but feel his chest tighten possessively. 

Around the Boca Raton exit, he began feeling his bladder pressing uncomfortably on his seatbelt, so he turned off the highway, heading to a gas station. Dean shuddered awake, blinking.

"Gas?"

"I gotta piss."

Seth parked outside of a Shell station and walked inside, unaware Dean had slipped out behind him, following his trail into the store. After Seth made use of the bathroom, he emerged to find his traveling partner stocking up on snacks and donning a straw cowboy hat and wrap around sunglasses from a cheap turnaround display. 

"You a country boy now?" Seth snorted, watching him examine the beef jerky. Dean just grunted, grabbing a jalapeno flavored bag and making his way to the counter. 

"I didn't realize we were already near Boca. Gotta get ready for the party." Dean whistled, swiping his beat up, old debit card through the keypad. "There's a black one over there."

"No way in hell." Seth laughed, grabbing a stick of gum for himself. 

"Suit yourself."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short, but eh, why not? Finished it early, wanted to get it out. 
> 
> Next comes the Miami chapters! Put your ambrollins hats on!


	59. Vacation [Part: 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Seth begin their Miami festivities [Part 1 of 2]

Driving down the highway, Seth immediately felt as though he'd entered a distinctly different city. Miami wasn't anything like Gainesville or Orlando, throwing off all of the ties that linked it to be 'southern' in a cultural sense. Everything in sight seemed bright and lush, painted in pastels and framed by some tropical plant life. Seth couldn't help getting distracted while driving, trying to take it all in.

"Rome got us a place on the strip," Dean mumbled, "But not Miami _Beach_ where all the shit is."

"Is it far you think?" Seth asked, listening to the GPS chitter directions as they got off the highway.

As soon as they saw pedestrians through the car windows, Seth felt his internal body temperature ratchet up a few degrees. Men, the most gorgeous men possible, in vehicles and on motorcycles, walking through the crosswalks in packs. Surely it had something to do with White Party, right? Miami couldn't possibly keep this many attractive people year round.

"Right here, right here-" Dean pointed to a sign for a small inn on the right. Seth changed lanes quickly, ducking into a tiny parking lot.

It was an old establishment, looking quite out of place surrounded by large concrete buildings with huge glass windows. They received keys from an older hispanic woman that surveyed their ID's skeptically, watching daytime television in front of a huge oscillating fan.

The room itself was what Seth thought a seventies porn might look like. That was, if he'd ever watched one.

"Ugh." Dean plopped down onto the single double bed, relaxing on his back.

"Lotta driving for you today." Seth yawned, checking his watch. "Did you wanna do anythin' right away?"

"Mmm, not really."

Seth knew he was a little sweaty from the car, but once he rolled on some deodorant, he playfully jumped over Dean, sitting on his stomach.

"What did you wanna do?"

"Like now? Or-"

"Like, whenever." Seth snorted, sinking down and planting a kiss on Dean's lips. Dean reciprocated, but Seth could tell he was distracted, exhausted.

"There's a _nude_ beach a little ways away," Dean purred. "Those can be kinda fun."

"Mmm…"

"Or we could just-" Dean rubbed Seth's denim clad thighs, humming. "Take viagra and never leave this room. How did you get that shit anyway?"

Seth hesitantly laid down next to Dean, facing him on his side and picking at the comforter while telling the story of his horrible Grindr escapade. Dean listened, eyes widening as he detailed the methamphetamine and the man who'd come into the room looking for trouble.

Dean looked anxious, but amused, watching in disbelief as Seth finished the story, recalling putting the Viagra on the top shelf of his closet and forgetting about it for months.

"But yeah." Seth laughed weakly. "I uh, haven't really wanted to do any online dating stuff like that since."

"Jesus," Dean laughed. "You coulda' texted me or Rome'. I mean, you can handle yourself and you got Viagra… good on you, but _fuck_ that sounds stressful."

"I didn't know you guys that well yet!" Seth laughed. "I dunno."

Dean snorted. "Well, I'll mean mug anyone that would give you trouble in the future, alrigh'? Can't have you… messin’ up your pretty face."

It was nice to just lay, partially embracing, breathing deep the smell of the each other and the hotel sheets. Seth's legs twitched slightly and Dean pulled him up to his chest, toying with the loose strands of hair coming out of his bun. A little nap seemed like a good idea before they did any serious socializing outside.

"I missed this," Seth muttered, rubbing Dean's wide palm with his own, pinching the middle of his hand playfully. "...Getting to lay down with you when you were at my place."

"Mmm," Dean sighed. "Cuddlin's nice once in awhile."

Dean snoozed lightly, but Seth was too mindful to close his eyes for more than a few minutes. Instead, he just enjoyed his lover's presence, content to listen to him grunt and grumble. Dean would fall asleep and pull away to get more comfortable, only to wake after a few moments and realize he'd let go of Seth, quickly pulling him back in to snuggle. It was simple, and pretty silly honestly, but Seth couldn't help grinning into the sheets, softly holding Dean’s hand and bringing it close to his face.

After about an hour of quiet rest, Dean mumbled and rolled off the bed, scratching his head and making his way to the bathroom to piss. Seth blinked, sitting up.

"'M hungry as fuck," Dean muttered from the bathroom. "What about you?"

They changed into some clean tank tops and shorts and Seth pulled his hair up into a neat high bun, wanting to look as impressive as possible around so many other handsome men. Even Dean spent a moment poking at his hair and rubbing his chin, inspecting his stubble. Seth hadn't packed a beach towel, but he grabbed a larger white one from the bathroom, unsure about how much real swimming he'd be doing anyway.

"Last year they had food trucks and shit out by the shore." Dean adjusted his sunglasses. "I can drive if you want."

Dean seemed to like playing tour guide and Seth was more than happy to oblige him, sitting in the passenger's seat as they wove through traffic, passing by long rows of condos until the road opened up onto the ocean. Seth rolled down the windows, staring at the boats and the little piers. Banners on the street lamps proudly celebrated the weekend's festivities and gay pride flags were in many business windows, inviting the visitors to come and support their stores.

"This neighborhood up here," Dean pointed, "it's like, where rappers and movie stars live and shit. Cops are everywhere and they'll ticket you super quick."

"Oh whoa." Seth looked around to Dean's side of the car, eyes widening at the expansive multi-million dollar homes. "Fancy."

After a half hour or so, they came to a large, half-full parking lot that was open to beach goers. True to Dean's word, taco and pizza trucks lined the road across from the beach and they jogged ahead eagerly, sun beating fast on their backs while they ordered food.

"S'tho they have these guard stands," Dean muttered through his food as they walked, "uard towers, in 'thbetween 'thnumbers forty 'n forty-one, it's clothing optional."

"I've never been to a nude beach before," Seth said, excited and staring in awe as they walked up a short sandy hill and onto the open strip.

"It's a little, I dunno…" Dean shrugged. "See, I'd say it's kinda _predatory_ , right? Dudes go there and take their clothes off and unless you're some old as dirt retiree," Dean nodded at an old, overweight man, browned by the sun and snoozing "you're _not_ just here to tan."

"Dudes bother you a lot?" Seth asked, still taking in the view, distracted.

"Nah, well." Dean laughed. " _I'm_ the botherer."

It took a little while to walk to the specific point Dean was talking about, but even from a distance, the fencing and signage around the area seemed pretty obvious.

"You're down to do this, right?" Dean asked, tossing the wrapper from his tacos in the trash. Seth blinked, but smiled, nodding.

"I'm a big boy, I'll be fine." Seth smirked, he'd been working out far too much _not_ to be an exhibitionist about it.

There was just a moment's notice of where he was about to be when he walked through the opening to the nude area and Seth realized the difference in attention and courtesy. He swallowed, shooting Dean a humorous look as he saw his first public set of balls on a wrinkled old man walking confidently through the sand. Any gaze given for longer than a millisecond seemed to be followed, checking to see if the watcher was attractive or desirable.

Walking down the beach to an open bit of space, Seth kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, where his gaze wouldn't get him in trouble.

"There's a gay nude beach too," Dean mumbled, looking back and forth between the guard stands far down the stretch of sand. He began pulling his shirt over his head. "Probably really busy n' crazy right now though."

"Wouldn' doubt it." Seth watched hypnotically as Dean slid out of his shorts and underwear, standing in front of him fully naked. "Gonna swim?"

"Didn't come this far _not_ to take a lil' dip." Dean waved his shirt around, throwing it down where his pants were heaped.

Carefully, Seth took off his own shirt, folding it neatly and wiggling out of his pants. Dean had already started walking down to the water and Seth took a deep breath, standing upright. Looking around, nobody was _really_ watching him, though his ass was right out for god and the whole beach to see.

Adrenaline and excitement filling his chest, he sprinted down to meet Dean, cursing slightly at the hot sand under his toes. The ground was fairly clean and well maintained, with only a few plastic bags and bits of garbage sticking out of the sand. Dean turned, knee deep in water as Seth charged behind him, laughing and tackling him into the surf.

"AHH!"

They were the only ones running around and laughing, splashing each other and yelping as they wrestled in the shallows. Seth fell to his knees and Dean picked him up and whirled him around.

"Think you're sneaky?"

Seth squawked as Dean tossed him and he choked hard on saltwater, sitting up and whipping his hair out of his eyes.

"Ya caught me." He spat, grimacing at the salty taste in his mouth. "Hell… I haven't been in the ocean in a long time."

"Isn't saltwater supposed to be good for you?"

"I dunno." Seth flicked some moisture at him. "Better than pool water."

"Nnh, it's hot though." Dean sat down just as a small wave came past them, swamping his head. "I brought sunscreen this time so we don't get nuked."

It was hard to stop grinning as they made their way back up the beach to their towels. Seth let his hair down and accepted his towel back as Dean quickly dried off and laid his own towel in the sand to sit on. After checking to make sure no one had made off with their wallets, the boys sat together, rubbing each other down with lotion and resting in the heat. Dean groaned into the towel as Seth's hands worked his lower back, tracing his tan line playfully.

"We're gunna get kicked out if you rub my ass," Dean mumbled, tensing up slightly as Seth spanked him playfully.

"Sorry." Seth snorted. "I think the lady to our right is starin' at us."

They turned around slightly, trying not to be too obvious as they caught the view of an older woman, glaring in their direction from the shade of an umbrella.

"Here." Dean rolled. "You lay down- I'll do you..."

The woman ended up moving, storming off to the complete other side of the beach after Dean shifted them both over, straddling Seth from behind and sexualizing the sunscreen application to barbarism. It was hard to keep from laughing, licking his lips and staring back at the woman as Dean leaned into him, working his hands in a massage.

"Fuck, just like that," Seth cried dramatically, just as the woman passed them, kicking up sand and tutting. As soon as she was gone, they started snickering, unable to contain themselves.

They stayed at the beach as long as it took them to get hungry and a little dehydrated, laying out in the sun baking and turning over as necessary. This was the sort of thing Seth had expected more of when he'd moved to Florida- hot sun in November and pleasant, mindless beach hours. It was too comfy and warm not to take a little nap and Seth snoozed with his head resting in his arms until Dean roused him.

"You wanna flip over, your ass is turning pink."

Eventually, they put their clothes back on and wandered back to the car, rinsing their feet with a foot wash in the parking lot and shaking out their towels before getting in the car. Both of them were so hungry they could barely speak. Wordlessly, Dean pulled into a casual looking diner, tossing Seth back his keys.

They each ate a proper sized dinner, drinking lots of water to recover from the beach, as well as prepare themselves properly for a busy night. Seth texted Roman, letting him know that they'd made it to the city and were enjoying themselves.

"So, you know where the party's at for tonight?" Seth asked over his burger, wiping his fingers on a napkin.

"Kinda. We'll cab over." Dean proposed. "There's the real party- the party you need to get passes for and stuff, but almost every bar in the area is gunna have their own events for cheap asses like us that don't wanna dance and shit. See-" Dean grabbed the ketchup from the side of the table, dunking it on his fries. "Miami's like, a big city for DJ's and shit, so gay dudes just _flock_ down here. I dunno about you, but unless I'm blackout drunk or bumping ecstasy, I don't really need to dance."

"Well, it's not a big priority for me either," Seth said. "Never was much good at that stuff."

"I figure we'll just go to some bars, get tanked and go back." Dean shrugged. "I figure that's within what you wanna do, yeah?"

"Yeah…" Seth shrugged. "I'm open to stuff… I just… Well, I already told you about the whole meth thing." He licked his lips. "Drug shit just makes me uncomfortable, I'm sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize," Dean said, laughing. "Seriously."

"Well, I figure you know what you're doing, I didn't want to make it sound like..." Seth huffed, rolling his eyes slightly. "It just wigs me out. I don't know why."

"Cause it can be awful, dangerous shit." Dean chuckled. "It's no sweat though. I really don't need to be messing around with that stuff, I just like, put it in the context of where I'm at, yeah? Like..." Dean put his hands on the table, miming the shape of a small box with his hands. "I would never fuck around with shit in Orlando, right? It's where I'm at, it's my work and my home and shit. But if I come here," he moved his hands, "this is like neutral territory. I'm not gunna wanna use when I go back cause it's where I'm straight about my life, yeah?"

"I mean, I guess that makes sense." Seth snickered. "I'm not an addict or nothin'."

"Everyone's addicted to something." Dean winked. "I'sall about some measure of self discipline."

"Oh yeah? What am I addicted to?" Seth asked, leaning over the table with a smirk. Dean raised an eyebrow.

"I 'unno." Dean shrugged, blushing a little. "Workin' out?" He leaned in closer, imitating Seth's playful nature. "Dick up your ass?"

Seth kicked him under the table. Dean just laughed.

It was around 8:30 when they finally made their way back to the motel, ready to rinse the beach off of their skin and hit the bars. Both men had a tall cup of coffee before leaving, giving them a little boost as they prepared.

"It's kinda gunna be around where the beach was," Dean yelled through the shower as Seth pulled his phone off the charger, checking Google Maps to figure out where they were going. "There's just a bunch of bars. See which ones looks fun."

They each stowed their Viagra pills in their wallets, agreeing that they should take them together.

Taking a Lyft ride over to the part of town where the festivities were happening, Seth was feeling a lot more excited than he thought he would be. Traffic was abysmal with the amount of folks all trying to get into the same area they were headed too. Swarms of young guys, all tanned and toned to near perfection were out, in various levels of dress. Seth looked out the window like he was watching a movie, feeling adventurous and excited.

"Should be a pretty good one," Dean mumbled, slinging his arm around Seth's shoulder playfully. "Thanks for comin' man."

"Thanks for bringing me along." Seth smiled, turning his head and nuzzling Dean's cheek.

* * *

 The strip of bars were about as wild a place as Seth had ever gone to before, and it was a little overwhelming to be thrown into without a drink in his system. The first establishment, called something like _Raw Lounge_ , was already a mess at just a little past nine. Dean and Seth both gave each other looks of desperation and frustration, leaving before they even managed a drink.

"See, assholes need to know when to go home." Dean sighed, watching a pair of huge muscled guys yelling and swaying, looking like they wanted to exchange fists, but completely unable to cover the ground necessary to fight. "Those dudes were probably going since like two or something."

"Yeah, I don't need that." Seth agreed, matching Dean's pace as they walked down the street, trying to find a bar that was a little more low key.

Dean chuckled. "I can do that shit, just not sober."

The end of the road actually had some kind of strip club called _Encounters_ , which boasted a highly reviewed midnight show. Seth thought Dean was joking when he nodded his head to the door, but he shrugged.

"They got security to the nines, why not?" Dean grinned. "You might see something you like!"

Seth had only been in a strip club once and it was under very different circumstances. Lost on the side of the road in some Podunk Iowa town at nineteen, he'd stopped for directions at a gentleman's club. Marek had been in the passenger's seat and didn't want to go in, so Seth swallowed his pride and walked through the front door, barely seeing much of anything before he'd gotten written instructions from a server on how to make it back to the highway.

A little sheepish, but curious, he followed Dean inside, showing his ID to the bouncer and bracing his ears for a hard thumping beat.

"I tried this once," Dean laughed, flinging himself down at the bar and looking behind his shoulder to a strip stage where a beautifully cut, younger man was collecting his bills. "More as a joke than anything. Like I said, I'm a crap dancer."

"I'm just-" Seth laughed, allowing Dean to put a beer in his hand. "I'm just imagining you in a thong and cowboy boots-"

"That's not far off from what it was!" Dean guffawed, swinging his seat around. "Fuckin'... my friend let me borrow these skin tight, snakeskin lookin' pants- it was so weird." They cackled with laughter. "Fuck, man, don't even be a _little_ gay in Kentucky. You get into some weird ass shit."

They watched for a little while, sipping drinks and mumbling about the dancers and men closest to the stage. The music was loud and obnoxious and other patrons kept bumping up against them to order drinks, but Seth was enjoying himself well enough, just being witness to what was going on.

"You like either of those dudes?" Seth mumbled, watching the two men, Chad and Jason, stunting around on two raised platforms on opposite sides of the main stage, each dressed in NBA jerseys tucked into disco shorts.

"I guess." Dean snickered. "I always joked that I only liked straight lookin' guys."

"Am I straight lookin'?"

"You get a pass."

Feeling bolder, they came to the main stage area for the next show, holding tight to their drinks and drumming their hands on the platform. Seth watched, his vision glimmering slightly as he looked to the open raw ceiling that the pole stretched up to, shining in the light.

"You guys ready for some _Perfect Ten_?" The DJ announced from the booth. Patrons cheered and screamed, coming closer to the stage. Dean bumped Seth's hip with his side.

"Get your money ready."

"I haven' got any." Seth grimaced. "Is that ok? I'm still allowed up here, right?"

"Well, if he's really great I guess you can throw 'em your credit card."

"Cheer for him boys!" The DJ yelled, pausing the music. "Our Perfect Ten!"

The audience started calling as the music pitched up again and a spotlight hit the stage. Seth's eyes widened as a man stepped from behind the curtain, his hair shaved in stripes across the sides of his head. His body nearly perfect as he paraded himself across the stage. Some people had already thrown a couple sweaty dollars on the stage, screaming _Tye! Tye!_

Seth and Dean watched, grinning like idiots as a poppy dance beat thundered loudly over the speakers and Tye began to dance, shaking himself devilishly and gyrating his hips back and forth until he reached the pole. He spun around, his leg nearly taking out the first row. This close, Seth could smell him, knees knocking as his ass came into clear view.

"He's hot, ain' he?" Dean teased.

"Aww, shuddup."

"Watch this!" The DJ called from the booth. "Tye, we need to turn it up a notch!"

Tye looked around theatrically, then pointed to the ceiling, everyone cheered and stared as the man circled the pole before climbing it carefully, stripping down to just a jockstrap and spinning as he went.

"This is insane," Seth said incredulously as Tye continued to climb all the way to the ceiling. He was unable to look away, a little sick at the thought of the man so far up without any sort of protection. He nearly missed his mouth with his drink.

Dean snorted. "He's a professional."

"Watch this! Watch this right here!" The DJ screamed. Tye was belly up to the ceiling, legs out as the beat began to thump ominously.

"One!"

Tye slid down fast a couple feet and people screamed. Seth's heart raced.

"Two!"

He continued to slide with the count, a few feet with each slide. The closer he got, Seth could tell his arms and chest were shaking with the effort, sweat slid down his pecs as he concentrated on keeping himself aloft. Stripping, pole dancing, _whatever_ Tye was technically doing, looked excruciating.

"Nine! Ten!"

Tye fell to the stage, his legs wrapped behind him as he was instantly covered in hundreds of dollar bills, raining from the crowd in a torrent. Seth laughed and Dean whistled, leaning onto the stage to pat the man's thigh as he slowly rose up, giggling madly and fisting the bills while blowing kisses to the crowd.

"C'mere baby," Dean purred, waving a handful of twenties and fifties in his hand. Tye's attention shifted and Seth laughed as Dean seemed to have captured his notice, the endless dollars still floating in the air like snow.

"Dean-" Seth laughed. "What?"

"Can you dance for my friend?"

Seth blushed, nearly spilling his drink as Dean licked the bill and stuck it to Tye's chest. Tye just laughed, looking bashfully to Seth, who wasn't sure he could handle what was about to happen.

"You wanna dance sweetheart?"

"Oh- uh-" Seth stuttered.

Dean was already sliding a chair beneath his ass and a crowd was forming, watching excitedly as Tye pinned him down, resting his hands on his shoulders and beginning to phantom-fuck his thigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued in Part 2


	60. Vacation [Part: 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night wears on [Part 2 of 2]

"I can't believe-" Seth laughed, swaying slightly in the street as Dean pulled him along. "You-"

"What? Money well spent if you ask me!"

Seth stopped, laughing to himself and smoothing his hair back. They were both feeling pretty loose, walking through a sea of people, trying not to get lost from each other as the crowd pushed itself around. Dean patted his behind, keeping him close as they made their way down the road, trying to catch their breath.

"I hope that wasn't too expensive."

"Dun worry about it."

Seth still felt a little uneasy, sure that he owed Dean something. He made it up by trying to buy him drinks at the next two bars, making sure that Dean never had the opportunity to pull his wallet out. They ambled around without much worry, always finding themselves swarmed with other gay men, occasionally receiving an offhanded compliment or a strange stare, but nothing they couldn't handle.

"Man, I could use a cigarette." Dean sniffed, looking around and watching the crowd of men outside, smoking. Rather than asking to bum one, they decided to walk up the street to a little gas station, waiting in line with other tipsy guys looking for smokes.

"We could walk closer to the action if you wannit."

"I dun care." Seth smoothed his hair back, blinking hard and breathing in the fresh air. It was getting close to midnight but he still felt strangely awake and alert. He'd texted Roman pictures of the strip club and bar, but it was getting a little late to keep letting him in on their adventures.

"Here-" Seth butted up against Dean, holding out his phone to take a photo. "Let's say goodnight to Uce."

It was hard to focus the camera and their faces at the same time, but Seth managed something.

**Were fucked! Hope u have a goodniigt!**

**Be safe! Have a good time!**

"You don't think he's sad he ain' here do you?" Seth asked, slightly high pitched as Dean took a long drag off his cigarette, practically moaning.

"Nah, why?"

"I dunno."

"Quit your worryin'."

"'M not."

They wandered into a smaller dive bar that was off the main street, enjoying a quiet respite from all the noise and light, taking a quick walk through the alleyway. A few folks were puking and staggering around, but Seth just ambled under Dean's arm, chuckling.

_The Crossroads Lounge_ was the quietest place yet, but it still was a raucous center of activity. It was darker in the main area, with an open patio and pool tables taking up the majority of a raised secondary section. The bar was full, but Dean and Seth muscled their way in to grab a drink, pushing past a group of men loitering around the front.

"Wanna play pool?"

"I can try. I'm crap."

"I'll carry us." Dean smirked, taking a long draft off his beer. "We're gunna have tuh' share or team up against someone prolly."

The space was hugely crowded and privately, Seth wished they could just sit down outside and relax for a moment. He pushed through the short stairs to the recreation area, following in Dean's wake until they could assess their ability to play. Most of the tables were taken with several men to a station. The one closest to the front was the only one not in play.

"Sick, here we go. Oh-" Dean paused as he saw a man pop up from the side, placing balls on the table. "Were you about to-"

"Oh, hey man." The guy looked to his friends, sitting at a raised table to the side. "Did you wanna? We could put a team together."

Seth was quiet, letting Dean do most of the introductions. The man who was setting up the table was dressed in an open studded leather jacket and shiny leggings. Which seemed slightly contradictory to his character.

"I'm Brian, and I'm _not_ gay," he introduced himself. Dean and Seth just laughed.

"Oh, uh, ok, yeah." Dean sniggered. "I'm Dean, and I'm a huge fag."

"It's all good," Brian said, his voice sounding slow and a little stupid. "I just didn't want to give you guys the wrong idea or nothin'."

"You picked a hell of a time to come here and _not_ be gay," Seth teased, grabbing a stick from Dean.

"Free drinks are my sexuality." Brian pointed to his friends. "That's Tony, and Drew-"

A very bulky bearded man and a slightly smaller brunette waved, bored over their drinks, while the third, the tannest man in the group, didn’t respond at all. Seth noticed that all the men were rather short, and and they looked a little on edge, as though they didn't really belong.

"Is Ariya even awake?" Brian asked, nodding at the unresponsive one, who was slumped on the table.

"He's Xanny'd the fuck out," Tony, the bearded man, said.

"Oh."

"'M not playing," Ariya grumbled into the table. Dean snickered.

It was a hard shift, going from a gay strip club to a quieter conversation with four out-of-place straight men, but Dean seemed to be enjoying himself some. They traded off turns, working in threes so Brian's friends could take a go at a shot. Both Dean and Brian seemed similarly eccentric, taking a long time to set up their shots, demanding the attention of everyone around, only to fall short of their own expectations.

Seth went to get another drink, and came back to find that _somehow_ the topic of Bigfoot had come up. Brian and Dean had instantly bonded, putting the whole game on hold to gush back and forth over their ideas about the creature.

"See, but those guys who shot that first tape-" Brian pointed, excited. "They were just dumb yahoo's that didn't know what they were doing! Damn near ruined it for everyone because they were just such idiots!"

"Well, yeah, right?" Dean hollered back. "Yetis man, the yeti shit is where it's at. You can't tell me that it's _impossible_ for them to live up there in those mountains, not with all the local accounts..."

Seth had no input. He leaned next to Dean, sipping his beer and wondering vaguely how long this could go on.

"You know about the reptilians?" Brian asked, his voice growing softer, more serious. He looked around carefully, not sure if he wanted to be overheard. " _The thirteen royal families?_ "

"I'm gunna-" Seth looked around, seeing if he could give himself a bathroom break. Tony rolled his head back to the direction of the bar.

"That way."

"Thanks man."

Taking a break wasn't a bad idea. Seth felt like he was maybe a little more drunk than he would have liked, especially since he still wanted to pop the Viagra and make his way back to the motel before he completely passed out. He sat on the toilet for a moment, scanning through his phone, until he realized that there was a line for the stalls and he was being an ass. Washing up quickly, he peered back into the billiards space, but Dean and Brian had abandoned the game all together, sitting at the small table and talking animatedly about ghosts and UFOs.

It would have been cute if Seth had anything to say. Mostly he just wanted to zone out a little bit and sober up, maybe in some place quieter. He backtracked, making his way to the bar to get some water, not really thinking about where he sat. He blinked hard, matting his hair back a little neater. He felt strange, like he had someone watching him over his shoulder.

After a few moments of perusing his phone while waiting for the bartender, he heard directed voices to his right. He looked up, confused, sure that it had been meant for someone else until he met the gaze of the guy sitting next to him.

“Huh?”

“A bear or an otter?” the man repeated. Seth squinted, looking over the stranger’s features carefully. He was more flamboyantly dressed than any of the other men in the bar, iridescent shimmering rings and manicured nails adorning his fingertips. His hair was long for a man, but shorter than Seth’s.

“If you tell me you’re a bear,” the man began, leaning in and smiling confidently, “Then you think that you’re bigger than you are, maybe trying to play a part even though you _know_ you’re small. But if you say you’re an _otter_ ...” He turned his two fingers upwards, letting his jewelry catch the light. “If you say you’re an otter, you _know_ you’re selling yourself short.”

“What’s it to you?” Seth mumbled, drumming his hands on the bar, hoping the staff would get to him sooner. Seth wasn’t particularly interested in him, but it was hard to ignore the way his deep button down parted. The man grinned, pulling in.

“I’m not bothered.” The man rolled his shoulders. “I have a show in an hour or so, wouldn’t want to hold you up for _too_ long.”

“Well, you’re not my type,” Seth sniffed, nodding to the bartender as he came by, trying to avoid the gaze of the strange man. Unfortunately, he was ignored. Seth was mildly aware of all the little subcultures that existed as a part of being gay, but he didn't really subscribe to any of them.

“And he is?” the man continued, gesturing to the table by the stairs that Dean had joined. “Not to be rude, but the moment you lost his interest, I just thought I could amuse you is all.” He leaned in just a little closer. It was more annoying than predatory, really. “I’m Dalton Castle.”

“Ty-Tyler,” Seth lied lazily. If he was sober, he would probably be storming off and upset by now, but Dalton was smaller than he was, not terribly threatening.

“ _That’s_ a lie,” Dalton laughed. He tugged at the arm of the man seated next to him, pulling him over. “I’ve always been one to stir the pot, though. Is one of these your type? They’re _my_ boyfriends, but I’d be happy to _lend_ them to you.”

Two shorter, slightly tanned men grinned back at him in a sort of uncomplicated, alluring way. Seth blushed hard, looking between them.

“You have... two?” Seth snorted, his train of thought switching tracks just as the bartender returned, looking harried.

“Get us some long islands,” Dalton ordered before answering the question. “ _Three_ boys actually. One couldn’t make the party.”

Dalton’s lovers didn’t really have much to say, but Dalton sure did. Seth kept a third eye on Dean on the second floor, but his attention was largely focused on this eccentric man with light makeup and a single peacock feather earring hanging from his lobe. Long island iced teas were placed in their hands and Seth listened, slightly confused, as Dalton explained his worries and woes regarding a thrown together drag show happening at a bar down the block.

“Now I can already tell, you’re not fag enough to watch it.” Dalton rolled his eyes, pressing a small printed advertisement across the counter. “But it’s good to put in your pocket, right?”

“You have three other boyfriends though,” Seth mumbled, sipping from his drink. “How does that work?”

“I’m _not_ talking about bedroom things... _unless_ we go to the bathroom,” Dalton said, rolling his eyes. “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”

“Done what?” Seth mumbled. “White party?”

“The whole goddamn world’s so PC lately.” Dalton sighed. “But then I’m a freak wherever I go…”

“Look man, if you don’t wanna tell me-”

“Let me see your hand.”

Sweaty and wet from the glass, Seth paused before wiping his hand on his pants, extending it to Dalton to inspect. He looked bored for a moment, leaning on the bar and craning his neck to drink from his straw as he stared into Seth’s palm, thinking, then stroking and squeezing.

“What are you doing?”

“Figuring you out.” Dalton bent Seth’s wrist and his thumb back, then gestured to his lover. “Give me the glass.”

He pulled a small magnifying glass out from his boyfriend’s hand and grabbed Seth’s wrist back as soon as he was about to remove it from his clutches. Seth looked over to Dean again, privately hoping he might come over and save him from such a strange interaction.

“Oh, _well_ now.” Dalton opened his mouth, looking suddenly more sympathetic. “That _would_ make sense.”

“What the fuck are you-” Seth blinked. “Are you reading my palm?”

“Well, would you like to know what it says?” Dalton asked teasingly. “I’m sorry, I’m theatrical by nature, but I’ve learned the hard way not to tell complete strangers too much about my own life.” He prodded the tips of Seth’s fingers, studying carefully. “But now I _know_ you. You’re just terrible at first impressions is all.”

“No I’m not!” Seth muttered, blushing again. “Can you let me go?”

“You’re missing a lover as well,” Dalton said slyly. “Isn’t that right?”

Seth pursed his lips, staring. _Who was this man?_ Everyone in the bar was talking loudly and music was blaring over the crowd, but a moment of stillness was encompassing them in a way that felt very strange and uncomfortable. The last thing Seth had expected coming in was a intimate analysis of his life.

“You should get your cards read really, they’re probably more accurate,” Dalton mumbled, staring into his hand. “But you’re a late bloomer and a slow starter, aren’t you? You’ve come a long way and you’ve much to learn. Probably from somewhere... in the midwest?” Dalton blinked, switching his gaze to Seth’s face. “But then, that’s mostly your accent.”

“L-look-” Seth mumbled. “If you’re some kind of _wizard_ and you can see all this shit, that’s great. But mostly I just wanted to know about having-”

“Multiple partners?” Dalton answered. “A Polyamorous romance?”

“Polyamorous?”

“ _Responsible_ non-monogamy,” Dalton chirped. “Oh honey, you have so much to know...”

“What do you mean?” Seth urged. “Just be normal for a sec here! Tell me what the hell you’re talking about!”

“Well, it’s all here, right?” Dalton sniffed, peering at Seth’s hand again. “Boy meets boy, boy grows up and grows out of boy-” He traced a line across Seth’s palm. “Dishonesty and boredom...shame and distrust of oneself and one's emotions-”

Seth felt the last words like a bucket of water hitting him in the face. He blinked hard, feeling slightly faint as Dalton shrugged, waving his other hand.

“Now, now, _that_ was harsh,” he tried. “But here- here’s where it’s good. It’s _so_ good!” Dalton said louder. “Oh and you’re so much happier and kinder and actualized! You find yourself mixed up in something free and beautiful!”

“In love?” Seth spluttered suddenly. “Like in a relationship? You can’t tell all that from my hand!”

“Educated guesses.” Dalton smiled deviously. “I’m biased of course, I haven’t been monogamous for years. Can’t imagine doing it again.”

“B-but-” Seth was actually shaking a little, his heart beating fast. “But you do it! And it works for you, right? You see it? In… there?”

“Oh yes child, it’s all there.” Dalton grinned wider, clearly amusing himself. “Your line of mercury is very very slim though. I would think that you might struggle some.”

“What does that mean?” Seth asked manically.

“Probably that you…” Dalton paused, sighing as though he was trying to remember something difficult. “Need to communicate more. Practice it. Just judging from your mumbling mouth you’ll have to find a way _not_ to ruin what you’ve got. And here-" Dalton grabbed his hand again. “You may encounter loss.”

“Like what, a breakup?” Seth stared as his own hand, trying to assess what he meant. He had no idea how palmistry worked and if it hadn’t been so accurate, he would have been sure Dalton was just fucking with him. “I thought you said I was going to fall in love? Like, for _real_!”

“You said that, I didn't," Dalton muttered. "But no no, nothing like that. Something else… not terribly unexpected, but painful nonetheless...”

“Fine, be all mysterious,” Seth scoffed, slightly high pitched. “The hell do you- you just come to bars and do this to people? What do you get out of this?"

“Well, I'd hoped to get a _cock in my mouth_ , but you're not biting.” He shrugged. “Shame too. Eight of my dollars down the toilet for nothing."

“I already told you you're not my type.”

“Well, I wish you the best, _Tyler_ ," Dalton said dramatically, slowly inching closer to grab the half-full drink back into his own hands. "Maybe if I were younger… if you were drunker…"

"Wait- wait though-" Seth muttered, pulling Dalton back as he made to stand. "Can you- can you write that down- the poly thing?"

Dalton smiled obnoxiously, grabbing a pen from his jacket to write the word down on a bar napkin, taking an extra moment to draw three hearts under the letters, spelled out in perfect cursive.

"Always good to spread the word." Dalton sighed, folding up the napkin neatly and pressing it into Seth's hand. "Now, I've got a _stage_ to be on…"

Dalton and his lovers were barely out of the bar by the time Seth eagerly whipped out his phone, nearly dropping it on the floor as he frantically googled _Polyamory_ , determined to get to the bottom of it. He'd thought he'd heard the term before, but he'd never given it a ponder. Now, teetering back and forth between two men, Seth felt like his life depended on it.

At least, he _tried_ googling Polyamory. His clumsy hands had difficulty putting all the letters in the right order.

**Did you mean** **_Polyamory_ ** **?**

"Yes," Seth said aloud, quickly pulling up a Wikipedia page and squinting hard at the bright screen, trying to focus his eyes.

_The practice of, or desire for, intimate relationships where individuals may have more than one partner, with the knowledge and_ _consent_ _of all partners._

Seth swore, his heart racing fast. His eyes glinted back up to the table Dean was at- still chattering away. He wasn't sure how to describe what he was feeling- didn't know what to do or how to really say it, but Seth knew definitively that so long as other people had done it, had really made it work, nothing was impossible.

Needing fresh air, he stepped out onto the patio, winding his way to the back and nearly bumping into several people as his eyes were glued to his phone, reading. The article spanned over various definitions and subsets of the practice and after a while, half sitting, half standing in the corner, Seth began to feel cross eyed and sick from reading.

He knew he had to get back to Dean, but he wasn't really sure how to handle his newfound knowledge yet. Seth was drunk, Dean was wrapped up in some completely tangential conversation with a stranger. It was possibly the worst time to have such a revelation.

Without thinking, he opened up Roman's contact information, his chest thumping, his blood rushing in his ears as he pressed the blue phone icon.

Then, before Seth could get cold feet and hang up, Roman answered. The receiver crackled and he blinked hard, trying to sound coherent, though he had no idea what he was going to say.

"Seth?"

"M' sorry." He laughed immediately. "We already said goodnight-"

"That's… fine. Is everything ok?"

"Yeah." Seth breathed, he actually felt like crying a little. He was so relieved. "Everything is sooo good."

"Oh, okay." Roman laughed. "What are you doing?"

Drunkenly, Seth ran down parts of their day, forgetting exactly what he'd already discussed through text, laughing and slurring around his account without linear logic. It was pretty obvious he was wasted, and Roman could be heard opening his mouth or making to say something, but he let Seth just talk it out, taking some time to shake off the shock of his conversation with Dalton.

"But- I was calling-" Seth hiccuped, holding the paper in his hand and turning to face the street. "I wanted to ask you- do you know wha' Polynamory is?"

"Poly… amory?"

"Yah."

There was a moment where Roman's breath hitched and Seth held his own stupidly, actually standing and swaying on his tiptoes.

"Yeah, yeah I know about it."

"This guy-" Seth choked, "at the bar- this guy told me about it and he says he has boyfriends. _More_ than one."

"That _is_ something people can do..."

"I'm drunk..." Seth rubbed his chest, closing his eyes and trying to settle his heart. "I'm drunk 'n I probably don't make any sense- but-"

"Where's Dean?"

"He's… he's inside," Seth mumbled. "I'm outside."

"Okay... " Roman cleared his throat. "Just… so long as you know."

" _Roman_ ," Seth whimpered, leaning hard on the brick of the patio wall. "Roman, I love you. I love you a lot. And Dean."

"I… love you too," Roman said.

They both froze for a moment, but Seth was too excited to not articulate the sheer physical joy that washed over his body like warm water. He jumped in the air, beating his chest and pumping his fist.

"Seth?"

"Yeah," he said breathlessly.

"We'll- we'll talk about stuff when you get home, ok?" Roman said shakily. Seth stilled as he thought he heard Roman sniff wetly. He couldn't be sure.

"Yeah, yeah, I wanna do that."

"Yeah, just don't-" Roman sighed. "Just enjoy your vacation, ok? Don't-"

"Wha'?"

"We'll figure this out when you get back, don't stress- don't-"

"Yeah, yeah," Seth said, quieter, turning back toward the bar. A few people had been staring at him and they laughed, averting their gaze. "Yeah, no- 'm sorry Rome' I'm all drunk- I just… I just wannit to tell you for a while but I didn't know-"

"It's ok babe." Roman chuckled. "I just don't want you to be stressing, ok? Just do your thing."

"I love you Rome'," Seth hiccuped.

"I love you too, now... go find Dean, ok?" Roman asserted. "Try to keep together."

"Okayyyyy."

It was hard to hang up, but Seth knew Roman was right. He wasn't sure how long he'd been away, but it was probably a little suspect at this point. Seth stowed his phone in his pocket, still jittery but focused, when he turned and the group of Dean and Brian came out of the main entrance.

"Seth!"

"Dean-" he laughed, vaulting himself over the low brick fence and miraculously landing on his feet. Dean grabbed his hand for good measure, ensuring he was steady.

"We were gunna-" Dean pointed to the other four men. "Babe- were you cool with _pot_? They offered to smoke us up…"

"Wha'? Oh…" Seth looked around to Brian and his friends. "Yeah… yeah, that's whatever, I don't… care."

Dean was similar wasted to Seth, walking jaggedly through the same alley they'd used previously. About halfway down, the group stopped and Ariya drew a pipe and bag out of his pocket. Seth was practically skipping, truly living for the night air and the warm breeze and the little piece of paper in his pocket that seemed to have all the answers.

"How much do you have left, Ariya?" Drew muttered, coughing as the bowl was passed.

"Fuckin' enough." He swayed, still affected by some other drug. "Dealer always gives me _faaaat_ sacks."

"Did you want some, Seth?" Brian passed the bowl and Seth blinked, looking to Dean and the bowl in his hand.

"I haven'… really…"

"Do you want t' try?" Dean asked incredulously. Seth just shrugged, grinning slightly as Dean held out the pipe for him. "Your choice, babe."

A little too drunk and new to the concept, Seth was coached along by the circle of men. Hands held the pipe out then guided his own thumb to the choke. Dean lit the pipe and he pulled.

"Jus'- hold it in-"

Seth did so, grimacing slightly at the sweaty, ashen taste. Dean patted his back and he exhaled, a white cloud of smoke billowing out of his mouth.

The rest of the night was a loose, pleasant haze that felt slightly muted, with all of the lights dimmed to a comfortable ambiance. The pipe was passed around a few times and Seth accepted a few more hits, but he gradually tuned out of the stilted, broken conversation that followed between the other men, becoming more interested in staring at the ground, his hands, or Dean.

"Well, it's been real man." Brian clapped Dean on the back. "I'll text you some time, link you that show I was talking about."

And when Seth looked up again, they had vanished, leaving Dean and Seth under the little action-activated garage light next to the garbage cans.

"How you feelin'?" Dean asked, resting his hands on his hips, looking into Seth's calm, vacant face. "I saw you at the bar... you feelin' pretty sloshed?"

"Yeah," Seth mumbled, blinking. "I think… we sh' go back now."

"Yeah."

The cab ride was a little difficult, and Dean swore at the surge charge that added to the final fare, but Seth just kept his head straight forward, doing his best to keep from getting motion sick as the Miami strip blurred in the periphery of his vision. He was happy, warm from liquor and the bubbly heat that came from being in love. The trip had been wonderful and he kept touching his pocket where the napkin was, silently thanking a god he didn't really believe in.

Wobbling out of the cab, Seth felt his stomach lurch a little, but he didn't even care. He gritted his teeth and walked calmly to the grassy strip in front of the road, resting his palms on his knees and wincing as he threw up.

"Oh. You… good?" Dean muttered, patting his back. Seth just nodded, strangely mellow and confident. He'd never been high before, but it was preventing a headache, so he guessed it was a nice sensation.

Back up in their motel room, Seth fell upon the sink, washing out his mouth and sloppily brushing his teeth while Dean pissed in the toilet for what seemed like five minutes, just sitting on the bowl, and leaning back, relaxed.

The air conditioner whirred loudly and Seth greedily drank from a cup of tap water, sinking down on the bed in all his clothes. He wasn't too dizzy, but it felt more comfortable to have his eyes focused than shut.

"You still-" Dean muttered. "You got'r pill?"

Seth sat up, slowly pulling out his wallet. Dean pulled out his own and they regarded the pills carefully for a moment. Seth took a deep breath, sure that if he thought about it too much, it would catch the back of his throat and make him gag.

"I havn' done it before." Seth whispered, quickly throwing it back. "I d'nno when it'll work..."

* * *

 Hours later, the sky was still dark but all the lights in the motel had been left on. Dean's phone began to buzz and chime from the floor, signaling some sort of alarm or call. Seth stirred, his eyelashes parting as he sluggishly rose, completely unsure of his surroundings. Dean lay on the bed next to him, snoring hard.

His mind was completely blank and empty, but he hastened to silence the noise, pulling back under the covers and into the bed, nuzzling close to Dean. They were both stripped down to wearing their shorts, Dean was still in his shoes. Clearly, they'd been pretty fucked up. Seth rubbed his face with his hands, turning off the lamp on the nightstand, moaning out loud as he twisted and felt his cock between his legs, throbbing angrily.

_Right,_ Seth thought. _Fuck_.

He was so sensitive it was a little frightening, rising up to stand. There was no way he could sleep, so he couldn't just lay down and pretend it wasn't there. Had they _really_ just taken the pills and passed out? He had no idea what time it was.

"Dean," Seth rasped, chancing a hand down to his crotch, feeling faint. He didn't want to wake Dean up and demand that they fuck, but his dick was actually scaring him a little. " _Dean_."  

Dean mumbled in his sleep, turning and fisting the blankets, trying to get more comfortable. Seth rolled his eyes, coming closer to the bed.

"Dean, I need _help_ ," he whimpered, slightly scared. Tired and still drunk, masturbation wasn't occurring as a readily available option. Seth felt his heart racing and he didn't want to panic. _Could he even fuck right now?_

"What'sup babe," Dean sighed, not opening his eyes.

"T-the pills-" Seth cried. " _Fuck_ \- are you?"

Dean rubbed his face. He squinted, turning around in the half darkness. Seth was nearly panting, holding onto his cock like he was trying to cover a grenade with his body.

"Oh fuck-" Dean sighed in realization. " _Yeah_."

They laughed nervously and Dean pulled him back over the blanket, cursing again as he felt the thick hardness of Seth's cock drag against his leg, inflamed and upset.

"They workeddddd," Seth sang, immediately surrendering as Dean pressed his mouth to his, kissing hard and furiously. Beneath the sheets, Seth could tell he was similarly affected, shivering slightly, engorged.

There was no use trying to pretend they had time for foreplay, but it was difficult for them to act decisively. Both men felt like animals, grabbing and squeezing at each other without an ounce of subtlety. Dean bit down hard on Seth's lip and he squealed, slightly alarmed, clawing at Dean's chest in the scramble.

"Tell me you brought lube," Dean snarled, "Please, for the love of _god_."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Seth squawked, falling out of bed on his hands as he scuttled to his bag, tearing through the side compartments until he got the little bottle. He didn't even make to pass it off, simply drizzling the liquid all over his hands and massaging his ass quickly.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck-" Seth panted, knees shaking hard. His dick was pointing straight ahead and quivering, the sensation too perfect. "Fuck, please, _help_ -"

They'd forgone condoms before for much less urgent circumstances. Dean's dick was already wet, beading come and rearing for Seth's ass before he could get himself settled on the bed. Dean threw him down on his back, hiking his legs up high on his shoulders, before he pressed in. He had enough decency to go slow as he bottomed out, but Seth gasped and cried the whole time, feeling his dick smacking his stomach hard, overwhelmed.

"Goddamnit," Dean growled, his mouth hanging open, limp, his eyes screwed shut tight. Seth coughed, trying to loosen up as Dean continued to bellow and swear. They were so unglued it was rather frightening.

"This fuckin' ass right here." Dean panted, beginning to pump. "God-damn-this-fuckin-ass-right-here." With each word, he brazenly hit, sending Seth's legs flapping around his ears.

"Yes, please," Seth cried, drooling. "Fuck- D-d-d-e-eeeeean."

"Fuck, you're so hot."

Seth gurgled, feeling righteous waves like an orgasm already spreading around his stomach. He coughed again and Dean pumped harder, faster.

"Dean-" Seth cried. "D-eaan-n-n-n, you, I-"

Dean pressed into his mouth again, peppering his face with little nibbles and kisses as he smacked himself against him. His breath was hot in his ear and their bodies were both wet in the sheets, sweating hard.

"W-Wh-What baby, huh?" Dead grunted. "What."

"Dean, I can't-" Seth mouthed, tears actually forming in his eyes. Finally waking and returning to lucidity as Dean pummeled him, he remembered the night. The bar. The little piece of paper in his shorts pocket that was resting on the floor. He'd told Roman he loved him and he felt suddenly terrified.

Dean shivered and Seth's hands flew up to his neck, pulling him close and effectively folding himself in half as he screamed.

"Fuck me Dean, fuck-" he cried. "I love you! I luh-love you so f'ckin' much I _can't_ -"

Dean trembled, very possibly deafened as Seth had screamed in such close proximity to his ear. He made a strange noise, a sort of higher moaning that became a laugh. He grabbed the headboard to the bed, gazing down at Seth.

The light was such that they could barely see each other, the slight wet reflections in their eyes the only indicator of any mood or emotion. Seth panted, sure he was feeling something like cardiac arrest. However, Dean held him tight, one arm wrapping under him while the other fixed them in place. Seth cried harder, the cock inside him rubbing hard and tight, sending shivers through his muscles and his back.

"Please- Please." Seth ached to hear the words in Dean's mouth, to sense some sort of validation. He knew it was awful, maybe even cowardly, screaming his affections in the throes of sex, but he was unable to stop himself.  

Dean kissed his forehead hard and Seth swallowed, keening as his cock began to spill, making a huge mess as Dean sped up, filling the gap. Just as Seth's ass began to contract, Dean roared, stifling his cries in the mattress and Seth's shoulder as he shot warm come up his ass, shaking and shivering.

It was like a bomb went off, and as soon as the dust cleared, both men were suddenly awake. Neither of their cocks could settle, too affected by the Viagra to truly be finished. Shaking hard, Dean withdrew, sliding out from inside of Seth and standing up. Everything was suddenly very cold. Silent.

Seth breathed hard, his heart racing as he lay flat, come sliding out of his ass on onto his thighs. Dean walked to the bathroom quickly, saying nothing, each step separating them was physically jarring and Seth's breath hitched when he heard the bathroom door shut completely for the first time since they'd arrived.

_Fuck_ , Seth thought, screwing up his face and burying himself in the bed. _What the hell did I just do_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween friends! I hope you enjoyed all the guest appearances. We've got indie darlings, NXT babies and Cruiserweight boos! Spot them all!
> 
> So much all at once and it feels like a thunder clap. Sorry to keep you hanging, but this was nearly 10k so, I hope you're full for a moment.  
> A special thanks to my betas, organizing my brain legos and my propensity to never use the word 'said'. Have a fantastic Halloween! Leave a lil review treat in my dirty pillowcase! <3


	61. The Choice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sun comes up and the boys return home. What's it gunna be?

"Dean."

Seth stood, swaying slightly by the bathroom door. He'd laid in bed for nearly a half hour, panicking to himself and cursing his dick. The Viagra hadn't worked its way out of his system and so he was still sensitive, erect, and terrified at what he had just done. Dean was still in the bathroom and Seth had heard him take a shower, but now it was silent.

Seth's hands reached for the door handle, but he withdrew, sure that Dean probably hadn't gone so far as to lock the door, but clearly he needed space.

"Dean- I'm sorry-" Seth said, louder, shaking with nerves. "That was wrong, I didn't mean-"

"Seth."

He winced at the use of his name. Dean's voice sounded strange and unsure.

"Dean-"

"Look man, I just… I just need a second okay? I'm not… mad… I'm just... it's a lot...."

"I know, I'm _sorry_ ," Seth whimpered, resting his forehead on the frame of the door. "I didn't mean it to be like that, it… I was drunk and-" he swallowed. "I love you and Rome' both- I called him earlier. I wanted to tell you about it, but it wasn't a good time… not like _now_ is a good time or anything but-"

"Seth," Dean sighed. "Go get us something to eat. Give me a sec to like, get my shit together, okay? I'll talk or whatever when you get back, just give me... a sec."

It was as good a direction as any. The sun was rising, he was still a little drunk, but mostly his head was throbbing and his cock wouldn't stay down. Seth nodded, retreating, pulling on a pair of pants and a sweatshirt before aimlessly wandering out the door.

He cried; he didn't want to cry, but Seth was pretty sure he'd cried the most in his life that year so it wasn't really that new. He hated it and he didn't get why he couldn't make a good choice to save his life. When _should_ he have done this? Right before they left for Thanksgiving? When they were all sitting down together? But no, that would have been weird too… dropping a bomb on them before they left town? Still, it was better than what he'd done…

He walked down the avenue, wiping his face on his sleeve, recalling the conversation with the man at the bar and his embarassing call to Roman. God, he was _such_ an idiot. He wanted to call Roman again, just to take it all back and apologize for being such a mess, then maybe just quietly die in an alleyway...

_A little dramatic_ , he thought, pushing his way into a Waffle House. He immediately grabbed a fist full of napkins and blew his nose.

About twenty minutes later, he returned to the hotel room, with a heavy heart and arms full of breakfast food. The lady at the counter had given him free hashbrowns, probably because he looked such a damn mess. Dean was laying out on the bed, fully clothed, nursing a cup of coffee he'd brewed from the Keurig in the bathroom.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They ate, neither one of them really wanted to address the subject. Seth tried a few times, opening his mouth and shutting it, still unable to look Dean in the face. They finished, and mutely began to clean up the room for check out. The silence was only broken as soon as they put their bags in the trunk of the Cadillac and Dean nodded to Seth.

"I'll drive."

"Okay."

It wasn’t until the Fort Lauderdale exit that Dean cleared his throat and Seth turned, blinking against the sun. After almost an hour of dead silence, the noise made his heart skip.

"So, I uh-" Dean mumbled. "I'm sorry if 'm not good at this, but I don't think I ever am gunna be so... I just wanna say-"

Seth watched, his leg started to tremble back and forth. Dean just sighed again, frustrated.

"So, I've been friends with Rome' for a long time, and even when he was with Dan- I always really liked him... But I never in a billion years thought I'd ever be able to be anything more than a friend to him… Now, he’s always sayin’ shit about how I have some low self esteem or whatever, ‘cause I don’t get with people like most do. But… for me personally? I’m not… _romantic_.”

Seth nodded slowly, stirred by the revelation of Dean's longing, but not entirely surprised by it.

"Like, all I see is couples- even gay ones that are trying to be all settled and boring and they just… just buy a bunch of shit and don't ever talk to anyone but themselves. Then they're just mad at each other all the time and shit. I don't get that. I don't want to feel like I can't be around other people or just go out and enjoy myself. That's always what I thought, I mean, you _kinda_ tripped me out that time at Bingo where you told me I just didn't know how to live like that because of my own parents and stuff-"

"I didn't… mean it like that," Seth said. Dean just waved his hand.

"Whatever, anyway." He rubbed his nose. "I'm just not great boyfriend material."

"Okay," Seth said, unsure. "I think… I think I disagree, but okay."

"Well, what were you sayin' about Rome?" Dean squinted. "You told him you… you told him _too_?"

Seth sighed, kneading his eyes with his hands. A little disconnected, he went through the series of events that led to him discovering the option of polyamorous relationships, leaving out some of the finer points about his palm reading and the nature of the man named Dalton Castle. Seth kept the explanation of the call with Roman brief, not wanting to alienate Dean or his feelings.

"I just-" Seth breathed, feeling raw. "I'm trying to be really honest here and maybe it's wrong or something, but I just can't keep pretending you guys aren't really important to me. Equally. It's fucked me up for a long time now and I don't know how to hide it anymore, it's probably giving me a tumor."

They laughed nervously, and Seth dried his eyes, feeling enormously better. Dean didn't resent him or his emotions, he just didn't know what to do either.

"Well, so you wanted to tell me just to _tell_ me?" Dean asked curiously. "What changes now?"

"I dunno," Seth said stupidly. "I mean, maybe… _maybe_ it just means we have to stop… fucking around or whatever? But… I'd like to think we could try for something… anything."

"Some threeway sausage party." Dean snorted. "Well… okay."

"But yeah, I mean, if you're not into me or-" Seth muttered. Dean tutted, extending his hand to Seth over the console, palm up.

"You moved down here…" Dean began, struggling more than ever with his words. Softly, Seth took the hand and Dean began rubbing it experimentally. "You were the hottest thing ever and pretty much no one knew what to do. If Uce hadn't been so screwed up with Dan, I bet he woulda jumped your bones from the get go. But nah," Dean said quietly. "I thought you were real cute and you were damn good at your job. I don't like… saying shit like _love_. Love is so fucking… difficult and hard and people always use those words when they want something out of you or just want to… manipulate you…"

"Do you believe me when I say it?" Seth asked. Dean squeezed his hand tighter.

"'Course I do. Fuck me, I fucking." Dean stomped his foot on the bottom of the car. "I love ya' too! Ok? Fuck..."

"Sorry." Seth laughed. Dean just shook his head, blushing.

"You fuckin-" Dean changed lanes, slowing down slightly. "You and Rome' both make me wanna be all soft and sweet and make me want to, I dunno… _cuddle_ and shit. Learn how to cook so I can make you guys things like Uce does… just, _do_ things I haven't done before. Like that bike thing." Dean looked at him meaningfully over his sunglasses, blushing as pink as Seth had ever seen him. "Every time… _This is so dumb_ … every time I go biking, I like, _think_ about you. 'Cause if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have done that stuff..."

"Oh," Seth said quietly, hearing himself squealing happily in his own head. "Thank you… for telling me that."

Still exhausted and vulnerable, the silence they fell into was much more relaxed. The turnpike curved and they slowed intermittently to be tolled, but they held hands for a long time before letting go, wiping the sweat off on their shirts. Dean was fidgeting more than ever before and Seth still felt very conflicted and strange, but he was at least glad that nobody was upset with him. Indecision and confusion he could understand. After all, he'd had his share of it lately.

“You smoked pot for the first time last night,” Dean said, experimentally. “How was that?”

“I don’t remember it at all.” Seth snorted, readjusting in the seat. His cock had only just settled down, but his heart was still beating strangely fast, making him jittery. “I think it made me puke, so I guess bad.”

“Lame.”

When they began to get close to Orlando again, Dean’s phone rang loudly. A quick glance at the shining screen and Seth was sure it was Roman. He swallowed hard.

“Hey.”

Dean clicked the speaker icon and the phone crackled slightly.

“Hey, are you guys on the road yet?”

“We’re uhh… nearly home,” Dean muttered. “Got something on the stove for us?”

“No, but I could. You hungry?” Roman chuckled. “How was it? How was the trip?”

“It was good,” Seth chimed in, his head throbbed slightly as if to protest. “Listen man… I’m sorry I called you last night-”

“I said don’t worry about it.” Roman laughed warmly. “I was thinking we should all sit down and have a chat, okay?”

“Like, _group therapy_?” Dean whined. “Or…?”

“No dude.”

"We talked a little." Seth wiggled his nose. "I dunno, maybe we just need to chill."

"Well, I been sittin' at home on my ass for hours now, thinkin' in circles." Roman grunted. "I'm not gunna chew you out, I just want to talk."

They laughed, a little nervously maybe, but Seth knew he owed it to Roman to have a conversation where he wasn't falling down drunk. Things were different now. It was strange and new, but neither of them were trying to run or escape or demean each other's feelings. Seth still felt the grip of the hand that had held his, and he sat patiently, touching his knuckle with his thumb and forefinger, thinking hard.

It was maybe the first really hopeful thought he'd had about relationships for a year or so. It was scary, but exciting. However, when they reached Roman's block, the collective anxiety seemed to grow. Dean's fingers clutched the steering wheel hard, pulling up against the curb and sighing deeply. Seth pushed his hair behind his ears, biting his lip. For a few moments they just sat with the engine dead, hesitant.

"I'm sorry this is so-" Seth sighed, scratching his knee. "You live with him… I didn't mean to complicate your living situation or anything…"

"It's fine… it needs to be talked about." Dean rubbed his eyes, grumbling. "Been sleepin' in the same bed with him for like… two weeks now…"

"What?" Seth laughed. "But you have- I thought you were in that room!"

Dean just shrugged, inhaling with wide eyes. "His bed is more comfy! I dunno! Fuck..."

"How have you guys _not_ had this conversation already?"

"Shut up."

Chuckling to himself, Seth got out first, taking his keys back and popping the trunk so Dean could grab his bag. The sun was shining, but a cool wind blew, chilling their bare shins as they made their way up Roman's walk to a chorus of Kevin's excited barks.

Talking was hard. Harder than he thought it would have been.

Though they had started fairly bouncy and nervous, eager and jittery to be out of the car, Dean and Seth each had to face the initial terror of Roman insisting that they sit around the kitchen island instead of the living room. It was very formal and forced and immediately, Dean clammed up.

"This isn't an intervention. I'm fuckin' tired."

"Humor me," Roman said softly, pouring cups of coffee. "I didn't sleep much either."

Seth formally apologized, wasting no time getting the obvious embarrassment he felt out of the way. Sitting more than an arm's length apart from both men, he felt cold and isolated. The only light in the room was the sun, shining through the window of the sliding back door.

"It's okay, I didn't really expect it, but… well... " Roman nodded. "I guess I'm glad. If it means we're doin' this."

They practiced out loud, plainly discussing their fears. An exercise promoted by Roman, but they each participated in different ways. Nobody was saying much of what they wanted or hoped for, but going on turns in tangents with their thinking as their words flowed.

"I think we've all been burned before." Seth shrugged. "I don't want to hurt either of you guys… I don't want to hurt myself… Whatever, you know that…"

"Yeah? And what else?" Roman asked.

"I dunno." He shrugged, laughing darkly. "If something else comes up I'll let you know."

Roman's fears seemed to revolve around his tendency to become easily upset and unreachable. Slightly more articulate than Dean and Seth, but most likely because he'd had time to think and practice. Roman looked to both men carefully, leaning in on the table as he plainly discussed times in his previous relationships where he had lashed out angrily when he became stressed.

" _Okay_ , but." Dean cleared his throat. "Are we all dating each other? Why are we doing this?"

"We're… just talking," Roman said gruffly.

Dean hummed and slouched a little lower in his chair, sipping from his mug. "’Kay."

"Can you think of anything you want to say?" Seth asked cautiously. Dean just sighed, crossing his legs.

"I dunno, not really. I jus' don't wanna be made to do shit like this." He sat up, averting their gazes. "Makes my skin itch."

Roman had three bikes in the garage and even though none of them were particularly energetic, some sort of physical activity was mandated. After sitting and stewing, they made their way into the garage, pulling the bicycles down from their storage stands and checking the air in the tires.

"Let's do that little go 'round the park," Dean proposed, pointing to the west side of Roman's block. "That… cool?"

"Yeah yeah," Roman said, looking enormous on his bike frame. "Lead the way."

They spent a half hour of speeding around the neighborhood,  all feeling strangely meditative. It was bizarre. None of them were really saying anything, but they were all eager and excited to have something agreed upon as a cohesive unit. Dean doggedly led the way, speeding up to go over bumps and weaving through parked cars and traffic cones. Seth was in the middle, mostly looking ahead, but glancing behind him every now and then to see where Roman was at. Roman always smiled at him, a little slower and panting to keep up, but nonetheless eager.

"Can we stop for frosty's?" Dean called behind, looking longingly at the Wendy's on the other side of the street.

"I don't have my wallet."

"Me neither."

Dean made an exasperated sound. "Well… I guess the park's cool. Whatever."

They wound their way through the little converted green space and Seth's eyes peeled in all directions, taking in the new landscape. It wasn't anything miraculously beautiful, but it was a great day to be out biking, relatively cool. Eventually, they made their way back to the house, staying out of the way of traffic to occupy Roman's road side by side, racing.

Dean squawked as Roman managed to beat him to the curb, faking to kick him off his bike. Seth just chuckled, having beaten them both by a few seconds. Kevin whined from inside the house and he felt guilty.

"Was he good? He didn't pee on anything, right?"

"He was fine." Roman accepted the bike frame from Seth's hands, sweating hard as he hoisted it back in the rack. "He missed you though."

"Missed you too buddy," Seth said in a saccharine voice, opening up the door and lifting Kevin up to his chest. "Well… uh..."

Dean and Roman looked at each other, thinking. It was beginning to be early evening now. His legs hurt and his head was starting to pound a little harder than he could easily hide. Seth knew he needed to get home and get ready for the week. He had to guard pretty early in the morning.

"Dinner?" Roman offered. "Before you go?"

There was still plenty of leftovers from Thanksgiving to pilfer and they were all ravenous, wiping their foreheads off on the backs of their hands to go through the numerous rubbermaid containers and dishing up plates they could put in the oven for a few minutes. Dean got impatient and used the microwave, but soon enough, all three of them were sitting around the living room eating.

"I th'nk- Wull-" Dean tried through cheeks full of potatoes. "Thid I tell yuh- Are we allowed to fuck other people then? 'M sorry if that's... weird." He set down his plate. "I just need to know what the fuck's going on."

"What do you want?" Roman asked.

Dean shrugged expressively, his cheeks bulging with mashed potatoes.

"I think we should let each other know if we're gunna," Roman proposed, looking to Seth. "Just… as a courtesy?"

"If we don't though, we could ditch condoms." Seth shrugged deviously. "Get tested. Make sure it's all fine."

"Oh, yeah." Dean blinked, his eyes looking slightly glazed. "Whoa, yeah maybe."

They sat in thought, consumed with the possibilities. Seth drank from his water glass, growing excited again.

"Do you think we should tell anyone?" he asked quietly, staring at the glimmer of his fork in the lamp light. "If somebody asks, can I say you're my boyfriends?"

"I'm fine with it." Roman blushed. Dean shifted awkwardly. "If someone asked, that's what I would say."

"You would say... you're my boyfriend?" Dean snickered, looking at Roman. "You would do that?"

"Yeah!" Roman smiled nervously. "You and Seth. I wouldn't just say one."

"But you would say it."

"Yeah! Is that _not_ ok?"

Dean looked very strange for a moment, unable to meet Seth or Roman's faces. It was a common theme for him that day, but they were all nervous. The whole day he looked obviously stressed, but his fidgeting lessened here and there. Now, sitting almost perfectly still, his eyes were shut and his brow furrowed as a few tears slid down his cheek.

"H-hey-"

"This is jus'-" Dean sniffed. Roman froze but Seth hastened to sit up, awkwardly plopping side by side with his lover, wide eyed and alert. "I d-din't think I was gunna hear that, ok? It's w-weird."

Seth held out his hand, similar to how Dean had done for him in the car. Letting out a choked laugh, Dean took it, more tears falling from his face.

"It's like, a _good_ weird though, yeah?" Roman asked, coming closer. Dean just nodded, leaning to grab a tissue from the coffee table.

_Fuck,_ Dean mouthed, rubbing his eyes. Seth squeezed his hand, softly rubbing it with a thumb.

"I haven't done anything like _this_ before." Roman sighed, putting a hand on Dean's back. "Have you, Seth?"

"Me? What?" Seth choked. "Like what?"

"Non-monogamous… thing," Roman clarified. "This is uncharted territory for all of us. It's gunna be… weird and different and probably frustrating for a little bit…" Roman nodded to Seth. "But I've actually thought about this for awhile. This could be cool."

"Me too," Seth muttered. "Thought about it, I mean."

"I _love_ you Dean." Roman said lowly. "I love you, I really do."

Dean's face screwed up again, clearly confused by the words and how they were said, but leaning into touch from every angle.

"I love you too," Seth tried, the words catching slightly in his throat.

"I l-love you guys." Dean trembled. "I'm fuckin'- I'm sorry I-"

"You're fine, shut up." Roman laughed, patting his knee. "Just get used to sayin' it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 61 chapters and it feels like we're at the very beginning. 
> 
> So, I'm American and struggling. Everyone is right now. I hope wherever you are, this found you well. Things are very uncertain and scary, but so long as there are two hot dudes wrestling in a ring I'm gunna write about them fuckin' each other one way or another, you can count on it. 
> 
> Review, talk, chat. I'd love to know you're ok. Even if you're not ok, that's ok too. Just do what you need to do to process this.


	62. Seize the Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return to White Water. What's the big deal about having two boyfriends? Work Drama, but then, a familiar face... What's love got to do with it?
> 
> Warning for "unsafe" sex.

Getting up and starting the new week was a little difficult because of how taxing the Miami trip had been, but Seth was invigorated and energetic despite not being very well rested.

He was in love, and was loved back.

Seth got up early and made bacon and eggs, whistling and mumbling to himself happily as he mixed the yolks and the whites, tossing the shells in the garbage and listening to the meat sizzle. Kevin padded around happily, slightly confused to see him so awake so early. 

He smiled throughout the day unconsciously, blissfully unconcerned with everyday tedium. Occasionally Seth would let off a soft sigh, thinking about Dean or Roman or the time they'd spent together. For once, he felt like he could just focus on the good things, ignoring passing anxieties and the boring aspects of work.

"You ok?" Randy asked, furrowing his brow at the end of his string of complaints about the lifeguard schedule. "You're quiet."

"Huh? Nah, I'm great." Seth grinned. Randy just blinked, past caring about what Seth could be happy about, he walked away, smacking his lanyard of keys on the first aid cabinet.

Cesaro was delighted to hear he'd reached some sort of finality with the whole situation. Seth wasn't eager to go around telling everyone, but he considered Cesaro to be his closest friend, and he'd asked about the Miami trip anyway. 

"That seems like it could become complicated," Cesaro shrugged. "But you will work it out, yeah? I'm glad you all got to talk."

"Yeah, yeah. It's great," Seth said dreamily. "Crazy for sure, I never would have thought…"

Sasha's explanation was more of an interrogation, as she had started piecing things together through her regular interactions with all three men separately.

"Are you guys are fine?" she asked Seth in the break room. "Roman was a huge airhead during his class and Dean's just been playing music in his office all day… and  _ cleaning _ ."

"What's wrong with that?" Seth snorted, biting into one of the builder's bars he and Cesaro kept stashed above the fridge. 

Sasha shot him a meaningful look, hand on her hip. He sighed, quickly going through the events of the weekend, editing out some of the embarrassing parts and blushing as he finished. By the end, she was holding a hand to her mouth, overjoyed. 

"DON'T. GO. TELLING. ANYBODY." Seth tapped the table, pointing to her.

"Except for Bay!"

"Except-  _ fine _ ." 

Really, Seth was just happy that nobody was giving him sketchy looks for explaining he had two boyfriends. It wasn't as though he was coming out all over again, but he felt some trepidation saying it aloud. Was there anything anyone could  _ really _ say? Seth had to remind himself that his friend's were all decent people. 

“I’m… really happy though,” he said, tossing the wrapper to his snack in the trash and running a hand through his beard carefully. “We’ll see how we make it work… but it’s nice.”

“We should do a double date!” Sasha proposed. “You and… Roman! And me and Bay.” She laughed, “Dean’s… weird.”

“Screw you!” Seth scoffed. “With that attitude, I’m  _ only _ bringing Dean. I ain' gunna give you an opportunity to try to steal my boyfriend!”

“Whatever.” She laughed. “We should do something though! I haven't gone out and done anything 'cause I’m not sure if I want to tell my other friends about… gay stuff yet.”

“Yeah… maybe,” Seth said skeptically. He always felt like he was under a magnifying glass around Sasha. “I’ll see.”

After guarding, Seth had his first lesson with Holly in a little while. The swim team was doing their usual practice, taking up most of P-Pool, but Seth noticed Dean through the crowd. He was walking around with a short, absurd looking man with dyed blonde hair and a crop of facial hair on his chin. 

"We'll reschedule for a different time," Seth could over hear Dean saying. "Scheduling conflict, I'll give you a call and figure out what's up."

The man went up through the locker room, looking slightly confused. Seth still had a few moments before his private lesson, which was excuse enough to go talk to Dean. 

"Was he trying to swim or something?" Seth asked, sitting down next to his boyfriend and placing his clipboard in his lap. Dean rubbed his eyes, apparently annoyed.

"AJ's been doing this really  _ awesome _ thing," he began sarcastically, leaning back against the glass window of the office, "where he just pawns off all these physical therapists appointments that he can't do. He friggen' puts them on me like they're swim lessons, like I'm actually qualified to teach that stuff."

"Huh." Seth sniffed. "That's… odd."

"That dude has some back problem or something." Dean pointed in the direction the man had left. "Apparently AJ told 'em to just come see me. It's bullshit."

"Tell Hunter? I mean." Seth shrugged. "Unless you can just talk to AJ about it."

"Maybe. 'M starting to think he don't like me."

"He's… interesting. No doubt." 

"Whatever." Dean set his clipboard aside. "I dun' wanna whine about it. How late are you here tonight?"

"Huh? Oh." Seth blinked. "I just got Holly's lesson, then I'm goin'."

"No CrossFit?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Well," Dean said lower, widening his knees so one brushed Seth's thigh. "Don't run outta here, okay? I'm feeling a ride on the water slide…"

During the weeks off from swim lessons, Mrs. Shippley assured Seth that they had been going to a lot of open swim sessions, letting Holly practice some of the skills that they had worked on. According to her mother, Holly had been doing incredibly well, almost completely comfortable using the pool any time she had a life jacket on.

"Also," Mrs. Shippley said, smiling widely, "Holly, did you want to give Mr. Seth your picture?"

"Yeah yeah yeah!" she sang, quickly drying her hands on her towel and jittering on the spot as Mrs. Shippley pulled a folded piece of paper out of her purse. Seth grinned, watching as she smoothed open the crease. "It's Mister Seth!"

"We're obsessed with mermaids now." Mrs. Shippley laughed. Seth nodded, blushing as Holly pointed out how she had colored in her picture from her  _ Little Mermaid _ coloring book, highlighting Seth's blonde streak and silver tail. The coloring was fairly neat and thought out, clearly something a first grader would have labored over.

"Thank you Holly!" Seth chirped. "That's really something, I'll put that- I'll put it over on the first aid cabinet so it stays dry…"

It was a little difficult to focus with Dean's flirtatious proposition in the back of his mind, but Seth went through the checklist he'd had from the last time he'd taught his private lessons. They did some review, using the lifejacket just to examine her comfort level, working through floating and getting her face wet. True to her mother's words, almost everything was now about mermaids. 

"Mermaids kick with their tails," Holly stated plainly. "I need to kick like this."

She stopped her scissor kick to wobble back and forth awkwardly, obviously trying to mimic the movement of a dolphin. Seth sighed, holding onto her ankles lightly.

"Yup! They sure do, but we're  _ people  _ now. Once we do it this way,  _ then  _ we can be mermaids…"

They tried some basic stroke development and Seth took off the lifejacket in favor of using a pool noodle to support her. At first Holly was ambivalent, but Seth towed her around the shallow end a few times, which seemed to win her over to the new floatable. 

"Big arms, big arms-" Seth coached, holding the tails of the noodle above her. Holly scooped and kicked, pushing herself along as her mother watched, clapping happily and giving her the thumbs up. "Good job!"

"That was even-" Holly pushed a trail of wet hair out of her face. "That was even more faster than when we did the jacket."

"Yeah! It was!" Seth laughed. "You can move your arms better now."

"We got these printed-" Dean rounded the corner, coming out of the P-Pool office with a piece of paper in his hand. He offered it to Mrs. Shippley with a big smile. "From that camera from last time, yeah?"

"Oh wow, would you look at that!" Mrs. Shippley turned the photo around and showed Holly. "You got your picture underwater sweetheart!"

It was one of the best lessons that Seth had been able to do with Holly and as soon as it had finished, he realized how much he had missed doing one-on-one classes. Holly toddled off with her mother, staring intently at the photo Dean had printed, trying her best not to get it wet. With the track that she was on now, Seth was sure soon she could probably start doing group lessons with other children at her level. 

"Great resemblance." Dean smirked, holding up the picture Holly had made for him. "She captured your essence."

"A good one for the fridge," Seth mumbled, sticking his papers back onto his clipboard. At the other end of the pool, the swim team was beginning to gather on the deck, listening to John and Nikki do some sort of pep talk. Alexa and Neville were both by the guard stand, chatting. Before Seth could say anything or ask Dean about what they could do when he got out of the shower- Finn came walking down the deck with Sami, his arm caught up in a sling.

"Hey Seth!" He smiled pleasantly. "Hallo Dean!" 

"Hey man! How've you been?" Seth waved, he was still dripping wet.

"Been really good, yah. All t'ings considered. " He tapped his arm carefully. "I'm gunna be around a little now, gunna help Sami with customer service stuff."

"Oh nice." Seth nodded.

"Like, tours or somethin'?" Dean raised his eyebrow.

"So we can keep him on payroll." Sami chuckled, pointing to the large pool schedule on the wall. "Really, with this one, you just gotta stress the different hours. Plus, they can't just drop their kid off and leave 'em here for us to babysit them unless they've passed the swim test." Sami looked meaningfully to Dean. "Your  _ favorite _ thing, right?"

"Nngh, yeah," Dean moaned, looking slightly distracted. "Lazy ass parents."

"We don't want to have to call the police about random missing kids." Sami nodded to Finn. "Anyway, we'll leave you dorks alone now…"

"Good to see you man." Seth patted Finn on the back, both of them waved as they left, exiting through the locker room. Without missing a beat, Dean and Seth regained eye contact, grinning stupidly.

"Go rinse off."

"Yup."

Before the three men had stated their feelings and come clean about the attraction they all shared, Seth had been the most worried and hesitant to share his feelings with Dean. Roman was infinitely easier to talk to, receptive and eager to listen. Jaded about relationships and specific terms, Dean proved so difficult Seth was sure he would have lost his courage to talk to Roman if he'd confessed to him first. 

However, Dean presently seemed cooler, a little less twitchy and fidgety about talking. The previous night had been difficult, but once they'd established some trust, he seemed to relax.

Seth shampooed his hair, feeling warm and fuzzy at the thought of Dean's smiling face and the success he'd had with Holly. After all the time he'd spent worrying, he felt like he was on track for happier times. Freshly cleaned and dried, he walked through P-Pool, trying to find his boyfriend, but he'd left the P-Pool office.

**Where r u?** Seth texted, glancing past the break room aimlessly. He didn't want to look too obviously lost. Despite their luck in the past, the whole 'fucking at work' thing was still plenty risky. Seth wanted to avoid as many people as possible as he left.

**in the park**

He left the building out of the side exit and walked to the fence lining the water park, stopping by his car quickly to ditch his bag. It was a warmer night and the sun was nearly set, ideal weather. The streetlights were on in the parking lot, but the area was dim enough where if he wandered from the path a little, he could quickly disappear. Sure enough, the padlock on the side entrance door was open and Seth slid in quickly. 

Seth walked through the darkness, pushing open the doors on the little hut until he was out and pushing through the path that led to the commons area. It was much darker inside, without any lights guiding his way. It wasn't until he passed by the fountain area that he could make out a dark figure, sitting out on a bench a little ways away.

"Hey dollface."

"I thought you were going to jump out at me or something," Seth admitted, his heart beating quickly as he moved closer. Dean took a final drag off his cigarette before tossing it on the ground and pushing on it lightly with his foot. "How're you doing?"

It was a weird question, but it was understood. Seth put his hands on Dean's neck, rubbing lightly around his ears. Dean grunted, laying his head against Seth's stomach.

"'M good," Dean sighed. "Mostly jus'... annoyed I gotta be at work again."

Seth leaned down carefully, tilting Dean's head skywards so he could kiss him, slow and kind, pushing their beards together. Dean seemed a little more shy and reserved than usual, just matching Seth's steady rhythm.

That was, until he put his hands on Seth's thighs and began circling them carefully, pushing the fabric of his shorts around before drawing up to his ass, moaning into his mouth.

"Fuck, yeah."

"It's a little too dark to go on the waterslide," Seth said breathlessly.

"Yeah, the moon ain' bright enough," Dean grumbled. "Fuck it- this is fine. If we hear someone, we'll just book it."

"With your dick in me?" Seth laughed against Dean's mouth. Dean growled, slapping his ass.

"Yeah, we're a two man crew."

They kissed faster. Dean drew his hands over the waistband of his pants and Seth slipped under Dean's shirt, scrambling at his sides. He pushed the cloth away to grab at his chest, feeling his breast ripple as his hands touched. Dean's breathing grew erratic and both of their dicks were fattening up in their pants, eager and excited. Seth pushed Dean down onto the bench, mounting him and pulling off his shirt.

"Condom?"

"Uh-" Dean bit his lip. "I… forgot…"

"Dammnit," Seth cursed, sighing. "I mean… can we just…?"

"Yeah… yeah… let's just…" 

"This is why we have Uce," Seth joked. Dean laughed, pulling his dick out of his pants for Seth to sit on.

"You're goddamn right."

"No lube though?"

"Oh, I got  _ that _ ." Dean snickered, pulling a little bottle out from the back pocket of his shorts. Seth hummed thankfully. "I'm a little prepared... Kind of."

"Gunna give  _ you _ a tease," Seth smiled through the darkness. "Didn't Rome say you like a finger or two?"

"A finger or  _ one _ ," Dean corrected. "I'm fragile."

Seth warmed his fingers with the lube and bent over his lover, pulling his pants down far so as not to ruin them. Dean grew tense and a soft breeze rolled through the park, making them both shiver. Seth came closer, shielding him.

"Just be-" Dean said nervously. "It's kinda like-"

"Relax." Seth grinned. "I'm an expert."

It was definitely an experiment, but Seth had thought about fingering Dean for awhile now. He knew plenty of gay dudes didn't like anal because it was unpleasant, but Seth was too much of a fan not to be wholly convinced by its benefits. Working incredibly slow, he circled Dean's entrance carefully, keeping the area as warm and slick as possible so he didn't make a big wet mess.

Dean shivered slightly, his face tucked into his elbow as Seth massaged him. After a few minutes careful attention, he began to soften, moaning slightly and freeing his face to look up at his lover, half-lidded and meditative.

"Fuckin'-" Dean sighed, exhaling lightly as Seth slid a finger inside him with ease.

"Nice, yeah?" Seth purred. "I told ya."

"I didn-"

Seth went deeper, aiming for his target with careful precision. Dean shivered hard, jerking slightly. His cock had gone down but he looked pleased nonetheless. 

"Intense," Dean choked. "Fuck."

Seth slid in another finger, feeling pressure and tension. Dean whined and he recoiled slightly, so Seth retreated, slipping back to just massaging and petting him. 

"Big baby," he teased.

"Wha'd'I say?" 

Leaning into the bench with his hand wet with lube, he continued kissing Dean, pressing himself down and pushing his hard cock up against Dean's bare knee. He wanted to be fucked and touching his lover's bare ass had only made him want it more. Seth was hungry, and every cool wind that brushed against his back just made him eager for warmth.

"If I wasn't a good person, I'd jus' fuckin' fill you up with my come," Dean breathed, biting down on Seth's lip, making him groan.

"Fuck… shut up…"

They flipped and Seth rested on his knee with one leg trailing off the side of the bench. Dean hastened to ready himself, giving his cock a few quick pumps while he smeared lube around Seth's entrance, rubbing quickly, almost apologetically, considering how careful Seth had been with him. 

"Love this ass," Dean breathed, bending down to give him a playful nip on the cheek with his mouth. Seth gave a soft yelp.

They had to be quiet, but it was difficult. Seth hadn't realized exactly when it had happened, but he'd recently become very eager and loud during sex. He remembered vaguely how he'd thought it was so stupid and over dramatic, crying and calling out in the midst of it all- but that was before he'd met Dean. 

Pressed open and full with Dean's cock, Seth had to scramble and pant, gripping tight to the wood of the bench so he wouldn't yell. How could something feel  _ so  _ good that it made him like this?

"Oh yeah," Dean sighed as he bottomed out, patting Seth's ass like a faithful companion. "I don' ever wanna fuck you with a condom again…"

"You…  _ planned this _ ," Seth panted, gasping as Dean rolled his hips playfully, sending shivers down his spine.

"I didn' but I'm glad it- fuck-" Dean coughed, draping himself over Seth's bent frame. " _ Jesus _ ."

It was a playful balance of both men wanting to prolong the act, but they were so desperately unwound that it was clearly a losing battle. Dean would pump fast, then slow, finding both so likable that he had no choice but to swallow hard, panting and tingling. The pressure of Seth's rear was so tight that no matter which way he moved, it was near perfect. Seth's cock felt like it was likely to blow at any focused moment, winding up fast, then pausing with each break in momentum. They were sweating from the effort, muscles glistening, hair frizzing-up madly.

"Oh fuck," Dean panted. " _ Fuck... _ "

"C'min," Seth begged, "just c'min me, I don' care."

" _ Fuck _ ," Dean cried harder, his hips bucking madly. Seth grit his teeth, yelling against his shut lips as he felt his cock begin to spill, pooling between his legs. His stomach and hips began to flutter, and Dean coughed hard, feeling the tension against his cock flicking like the shutter of a camera.

"Goddamnit goddamnit- you motherfucker," Dean cried, pulling on Seth's hair hard. Seth felt warmth flood him, hot and slightly nauseating. Dimly, he felt strangely proud, amazed as usual at how easily they made each other come.

If they had done this a week ago, Dean would have pulled apart quickly, as though he was rousing from a strange dream. Seth's chest heaved and he pulled hair out of his mouth, trying to recenter himself in reality. His hands were shaking and come with slowly dribbling down his leg, he swallowed hard. If it was a week ago, he would have just accepted the break in touch. 

But Dean froze, clearly a little unsure, but determined. He slowly eased his cock out, but kept his hands on Seth's back, rubbing tenderly. 

"That… good…"

"Yeah…"

They both shivered slightly and drew closer, Dean kissed the back of his neck, his beard hairs tickling as they shifted around Seth's hairline. The sun had fully set and everything was dark and calm. 

"I'm cold."

"Me too," Seth hummed.

Neither of them made any attempt to move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned I've got Beta Readers? I wanna thank Kenjideath for spinning raw wool into yarn...
> 
> Business as usual, but then not? It's a little exciting for me writing this because I'm pretty sure actual christmas will pair up right when fictional Christmas is happening! Crazy! I know. 
> 
> As always, I hope you're all fairing well and I hope you enjoyed it. <3


	63. On Deaf Ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love and touch, family and drama. A save is made. Who's gifting who?

Curled up so he was bent over in half, Seth was panting hard, screwing up his face. He and Roman had been going at it for nearly an hour and a half, playing with an assortment of toys from his box. Seth was flushed red, his whole body blushing and straining. He'd already come once and now his dick was being suffocated by a tight cock ring. 

Roman was grunting and pounding into him hard, hair dripping with sweat and falling in around Seth's face. 

"I c-ahnnn-"

"Ah babe-"

A hand curled around the soft clamp on Seth's nipple and he gasped, eyes shooting open, teeth gritting. Roman was tender and careful, but the sensation was like hard pressure on his already over-stimulated brain. Seth's hands grasped the bedspread, pulling.

"Deep-Deep-Deeper-" Seth cried, feeling his stomach clench up, his cock purple and rearing to come again. He felt weak, no longer able to brace himself properly, Roman bottomed out hard, barely losing contact as he rolled his hips, fucking.

"Don't come yet," Roman breathed, “keep it ‘n.”

"I CAN'T!" Seth babbled, exasperated. His breath caught in his throat as Roman groaned, likely finally coming unwound. Seth yelped as he felt his balls seize up with an intense irregular pulsing, stronger than an orgasm, but short. Everything was sensitive, hot, overbearing. It was the last thing he was expecting when he'd driven over to hang out that evening, but it was incredible.

"Fuck."

Roman sank down, resting his head in the crook of Seth's neck. Seth whimpered, feeling his hard cock laying warm against Roman's stomach, still eager and manic.

"Oh lookit ya," Roman said. "Ya held it in."

Seth panted, his hair a tangled, humid mess. He almost felt seasick, his whole world rocking back and forth while his crotch tingled like static electricity. Carefully, lovingly, Roman rolled the cock ring away, freeing him.

“It’s-” Seth tried, feeling lightheaded. “It’s sensi-”

He cracked his eyes open in time just to see Roman’s mouth close around his traumatized dick, sucking him deep before flicking his eyes up to regard him dangerously.

Seth came again, and he would have clearly warned Roman if he’d had any notice. His whole body quivered at the sight of his boyfriend's mouth stuffed up with cock and all he could do was breathe jaggedly, wincing and shaking along to the sensation.

"'M sorry-" he apologized as soon as he could, feeling enormously guilty as Roman drew back, running a hand through his beard and swallowing thickly. A strange look on his face.

"It happens." Roman licked his lips sourly. He chuckled, brown eyes surveying Seth's body, splayed out across his mattress like crime scene evidence. 

It had been pretty intense for a regular lovemaking session, and while Seth was sure he was the more physically fit one of the pair, Roman seemed to be having an easier time recovering. He got up, strutting around commando to clean and put away all the toys. Seth just lay, feeling a little cold and weak, unable to articulate the sensation that was numbing his brain.

"You good?" Roman asked, eventually sinking down beside him to put a huge hand over his chest, rubbing carefully. "I didn't hurt ya?"   


"'m cold," Seth mumbled, rubbing his hands together. Roman tutted, pulling up the blankets at the foot of the bed and spooning him mercilessly. Seth welcomed the touch, pulling his hand around the thickness of Roman's arm, feeling warmer as soon as kisses were pressed against his the back of his skull. 

It had been a really nice evening for just the two of them. Dean had kept them company through dinner before heading out to the library and Roman had served them all some pot roast from a crockpot that had been going all day. Good food and sex was enough to make Seth's day, but laying in bed with Roman and being snuggled took the cake.

It was weird too, because Seth had never thought he was much of a cuddler.

"I bet a shower would warm you up," Roman rumbled behind him, pushing Seth's tangled mane of hair to the side. 

"Maybe," Seth sniffed, blinking. "When was Dean gunna get back?"

"In a little bit, probably." Roman craned his neck to see the display on his bedside clock. "He left a little later so he might stay a lil' later."

"Did you ever figure out… what he does?" Seth asked, remembering suddenly. "Cause he goes every Wednesday, right?" 

Dean had left them after setting his plate in the sink, hugging them both brusquely as they sat around the kitchen island. He'd pulled on his leather jacket and grabbed  a little canvas bag before he left. Thinking about it, Seth remembered it looked like the same bag that had been suspect when they'd been packing up the car to go to Miami.

"I figured he just looked… at books?" Roman said, sounding unsure of himself. They laughed lightly. "I dunno, I bet he likes to just see that friend of his, right? Maybe he reads to kids or somethin'."

Seth scratched his nose, wondering if it was worth telling Roman about how Dean had ripped the bag out of his hands like it contained his darkest secrets. He didn't want to sound like he was being paranoid, but it still seemed weird.

He held his tongue until they'd gotten into the shower and Roman was handing him body wash. Roman frowned, listening and dripping as Seth talked through what he recalled, lathering up his hands and staring at the floor of the tub.

"I dunno, I mean-" Roman shrugged. "I actually try not to talk to him too much about it… I sorta wanted him to have his own thing that I wasn't apart of, since he's livin' with me and all..."

Seth tried to put it out of his mind. They'd been dating less than a week, it was a  _ little  _ early to be getting suspicious and broody over things that had yet to become problems. Dean had every right to go do things on his own time without having to ask for permission.

He'd partially forgotten that he'd neglected to take Kevin outside before coming over, so Seth hastened to get dried off and clothed so he could make his way home. 

"You want a hat?" Roman offered, tossing him a beanie from his jacket pocket. "Your hair's all wet."

"It's… fine." Seth laughed, examining the lettering across the front, a logo for Georgia Tech. 

"Don't want ya to freeze," Roman muttered. "I read somethin' about a frost warning."

"I'm from Iowa," Seth snickered. Roman tugged the hat down over his head anyway, snickering at Seth's expression. It was nice actually, his hair was so thick it was still damp enough to chill. Brown eyes met brown and Seth licked his lips, grinning. Roman patted his back, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll see ya tomorrow. I love ya."

"Love you too." Seth kissed him back. "Say g'night to Dean for me."

It was Florida-cold outside, but Seth felt warm before he'd even turned the heat on in his car. His ass was a little loose and sore, but his whole body smelled like Roman's expensive haircare products. The three had mutually agreed that they should figure out a night that would work for all of them each week so they could do a sit down dinner. It gave Roman the opportunity to dote on them in an acceptable way, and Seth and Dean were never picky. 

Good news continued to pour in as Seth checked his phone, seeing a text he'd missed from his mother.

**Sent you a flight that we want to book! Please look at it ASAP so we can buy it!**

**Love, Mom**

"Heck yeah," Seth muttered, turning on his car and finding a song to listen to on his stereo. It was weird to imagine going home and being in Davenport again, but he knew he really needed to do it. He'd have to call up Jimmy and see if they could go snowboarding in Andalusia or something.

There was always Marek as well, but then, he still wasn't sure how weird that would be…

The frost didn't come, and by the next morning the weather was sunny again. Seth triple checked to make sure he had the appropriate time off before texting his mother that he was positive he could travel. Cesaro was messaging him as well, wondering if he could make a WOD class after guarding.

White Water wasn't very busy for a weekday morning, but the lobby was a mess of string lights and garlands on the floor. Sami was assisting Enzo and Alexa, who were each on ladders, trying to coordinate hanging holiday decorations.

"Oh wow," Seth laughed. "Isn't this kinda… a hazard?" He put his hand on Enzo's ladder that was shaking a little, uneven on the floor rug in front of the lobby desk.

"I'm a G," Enzo grunted. "Besides, me and doll ain' gunna take much longer."

"We still have all of this and then the banner," Alexa sighed, irritated. "Sammmmmiiiiii…. I need more staples."

Sidestepping the array, Seth made his way down through the locker room to change. He had switched shifts with Charlotte so he could work with Cesaro in P-Pool. Really, he wanted to tell Hunter to just stick them together any chance he could. The time passed by so much faster when he had a friend.

Coming into the pool, Neville and Dana were on the stand, surveying a mostly empty area. They waved to him as he came by and Seth waved back, stopping when he saw the same small, blonde haired man he'd seen the other day. He was sitting on a stool in front of the office, looking lost.

Inside, AJ was standing by the door and Dean was talking animatedly, looking pissed off.

_ Yikes, _ Seth thought. He was curious about what was happening, but also didn't want to get anywhere near the dramatics. "You… been helped?" he asked the man who was sitting, not really sure if he was the cause of all of it.

"Mr. Styles just said it would be a few moments." He shrugged, eyes wide and overly apologetic. "I'll be okay, thank you."

Luckily Cesaro arrived in good spirits, bearing large coffees and his usual warm smile. They relieved Neville and Dana just as a school group arrived, eager and excited to swim. It always took a few reminders and whistle blows to round up the kids and run through the rules of the pool. Seth left the discussion to Cesaro, who, despite his insistence that he  _ didn't _ , always charmed the pants off of the teachers and the students. 

"If we blow the long whistle, we all have to get out, okay? Very loud, but very important," he said sweetly.

Seth conducted the deep end tests, recognizing a few of the students that he'd guarded for when they came into the pool with their families.

"I always know it's him because his hair is yellow on one side!" one of the older girls chattered to her friend.

"Blonde! Blonde not yellow." Seth pointed to the opposite side of the pool. "Down and back girls."

They swapped and Seth sat in the guard stand, picking at his blonde patch, slightly dismayed. It didn't look particularly attractive anymore, but he didn't want to keep dyeing it for such an exorbitant amount each month. Cutting his hair was the last thing he wanted to do, so he was sure he was probably just going to have to deal with it until it was grown out. 

The kids were rowdy and Seth blew his whistle a few times, discouraging rough housing. The teachers weren't taking a very active role, sitting on the benches with a few non-swimming students. It wasn't too bad, mostly the noise just got annoying after awhile, excited voices and yells bouncing off the walls and made his head throb. 

Looking over his shoulder, AJ and the man who had been sitting outside had left. Cesaro was walking back and forth, holding the tube under his arms, watching the children queue to jump off the diving board.

"Quit splashing," Seth instructed, wincing as he caught a bunch of water in the face. A couple of boys looked up, marginally apologetic. 

Behind him, Seth could hear the office door swing open. He turned just in time to catch Dean storming out, pulling on a hoodie and clutching his cigarettes. Seth frowned. 

He couldn't think too hard on what was happening, there was too much going on to be distracted. Seth paced, breaking up some rough play on the opposite side of the pool. He'd catch up with Dean later- the group was scheduled to swim for just another half hour.

That was, assuming nothing went wrong.

"Nate can't do that-" One of the boys pointed to the deep end. Seth blinked, frowning. "Lifeguard! He can't!"

"What?" Seth turned, sure it was just some boys stealing goggles or screwing around. His heart dropped however when he realized they were pointing to a boy who hadn't been swim tested on the diving board. He jumped, and two boys screamed.

"Cesaro!" Seth called. He fumbled quickly, blowing his whistle long and looking to the swimmers in his own section. Cesaro froze, eyes darting until he realized the trouble. He leaped into a wide stride jump. The kids stared.

"Out of the water! Out!" Seth yelled, blowing his whistle again. The teachers had sprung up, hurrying to shepherd the children to their towels to wait. Seth watched, sweeping the bottom of the pool with his eyes as the area was cleared. In the confusion, Cesaro easily grabbed the young boy, pulling him up onto his tube. He was conscious, scared and upset, but breathing.

"He's deaf," the teacher explained quickly. "He hasn't been here before-"

"Gee, maybe you think you should have told us that?" Seth said angrily, unable to contain himself. Cesaro helped the boy to the wall, assisting him out of the water as he cried. There was no one in the office, so Seth grabbed the walkie talkie. 

"I need a staff person from the front in P-Pool."

The boy, Nathan, was alright. Cesaro and Sami knew a little sign language, but the teachers went to grab the boy's hearing aid so they could fill out an incident report accurately. The rest of the children went to go change, upset that their swim time was over for the day. 

"Well,  _ someone's _ got a shot at employee of the month," Chris drawled to Cesaro, tapping his clipboard with his pen. Cesaro just sighed into his towel, trying to dry his face. He was sopping wet.

"I can't believe they wouldn't tell us something like that." Seth sniffed, looking dismayed. P-Pool was mostly empty but Baron had come down from the adaptive pool to give them a quick break. "Like, if the kid can't hear the rules, how the hell's he gunna follow 'em?"

"You should always ask them those sorts of things really," Chris said meaningfully. "Sometimes they have students that don't speak English either, or they might have asthma or epilepsy. I always ask-"

"Right, well,  _ thank you _ Chris. If that is all, I am going to go and get dried off," Cesaro said, slightly snippy. Seth held back a grin, as annoyed as they both were, it was kinda funny to see his friend get mad.

"Yeah, be back in ten," Seth added, grabbing his water bottle. They made their way to the locker room.

Cesaro was fine, cool and collected as usual. Seth knew some guards got really shook up after performing a rescue, but it had all been really straight forward.

"That would be cool if you won employee of the month though." Seth shrugged. "I wonder when they're gunna announce that?"

"At the inservice I think." Cesaro tugged on a dry guard shirt. "They are going to tell us about the holiday party too."

Wanting to use part of his time to catch up with Dean, Seth breezed by the back exit and the lobby area, trying to see if he could catch his boyfriend coming back from a cigarette. The decorations were finished and everything was covered in shiny garlands and baubles, but Dean was nowhere to be found.

"I think he is upstairs maybe?" Cesaro shrugged, sensing Seth's thought process. He blushed, watching Cesaro fill up his thermos from the water cooler. 

"Hey, you guys." Kevin came out the lobby counter, carrying a large plastic jar. "I heard some kid was a sinker!"

"We can't talk about it too much." Cesaro put a finger to his lips. "Liability things."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Kevin waved his hand, extending the jar. "Me and Chris got the secret santa pool all figured out. He didn't have you grab one yet, did he?" 

"Oh, no. He did not," Cesaro said, dipping his hands into the jar and pulling out a small folded piece of paper. "We are doing this for the holiday party, yes?"

"Yup." Kevin shook the jar up before extending it to Seth. "Full house staff that are all on right now."

"What's the cash range?" Seth asked, dipping his hands in curiously and pulling out a piece of paper. Cesaro looked at his own, his expression unreadable.

"Whatever you can manage, nothin' big." Kevin shrugged. "Hunter forgot to do it last year so we wanted to make sure it was gunna happen."

Seth unfolded the paper, unable to stop himself from grimacing.

**CHRIS JERICHO**

* * *

 

"See, that ain'  _ that _ bad," Dean mumbled with food in his mouth. "What the hell am I supposed't do with this?"

Seth sat around the break room table, drinking some pre-workout mix with a Builder's Bar. He'd finished up his shift and had promised Cesaro he’d leave and go workout in a few minutes. He'd shown Dean his secret santa, and was squinting to see the extended piece of paper.

"I'll swap you Bayley." Seth laughed. "I'm serious! I dunno  _ what _ the hell to buy Chris! What kind of music does his band make?"

"Some kind of metal, I dunno." Roman shrugged, digging into a rubbermaid full of pasta salad. 

"Well did you get one of us or something?" Dean asked, looking up to the largest man. "Why aren't you telling us who you got?"

"This happens  _ every _ year. Everyone tells everyone everything and then it all falls apart before Christmas because no one can keep their mouth shut," Roman sniffed. "I didn't get you guys, so don' hold your breath."

"If you got AJ, stick a moldy food container in his office for me, will ya?" Dean snarled. Seth sighed, as it was now, the two men seemed officially at odds with each other.

"His office is my office." Roman laughed. 

The door opened and they all froze slightly, but then it was just Cesaro.

"Almost ready?" he asked. "Do you think I should grab more bars from my house?"

"Almost, we got a few left up there." Seth shrugged.

"Who did you get, Swiss man?" Dean tried, scratching his cheek. Cesaro smiled awkwardly, pulling the piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Just Dolph." He sighed. "Perhaps a gift card this year." 

"Can we do that? I thought there was some rule." Roman frowned. 

"Man, to hell with rules! This is bullshit, why do we do this anyway?" Dean grouched. "Can I say I'm a Jew or something?"

"What?" Roman's eyes widened.

"You know, like Kwanzaa."

"Hanukkah?" Seth laughed. "You mean Hanukkah?"

"Yeah, like... I don't celebrate Santa."

Everyone laughed, but Dean just rolled his eyes, slouching in his chair. The whole business with AJ had mostly ruined his day. He'd complained for nearly fifteen minutes about how AJ was trying to limit his hours so he wasn't going to take any new clients for awhile- leaving the man, Mr. Ellsworth, more or less unable to be assisted. Dean, annoyed but left to deal with the situation, had sat with Mr. Ellsworth for an hour on his insurance website, trying to help him find another PT in his network.

"I better fuckin' get goddamn employee of the month." Dean cursed, wadding up a stray straw wrapper. "Your name came up in the PT search, Swiss man."

"Yes, but I don't do things in the water." Cesaro shrugged. "I wouldn't want Hunter to think that I am scoping out the pools for clients either. Conflict of interest, I think."

Seth felt kinda guilty, leaving Dean in such a bad mood. He pulled his gym bag over his shoulder, looking between the two before standing up. 

"I'll see you guys later." Seth saluted, but Cesaro nudged him playfully before he had the chance to turn around.

"I don't want you to be a bad boyfriend," Cesaro teased. "Should I leave the room? So you may say goodbye?"   


"I'm not... all about PDA!" Seth blustered, turning pink. He sighed, shoving down his bag so he could hug Dean from behind. "I love ya! I love ya both!"

"We love you too." Roman grinned, arms folded. "Good man, Cesaro."

"I try."

"We _done_ here? Are we working out now?" Seth sighed. "I'll see y'all later."

It was getting easier to say those sorts of things, but it still didn't stop giving Seth little goosebumps. Energized and tingling from the pre-workout drink, he punched Cesaro on the arm lightly as they made their way to the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to my American readers. Hope this chapter finds you well!
> 
> <3


	64. Sins and Needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas plans are made! Just how many people are in the Reigns family? The boys go to the doctor. 
> 
> Warning: Needles !

As soon as Seth's New Year's airfare was purchased, he felt a great wave of excitement at the prospect of finally being able to return home. He could safely say that he missed snow, now that he was probably hundreds of miles away from it at any given time. It was nice not having to shovel a driveway in December, but he felt conflicted watching holiday decorations strung around palm trees. Christmas in Orlando was going to be a very different experience, but as he checked his work schedule for the month, his eyes lit up.

Seth had gotten Christmas Eve off, Christmas Day they were closed, and then it was just the weekend, which he typically didn't work anyway. 

"Hey, nice luck! Yeah, I bet Hunter felt all bad about Thanksgiving." Dean nodded. "We're leaving for Pensacola either the twenty-third or that next morning. If you wanted to come-"

"Totally, yeah." Seth grinned. "That is, at least, so long as Rome's family is down."

Roman's family seemed about as eager to have as many people in the house that they could fit. Roman texted his mother about bringing two people and almost immediately, she called him back. Dean and Seth, who were sitting on the couch, looked to each other with smirks. 

"How have we not called him a momma's boy yet?" Dean whispered as Roman answered the phone. Seth just shrugged, watching his other boyfriend stalk back and forth with the phone to his ear, mumbling affirmatives.

"Hey, uh-" Roman put his hand to the screen. "Is it weird... if I put her on speaker? She wanted to talk to you guys."

Seth blinked and Dean snorted, kicking up his feet on the couch over Seth's lap.

"Am I- Can you hear me- oh…" The phone crackled with the sound of Roman's mother's voice. Seth held back a laugh. While the voice was distinctly an older woman’s, something about it seemed distinctly connected to Roman's careful, measured tone. "Is he there?"

"Yeah, we're all here." Roman chuckled lightly, setting the phone down on the coffee table and plopping down in the arm chair. 

"Oh, hello Seth! Hello Dean!" She laughed.

"Hello Mrs.… Reigns…" Seth said, sitting forward so he could be heard better. "It's nice to… talk to you."

Dean muttered his own greeting and Roman's mother laughed.

"I've heard a lot about you, how are you liking Orlando? I bet it's real nice for you this time of year!"

"Y-yeah, it's good," Seth said. "I, uh, I'm meeting my family for New Year’s, so I'll be going home in a little bit here, but I spent Thanksgiving by myself, so I'm really grateful you guys would want to take me in."

"That's what we do!" she said happily. "Dean's been coming all these years, one more person won't hurt. Now, we do our photos on Christmas Eve, so make sure you bring a nice shirt and pants. We'll have a stocking for you and a place to sleep, though it might be a little tight... All three of you will probably be in one room this year!"

"We'll make it work," Dean said lazily, nudging his foot into Seth's side. "Does that mean we get upgraded from the pullout couch?"

"We'll see! We have Nia and her… partner… coming this time too and I don't know if she said they were getting a hotel or not…"

Talking with Roman's mother, Seth got the idea that they might be sleeping head to toe with all the other members of Roman's family. It made sense now, how easily Dean had been absorbed into living at the house. Seth wondered if Roman didn't get lonely, being so used to having company. It  _ did _ seem like they always ended up at his place. 

Once they hung up the call, Seth was still reasonably excited to make the trip, though a little nervous. He had trouble remembering the names of just a  _ few _ people.

"Their house is like, a compound, don’ worry," Dean said, continuing to tickle Seth's side with his foot. "Plus his brother _ literally  _ lives next door, so sometimes the party gets split up between both places and stuff." He scratched his nose. "Not like  _ I _ go over there though, it just gives me quiet time."

" _ Older _ brother?" Seth guessed, looking to Roman. He squinted, sure that he'd probably been told this already, but still wasn’t particularly sure. 

"He's the babyyyyyy," Dean teased, Roman just slid his phone into his pocket. 

"Yeah, my brother Rosey is the oldest," Roman explained, readying his fingers to count off. "He's married to Mandy, and they have Jordan, Koa and Madison. They're all like, in middle and high school now and stuff-"

"They're punks too."

"Shut up." Roman sniffed, "Anyway, then there's my sisters-" he took a deep breath. "Summer and Vanessa, and they're both married and they got two kids each- Summer is married to Trevor, and they have two boys, Milo and Tamar. Vanessa is married to Devon, and she has a little boy named Loto and she just gave birth to Penelope in…" 

"The spring," Dean assisted.

"Yeah, in March." Roman nodded. Seth watched, astounded as Roman continued with his list, rapidly running out of fingers. "Jimmy and Jey are coming too, I dunno about their dad- he might stop by on Christmas day or something, but he keeps busy. But I'aulualo, Afa and Lynn will come, my uncles and aunts. Plus Nia, who's more on the Maivia side of the family, but she's closer with us since they aren't as accepting of her." Roman laughed at the expression on Seth's face. "She's gay and her girlfriend will be coming too, so."

"How in the  _ fuck _ , do you remember all of that?" Seth asked. "Is your family-"

"Catholic?" Roman nodded, laughing his ass off. "I could keep going! There's loads more! Honestly we probably won't know 'till the day of who exactly is gunna show. Shit is always crazy."

"Their house has like eight bedrooms, it's psycho," Dean added. "There's a TV in every room-"

They kept talking and joking, snacking on the slim remainders of Thanksgiving leftovers before they realized the time and had to rush out of the house, hurriedly sliding on their shoes. 

“Who had the first appointment?” Dean asked, pulling on a hat. “Was it you?”

“It’s me.” Roman tossed his hair over his shoulder. “You have your insurance card, right?”

Following their bliss in regards to abandoning condoms, Roman had organized appointments for the three of them to get tested for sexually transmitted infections. It was smart, and Seth hadn’t done it for a long time, so both he and Dean had traded off Roman’s iPad, entering their information to save their time slots. 

It just happened that the easiest to set it up was to go through a sliding-scale fee sexual health clinic downtown. They piled into the Jeep, Dean taking the wheel while Seth sat in the middle backseat, leaning toward the center column. He bounced around on some of the potholes in the road, but he didn’t want to sit back and seem clued out of the conversation.

“What if I have a dick disease?” Dean joked, his fingers toying with the window controls on the driver’s side door. 

“What  _ if _ you had a dick disease?” Roman asked.

“I dunno.” Dean shrugged. “Do they just cut it off?”

“You better not have a dick disease.” Seth sniffed, he didn’t want to mention his free-wheeling with Dean, but then, Roman  _ had  _ swallowed his come just the other day. 

“Yeah, we could have probably been more careful,” Roman said, frowning into his phone. “I mean. Is anyone really concerned here?”

No one said anything and all the men chuckled. The feeling in the air wasn’t wrought with anxiety, but rather, whatever responsibility felt like in action. It was a chore, like getting the oil changed in your car, or taking a trip to the DMV, but it at least had some edge of promiscuity or embarrassment to ponder. 

Following Roman’s advice, Dean parked a few blocks away from the clinic, paying for a meter on the side of the street. 

“This one has protesters sometimes and they’ve been known to spit on your car and shit,” Roman said wisely. “We already look a little weird, all three of us.”

“What could we  _ possibly _ be?” Seth laughed, scratching his beard.

“Gay?”

“I guess,” Dean scoffed. “But then there’s three of us. Triple gay.”

“Whatever’s the most offensive to god.” Seth wrinkled his nose. “I hate those bible beaters.”

There was only a single, old white man outside the clinic holding a sign, wearing a hood and dark glasses to hide his identity. As they walked up the sidewalk, the man predictably looked confused, scrutinizing them carefully.

“Don’t support the murder of children-” he blustered quickly, trying to force a pamphlet into their hands, advertising services for  _ Our Phenomenal Lord Pentecostal Church _ .

“Yeah, thanks man,” Dean said gruffly, grabbing the pamphlet only to drop it on the ground three steps ahead. Seth just pushed it back, not meeting his eyes.

“Isn’t it against the law for them to be on the sidewalk?” he laughed as they entered, striding into the lobby.

The center was mostly empty, with just a few folks waiting in the lobby. One by one, the men checked in at the desk, each taking a clipboard in hand to fill out. Roman sat, leaning slightly on the end table with magazines, lazily checking off boxes. Dean slumped, staring in hard thought. 

Seth just licked his lips, quickly writing in his address and contact information. A very thin white nurse with thick glasses came in to collect Roman first.

“You didn’t tell ‘im…” Dean asked, wiggling his eyebrows and looking to Seth. “Not about… the park...”

“Nah.” Seth shook his head, grinning. “Didn’t want him to get on your case, but then, _well_ , he’s not like an angel _either_.”

“Why, what’d he do?” Dean laughed, looking to Seth, disbelieving. 

“Mister Ambrose?”

A large black nurse wearing purple scrubs trotted out and Dean perked his head up.

“Nothin’ serious,” Seth summarized. “Go pee in a cup.”

“Do I gotta pee in a cup?” Dean raised his eyebrow, looking to the nurse. She just laughed.

“I was going to ask you how you were doing first.”

“I’m ‘k.”

Dean walked away with the nurse and Seth snickered, clipping his pen to the board, staring into the fish tank. 

It had been just a little over a week since Seth had told Roman and Dean that he loved them and they were already going to a clinic and getting checked up on. It was a little weird to think about, that just before Thanksgiving, Seth had been practically worrying himself sick over the whole situation. 

It was like a yoke had been lifted off his shoulders. Looking back, he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t done it earlier. He was just so happy now, even on a minute to minute basis. Was that weird?

_No_ , Seth actually smiled to himself, tracing the lines on his Nike trainers. He hadn’t planned this at all. Coming to Orlando, the last thing he’d imagined for himself was getting a boyfriend again, let alone two, and yet, nothing seemed terribly wrong or bad about it.

_ I’m happy and I like this _ , he thought, sighing and picking at his beard.  _ I don’t want to think too much about it _ ...

After a few minutes, a tiny tan nurse with black hair and long, shining nails came to collect him, slightly enamored with his looks.

“We’ll just have you in room three here.” She tapped her hand against the doorframe, letting him enter first. Seth sat on the exam table, knitting his fingers together in his lap.

They went over the general things, and Seth strained to remember the last time he’d had even a regular checkup. The last physical he’d had was probably when he was in high school for the swim team- making sure he was healthy and fit to compete. 

“Do you use any street drugs?”

“N-” He bit his lip, thinking. “I uh, I actually, well... “ He twiddled his thumbs. “I smoked pot like… a week ago?”

“Anything else?” 

“No.” 

Seth blinked, but the nurse didn’t even bat an eye, typing away at her computer.

“Take any prescription medication?” 

“No.”

“Any allergies?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Do you have any reason to believe you might be at risk or have you had unprotected sexual intercourse in the last ninety days?”

“Oh, uh.” Seth curled his toes in his shoes. He knew he was fine, but the way he was made to answer indicated guilt. “I uh, had sex and he, they, they-” Seth swallowed, blushing. “Yeah... I had sex without a condom...”

The nurse didn’t even seem to register his answer other than continuing to type up his file. He knew he shouldn’t worry, that the facility probably saw people much more at risk and dangerous than himself, but he couldn’t help tripping over his tongue.

After swabbing his gum, she set an HIV test aside, grabbing a plastic bag with a container for liquids. 

“Alright, we’ll just take a sample then.” She handed him the cup. “In the restroom around the corner- the door’s open, and you’ll just set it inside the little flap, okay?”

Seth peed in the cup, washed his hands and returned to his room, feeling vulnerable and unsure, but mostly just bored. He wondered if Dean and Roman had finished already and thought of texting them, but promptly rolled his eyes at himself. They’d been apart for less than fifteen minutes.

“Alright, and then we’ll just check for syphilis.” The nurse re-emerged with a syringe tool and some vials. “How do you feel about needles?”

“I... I’m fine.” Seth shrugged, extending his arm out, then switching as the nurse reached for his right. Carefully, she readied the tool and applied a tourniquet to his bicep. She playfully tapped the muscle after locating the vein and Seth smirked. Just because he didn’t go for women, didn’t mean he couldn’t take a compliment. 

With a single strike, his blood flowed into the vial and she collected several of them before applying a cotton ball to the spot for him to hold.

“Your HIV test was negative, so there’s that.” The nurse nodded, flipping through a sheet of papers on her clipboard. “We’ll make your results available online when we get them back from the lab, but if you don’t get a call from us, you can assume the tests are negative. 

“Awesome, thanks.” Seth grinned, grabbing the literature and holding his right arm daintily. “Have a good one.”

Out in the lobby, Roman and Dean had finished and were sitting together. Before Seth could get too celebratory, glad as ever that he didn’t have a difficult illness to see to, he frowned, realizing Roman looked pale and shaky.

“We-we ok?” Seth’s heart raced. “Uce?”

“I’m fine.” Roman actually smirked, looking up at Seth’s worried expression. 

“Oh, Rome’ hates needles,” Dean explained, tapping at the bandaid on the inside of his own arm. “How many times did they have to stick you?”

“Like, three and’a half.” Roman raised a little dixie cup of juice to his mouth, fingers shaking slightly. “I got big veins, but they’re… slippery.” 

“Oh... that sucks.” Seth sighed, relieved to hear his friend hadn’t received any bad news. “Are you… are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, i got juice,” he said weakly, clearing his throat. “Needles always freaked me out- gettin’ shots when I was a kid, my dad and my brother and two nurses always had to hold me down n' shit. But now, I just like, I can’t look at it? But I  _ still  _ know it’s happening?” 

“Have you ever fainted?” Dean asked curiously, one hand slyly circling his knee, comfortingly. 

“Once, yeah.” Roman rubbed his face. “I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”

They buzzed through a little barbecue place just a few blocks away and all three men ate well, joking and trying food from each other’s plates. Roman seemed to come to life again after a couple of iced teas and insisted that he should drive them all back. Emboldened with test results that indicated good health, Dean immediately crammed himself into the backseat with Seth, who cackled.

“Goddamnit you guys.” 

“I bet we could fit in one seatbelt,” Dean teased, pulling the slack out of the nylon material. “What do you think Uce?”

“I’m not a cab,” Roman grunted. Seth just laughed, watching Dean reach over his lap, trying to buckle them both into place.

“This ain’ comfortable.”

“But now you’re extra safe.” 

“If we get hit, both of our pelvises are going to shatter.”

Dean unbuckled the clasp, but before Seth could wiggle away, Dean maneuvered himself over him, running his hands through his beard and rising to kiss him, capturing his mouth entirely and holding his head close. Without much hesitation, Seth returned the kiss, his eyes going half lidded, lax.

Not to be ignored, Roman began rolling down the windows, blasting wind into the vehicle coming in quick off the highway. Dean growled and Seth laughed.

“Wait till we get home!”

The ride was treacherous because Dean and Seth were practically jacking each other off as they motored on. Roman was obviously pushing it a bit on the speed limit, but Seth did feel a little bad about pawing around and groaning out of his reach. Inside his pants, his cock was hard and sweaty, yearning to be freed. After all the awkwardness of the clinic, there was a sort of urgency to prove how healthy he was.

“Thank god,” Dean mumbled as soon as Roman pulled into the driveway, pressing the garage door opener and passing over the bump of the cement. All three men were giggling, pulling off their seat belts at top speed.

“Let’s  _ not _ fuck in the car,” Roman suggested, turning the key and letting the vehicle die. 

“Kitchen?” 

“Why would we-”

“We have a bed.” Roman laughed. “What were you planning?”

“We haven’t all fucked inna minute.” Dean shrugged. “I don’t care where, I just wanna do it all together.”

The living room was the closest space with carpet and cushions, so they sprang into it, tearing off their shirts and grinning, looking to each other foolishly. 

“I know- I think we should-” Seth tried, balling up his shirt and tossing it, but before he could get the words out, Roman and Dean had both grabbed him by the arm and were tossing him onto the sofa, pulling at his pants. It would have been scary if he wasn’t so enthused. 

“Wha! You guys-” Seth laughed, screaming as Dean tickled his side in his urgency to disrobe him. Roman grunted approvingly, pawing the bulge in Seth’s underwear lovingly. 

“No fair-” Seth panted, stripped to just his socks and underwear. “R-roman, you, you take off Dean’s clothes.”

“Oh is  _ that _ how it’s gunna work?” Roman snorted. Dean just raised his arms out, accepting. 

“C’mon, you heard the man.” 

Once they were all sufficiently exposed, it just became a vicious game of each man trying out different moves and trying to find a rhythm. Making sure the blinds were properly shut, Dean went in to kiss Roman, similarly to how he’d done Seth in the car. Roman growled, flipping him over, which left his own rear exposed for Seth to stick his face in. With great love and care, Seth rimmed him, going slow and shivering at the soft groans it elicited.

Dean’s hands pawed at Roman’s sides, grabbing the give and occasionally sticking a hand down to pet Seth’s head. 

Once they tired, they cycled out. Seth sat up while Dean kneeled, licking his lips to invite a cock into his mouth. Seth shuddered, fisting Dean’s hair while Roman lay beside him, his mouth latching on eagerly to Seth’s nipple, while his hand teased the other.

“Holy shit-” he breathed, a hand on each of his boyfriends head, fisting their hair and panting, all eagerness and appreciation. “Fuck.”

“Don’t flip yet,” Roman mumbled into his chest. “You’r in forrit.”

It was hard not to come, watching Dean’s lips part, bobbing up and down between his thighs. Roman’s mouth was so hot, breathing over his breast, it made him want to scream. Seth blinked fast, thinking hard, trying not to shoot all over the three of them. 

“Let’s-” Dean sniffed hard, wiping his mouth. “Eiffel tower- Eiffel tower up.”

“Oh-oh fuck.” Seth coughed, fisting his dick hard as Dean withdrew. “Oh… I’m... the middle, aren’t I?”

“Who else gives head  _ and  _ ass like you?” Dean purred, slapping him on the thigh. “That cool? You can pick your poison.”

Seth moaned, looking between both rather endowed, uncut cocks. Dean and Roman stood in wait as though posing, trying to help him decide. Seth rubbed his face, trying to be smart, but also playful about his decision. 

“Roman behind, Dean in front.” Seth pointed to each of their dicks in turn, gesturing in the intended direction. “Slow though, I don’t want any tip touching in the middle.”

“Fair enough.” Roman snickered. “We, uh, we’re...” He rubbed his chest, looking carefully to Seth’s ass, considering.

“You don’t have AIDS, right Uce?” Dean chuckled. 

“Well, no, but… the other stuff...”

“I  _ highly _ doubt you have syphilis, yeah?” Seth scoffed. “Now, lube up your damn dick.”

“Damn, okay officer,” Roman said, putting up his hands as he went for the lube in his room. 

“Trust me Uce, you’ll thank him!” Dean laughed, helping Seth get in position with pillows on the floor. “I’ll keep his mouth occupied while you’re gone.”

Seth slapped his thigh back, returning the tease from a moment ago. 

“You were kidding about that gentle stuff, right?” Dean purred, giving Seth’s chin a little shake. “I like seeing you all choked up on my cock.”

“Do I  _ really  _ give better head than Rome?”

“It ain’ a contest.” Dean snorted, pulling on his hair. 

Roman returned and he knelt down eagerly, coating his fingers with lube and working them around Seth’s entrance, sticking him a finger to warm him up. Seth sunk down, groaning into the carpet, that was, until Dean raised him back up again. 

“C’mon darlin’, open up that pretty mouth…”

Dean slid in first and Seth tried his best to work him down tenderly. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, trying to concentrate on a serviceable blowjob while his arms held him steady and upright. He whimpered slightly as Roman began to push in, a little too distracted to be as loose as he’d have liked. Really, Seth was too blissed out to care, happy he was spending their shared day off like a fantasy out of a wet dream. 

“Oh hell,” Roman gasped. Seth wished he could’ve seen the expression on his face, but by the way Dean’s cock pulsed against his cheek, he knew it was good.

“Been a while?” Dean panted, running a hand up and down Seth’s back. “ _ Fuck _ , man.”

“Oh  _ Seth _ ,” Roman sighed, rolling his hips long and slow. “Babe, goddamn-”

Hands met over Seth’s head and he could hear giggling as he worked, keeping his front tight and his backside open. It was a very nice compliment really, to hear both men so simultaneously affected. It was difficult, spit and snot was all over his face, his hair a wild mess as Dean kept messing it up, leaving it wild. His knees ached slightly, but Roman fluffed up his pillow as he saw his thigh tremble slightly.

“I-bet-you-I’m-gunna-” Dean groaned, wiping his hair back. “Fuckin’ come- _ first _ -”

Experimentally, Seth tightened on both ends, trying to see if he couldn’t give the men pause at the same time. He sniffed happily against Dean’s crotch, hearing them both whine, holding tight to each other.

“I’m blowin’ in your-fuckin-mouth-” Dean panted. “Goddamn-”

“I owe’ ya one too Seth,” Roman chuckled darkly, his large hands pulling them as close as possible, grimacing as his asshole fluttered quickly. 

Seth’s own cock was limp, but pooling pre-come. It was too difficult to get off with so much going on, but he could expect a big finale. 

“Oh fuck-” Dean growled harder, Seth could feel his dick harden in his mouth. Roman pumped harder and Seth gagged slightly, made uncomfortable by the might of both men, crashing like two trees cut to fall parallel.

Technically, Roman came first, but Dean gesticulated wildly. Seth moaned as he felt hot come bury itself in his ass, just as it filled up his mouth, making his throat twitch and his ears ring. Seth breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath through his nose as Roman cried out, giving his rear a healthy pat.

“Oh babe.” Roman hugged him around the middle from behind, still attached, sounding off like a broken record. “Oh  _ babe _ -”

“Told ya,” Dean teased. “Ya’ okay?”

The moment Dean’s cock had popped out of his mouth, Seth had sank down, crumpled on his knees, breathing hard. Under his mop of mane, he nodded, trying to revive himself a little. His throat stung.

“Were we gentle enough?” Roman asked carefully. “You sure?”

“‘M fine,” Seth rasped, grinning. He felt dreamy.

Roman went to go get a towel to mop up while Dean kept Seth busy. Disregarding the fact that his dick had just been holstered in his face, Dean kissed him hard, trying to pull him back into reality. Softly, Seth reciprocated, his chest and belly still heaving slightly to make regular breaths, his whole frame was sticky with sweat. 

“Most of this mess is you, damn,” Roman marveled, wiping up droplets of pre-come that had pooled from Seth’s cock during the mayhem.

“Leaky dick.” Seth shrugged, clearing his throat hard. Dean grabbed his cock, making his whole body shiver. Slowly, he started to pump, staring at Seth’s face the whole time. 

“I wanna fuck you bad again, damn,” Dean whispered. “All fuckin’ sexed out like this.”

Seth just purred, eyes nearly shut, mouth slightly agape. His whole body was tingling, he wasn’t even sure if he could come at this point, as exhausted and pulled apart as he was.

“That’s a good ass,” Roman agreed. “Fuck, that thing you do-” he said stupidly, clenching and unclenching his fist. “Yes _ ssssir _ .” 

“I know my ass’is good,” Seth coughed, teasing. “You tell me every time."

“Yeah, well,” Dean faltered, tugging at Seth’s cock faster, making his stomach flutter. “So’s your fuckin’... thighs. So’s your arms.” He licked his lips. “Hard to deal with how damn perfect ya’are.”

Seth giggled, putting his arms over his face. It was too much, he couldn’t stand it. Roman wiped down his bottom and put a hand through his hair, rubbing his scalp sweetly.

“Wanna see you come too babe,” he rumbled, brushing hair away and kissing him upside down. “Get Dean all dirty. Do it.”

Seth swallowed, grimacing hard. Being told when to come was always difficult and anxiety-producing, but it wasn’t hard when he could feel his boyfriend’s hands all over him, massaging. In the corner of his eye, he could see Roman, flushed and sweaty, but clearly enthused with the sight of him. Dean wiped pre-come off of his cock, rubbing it down over his balls and patting his thigh. 

The cramp in his crotch was almost painful after nearly coming previously. Seth squeaked slightly and Roman sank down, kissing and sucking on his cheek as soon as he felt his cock shooting, happily beading up with overenthusiastic spunk. 

“There ya go, all better,” Dean purred, withdrawing his hand. “You good?”

Seth couldn’t answer much more than a low hum, but he felt his front being toweled off expertly, giving his dick a moment to breathe. 

“You want a shower?” Roman asked, sitting beside him, wiping his hair out of his face. 

“Inna’ minute,” Seth managed blearily, swearing under his breath. “You guys fucked my fuckin’ brains out...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals are coming, but I'm not too bothered. After all the stuff I had to deal with this fall, I'm laughing about it. When break comes, I'm hoping to do bi-weekly updates so we the AU and the real-time gregorian calendar match up a little bit. A christmas update on christmas day? Is that legal/safe?
> 
> Thanks for reviewing! Sorry it's a day late, but I think I'm the only one who's actually keeping track so, nyeheheheh. <3


	65. Hot Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Birthdays, Cookies, and Bonuses. Good decisions gone wrong? Or chickens coming home to roost?

**_Seth,_ **

 

**_We're so happy you are following your dreams and ambitions, even though we miss you very much everyday! We can't wait to see you again and hear more about Orlando. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy all of this homemade love. Send us your Amazon wish list ASAP! We can see about getting you something to open on Christmas, not just a plane ticket._ **

 

**_Much love from home,_ **

 

**_Mom_ **

* * *

 

"Oh hell yeah," Seth chanted excitedly, digging into the bottom of the package he'd received, pulling out a huge brick of walnut fudge, a box of sugar cookies, roasted almonds and a tin of popcorn. " _ Fuck _ yes."

Kevin sat up from the couch, head cocked and ears alert. Seth had just been on his way out to work, but had hurried up as soon as he realized he had a package. Few things in life got him as excited as boxes of Christmas sweets lined with tiny candy canes and seasonal Hershey's kisses. 

"Gotta go 'ev," Seth snickered, his mouth occupied with a big iced sugar cookie. He tucked the package under his arm, intent on snacking in the car. 

It was misting rain outside and Seth pulled up the hood on his sweater, coming out from the downstairs garage and turning on his windshield wipers as soon as he pulled out onto the street. His mom's Christmas snacks were the best, easily one of his favorite parts of the holiday in general. Despite working a rather busy day, Seth wasn't concerned, knowing that he had plenty to be excited about.

Being in a relationship again was part of it. Seth's metabolism, body or  _ whatever _ it was, was being spoiled with seeing so much of his boyfriends. Being sexually satisfied so often meant that it took some self control to calm himself down whenever he was in their presence. The act of going to Roman's house now meant he was likely going to get fucked, so often times, he was sporting wood just driving in the direction of his house.

Thinking about one or both of them inevitably led Seth to daydreaming about getting speared on both of their cocks simultaneously, which was horrible to imagine at work, wearing a tight speedo.

Aside from the overly energetic mental state, his ass was getting well worn as well, not used to taking so much so often. Seth’s rear was always a little out of whack after fucking Dean, but he outright waddled for a few hours after taking Roman. Too much too fast, he knew he was liable to tear, so he tried his best to relax and give his bottom a break. 

Putting sex out of his mind for a moment, Seth sighed, thinking about how he was going to was wrap up the last set of lessons for the session that day. Since taking on the extra classes because of Finn's injury, it was a spot of relief to have his schedule be more regular again. Teaching was fun and Seth liked doing it, so he felt it was a little odd no one had come up to him yet, telling him what his next assignment was. 

"We  _ done, _ " Dean had explained when he'd asked. His boyfriend raised his hands to the heavens, gratefully, rolling in his office chair. "End of the fiscal year. Shit'll start back up again in mid January. There's always privates and physical therapy stuff, but no big lessons."

So Seth went into his last real teaching day of the year full of happy, sugary energy. He did a half-shift with Sasha in P-Pool for two hours to cover a school group coming in, and shared some fudge with her.

"Big inservice tonight," She murmured after Dana and Alexa came in to relieve them. "I was gunna go home and run some errands quick beforehand, but I don’t wanna be late ‘cause they're gunna talk about the holiday party."

"When is that normally?" Seth asked, sucking on fudge as he took off his whistle and stowed his tube. "Befor' 'r aft'r christmas?"

"Usually the weekend before, I think."

Dean was in his office, tearing off end-of-session report sheets and attaching them to the different teacher's clipboards. Seth shut the door behind him, intent on offering him sweets. Without any pretenses of greeting, Dean reached out and grabbed his rump, giving it a nice squeeze.

"Do you want any cookies?" Seth asked, blushing and holding the box out from under his arm. "My mom makes 'em good."

"In a sec," Dean mumbled, softly kneading his hind end. Seth just blushed harder, but continued to snack, standing stock still, trying to pretend like he wasn't phased by the roving hand.

"I suppose you and Rome got a nice lil' break comin' up, right?" Seth offered, flexing his buttock. "Don't have to worry about class stuff?"

"Kinda," Dean spanked him lightly, withdrawing his hand to accept a cookie. "But then we got all of these data sheets we have to fill out, shit like that. Gotta do end of year reports." 

“Did you come up with anything for your Secret Santa gift yet?” Seth sighed, thinking to his own miserable pick. “I dunno what the hell I’m supposed to get Chris, but if I have time tomorrow, I thought I’d go and look at the mall or something.”

“I ain’ figured mine out either. If i finish this stuff up in time, I’ll go.” 

Seth's Pike, Ray, and Flying Fish students were all eager and positive about their last days, making a good effort to work through the last of their skills and pass on to the next skill level. Aiden's mother brought all the teachers Christmas cookies as well, making him blush while the students griped about not getting any treats. 

For his older students, Seth drilled them through the various forms for kicking, working up to doing a full stroke while he checked off marks on their sheets. For the younger classes, he took them back and forth between the shallow and the deep, testing their endurance for a front crawl. 

"Did I pass?" Brandon, a sandy haired little boy asked at the end of the session. He trotted over to where Seth was sitting on the bench, dripping water all over his papers. Seth smirked, handing him his little report card, marked with the appropriate amount of stickers. Brandon bounced happily, elated to progress to the next level. 

"What do you say?" Brandon's father put a towel around his small shoulders, drying him off.

"Thank you Mister Seth."

"You're welcome bud, good job!" Seth nodded, then looked to his father. "Have a Happy Holidays! We'll see you next year."

He soaked in the hot tub upstairs for a little while, content to sit in the warm water instead of showering, only to enter the pool again later for the inservice. Tying his hair up high on his head, Seth sat alone, humming with delight at the feel of the jet on his back, massaging his tired muscles. Pulling off his rash guard, he eventually sank deeper, closing his eyes and dipping down so his beard was soaking.

Mind always teetering around the gutter, Seth remembered when he and Dean had made out here, still new and awkward around each other. Thinking back, it had seemed like so long ago- he’d been so shy and skittish. 

“Hey,” the familiar low tone of Roman echoed off the tile, just audible to be heard over the whirlpool jets. Seth’s eyes blinked open and he rose from the water slightly, looking around.

“What’s up?”

“I wanted to catch you-” Roman grinned, “Nothin’ crazy, it’s just sorta ‘a secret, well-” he licked his lips, and Seth shifted. “Dean’s birthday.”

“It’s his birthday?” His eyes widened.

“No, no, not till Wednesday.” Roman laughed. “He wouldn't've told you, he’s not into self promotion like that, but he’s gunna be twenty-eight and I’m gunna make him his favorite cake like I do every year.” 

“That’s… hilarious.” Seth grinned. 

“Whatever,” Roman rolled his eyes. “But he’s gunna be at the library Wednesday so I thought I could bring it there. Would you wanna come with me?”

“Of course.” Seth nodded, making to get out of the hot tub. “He really didn’t say a word about it… That’s so weird…”

“He’s just Dean, ya know.” Roman tossed him his towel. “Hasn’t had that many birthday’s worth remembering, so I just try to do something simple for ‘im.”

“When’s your birthday?” Seth toweled off his chest and grabbed his water bottle and his rash guard. It only just occurred to him that he should probably be aware of these things. Roman paused, turning pink.

“May 25th.”

“For real? C’mon, I’m the 28th!” Seth’s eyes narrowed. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven.”

“Christ, I really  _ am _ the baby.” 

“You thought you were older than  _ me _ ?”

They laughed their way back toward Roman’s office, coming through the adaptive pool where Baron was guarding and AJ was in the water, conducting a private lesson of some sort. The moment they entered the deck, AJ looked up at them curiously, perhaps slightly annoyed with how loudly their voices carried across the water.

“AJ, I was going to head out in a moment, you cool with me just leaving that spreadsheet open for you to edit?”

“That’s… fine…” AJ nodded. “Did you listen to those messages on your machine?”

“There was just the one from Mrs. Bass, I wasn’t going to mess with it until tomorrow because I’m waiting on an email from Steph anyway. Don’t worry about it.”

Seth hovered for a moment before following after Roman into his office, not bothering to try to wave at Baron or mumble something to AJ. He wasn’t really sure why he was loitering around, except for the fact that there was still some time before the inservice.

“I have Christmas cookies downstairs,” Seth offered. “Fudge and stuff. If you wanted any.”

“Fuck, I shouldn’t,” Roman sighed, pulling his keys and phone off of his desk and pulling a sweater over his official company polo. “I get chunky in the winter, never go to the gym as often as I’m supposed to.”

“Come do some Crossfit with me sometime!” Seth offered. Roman just squeezed his hair bun affectionately. 

“Not on your life.”

More and more employees were gathering downstairs and Seth sat on the pool deck after he saw Roman off. Cesaro, Sasha, and Bayley all came through and got changed, each eagerly dipping a hand into his cookie box, sneaking snacks in the corner lest nobody become jealous.

“Just what I needed before swimming,” Cesaro joked, licking fudge off his fingers. 

“Gotta have sugar,” Seth shrugged. He actually had to shut the lid at some point, he was starting to get a little buzzed. Hunter, Dolph and Randy came on the deck, impatient as ever to get started. Bayley grabbed the sign in sheet and scrawled down their names. 

“Where’s Dean?” Sasha asked him as they started to congregate with the rest of the staff. Seth squinted, looking around. He didn’t have his glasses, but Dean’s shaggy blur was nowhere to be found in the crowd.

“Office, I guess.” He shrugged. “I mean, he’s kinda senior staff, right? He probably gets a pass every now and then.”

“Talking first? Or later?” Hunter asked, loosing his tie and looking to the group, eyebrow raised. 

“Later!” Everyone agreed, grinning.

“500 yard freestyle, two minute tread and 100 compressions on the dummies.” Hunter pointed to some CPR dummies in the corner on mats. “Go ahead.”

Dean wasn’t around throughout the whole fitness portion, but Seth tried to put it out of his mind. Hunter stood on the deck with Randy and Dolph, half watching. Finn had shown up as well, but was still caught up in a sling, fully clothed. Even Kevin was on the deck for some reason, loitering around and being sociable. 

“Can I share your lane?” 

Seth looked around. Chris was standing over him, wearing a tight fitting speedo. Seth shrugged, it wasn’t really up for debate. Cesaro and Neville were in his lane too, people were just jumping in wherever they could.

“Yeah man, it’s whatever.”

“Thank you.”

Chris kicked up water at a slow pace, his toes splashing Seth’s face every time he surfaced for air. Eventually, Seth just cut in front of him, easily making a much faster pace.

He finished middle of the pack, timing his CPR compressions almost exactly with Cesaro. They were racing each other like usual, but at least for today, they seemed easily matched.

“Got n’sync over here-” Enzo joked, panting as both men finished the fitness portion, returning to their feet. 

“We’ll meet over by the shallow end for the talking piece,” Dolph instructed, fanning his hand toward the other side of the pool. Seth nodded, just slightly out of breath, he grabbed his towel and trotted to sit on the deck, plopping down against the wall. He adjusted the front of his trunks carefully, crossing his legs on the tile surface.

Since Roman had surprised him upstairs, he’d been feeling annoyingly frisky and fidgety. Was all of this a really bad idea? Dating your co-workers? Seth hadn’t imagined everything being so…  _ uplifting _ , but then, he’d forgotten he worked a job in which everything was skin tight and wet. 

“What were you going to do tonight?” Cesaro asked, wiping water from his eyebrows. 

“Hnn? Oh,” Seth sighed, blinking. “Not much probably. Walk the dog, the usual.”

“There is open studio time at the box if you wanted to lift a little,” Cesaro offered. “I wanted to work on my kettlebell forms. I have a test coming up.”

“I’ll pass.” Seth chewed the inside of his cheek, still looking around for Dean. “I’ll be pretty wiped out by the end of this anyway.”

“Ok-” Hunter began, striding over with his clipboard just as Sheamus and E sat down. "Just a couple of things. But first off-" He smirked, looking to the whole group. "Employee of the Month."

"Well, it  _ cannot _ be Dean or Sami," Cesaro murmured, "They are not here…"

"You guys gotta remember,  _ everyone _ is eligible." Hunter laughed, turning to Kevin and clapping him on the back. "Two weeks and, as you may have noticed, we had no issues with hot water in the men's locker rooms!"

"I saved a kid!" Cesaro said indignantly as Hunter handed Kevin an envelope with his bonus. Everyone else clapped half-heartedly, nodding to Kevin. 

"Everyone did a great job this month, you should all be proud." Hunter looked to Cesaro pointedly. "Next month, the parking spot will be up for grabs again, so just keep up the good work."

They talked about some of the usual tedious things, clarifications on rules and the customer service quandaries. Apparently Hunter had run into Xavier at the grocery store and he was wearing his lifeguard shirt, so they all got a proper talking-to about professionalism. Some notices about shift changes and the break room fridge had Seth was tapping his heels on the deck, ready to be finished.

"And the  _ holiday _ party-" Hunter said, flipping to the end of his sheet. "Will be on the 19th, Downtown at the Citrus Club. Everyone gets one guest, and it's a fancy night! Dress up a little. There's a dress code downstairs, so make sure you look like you belong."

"And we'll be doing the Secret Santa-" Chris cut in, standing up and looking at everyone meaningfully. "So have your gifts ready that night!"

"Yes,  _ please _ ," Hunter nodded. "As of right now, I can't be shifting around the holiday schedule much more, so please be attentive to your shifts. You guys are all rockstars though, we'll be in the new year before you know it!" 

There wasn't any additional skills practice scheduled, which Seth was privately thankful for. All of the management team looked apathetic, waiting for January to be properly serious about things again. Even though his skin felt dry and flakey and his hair was beginning to starch up from the chlorine, Seth wanted to poke his head into the P-Pool office and see if he couldn't find Dean.

"You looking for your dude?" Sasha asked, watching Seth poke his head over the first aid cabinet. "He went upstairs."

"Oh, heh, thanks." Seth grinned sheepishly. "I just wanted to… ask him… something…"

Sasha just rolled her eyes, laughing as Seth wrung out his hair and toweled off quickly, jogging up to the next floor to the landing leading to the adaptive pool. The fluorescent lighting hummed loudly, but the area was still quiet compared to the echoing voices from downstairs. 

The lights in the adaptive pool were dimmed, the water still as Seth wandered to the office where he could see the lights were still on. Peering through the glass window on the door, Seth could see Dean slouching over Roman's computer, sitting backwards on the office chair, typing away.

"Too cool for the meeting?"

"Yuuuup." Dean grunted, looking back and forth between a physical sheet of paper and the excel document. "Thought I'd get this shit finished. It pays the same."

"Well we didn't really even do anything," Seth sighed.

"Yeah, Randy told me it would be a wash."

Seth came up behind him, resting his chin on his shoulder, trying not to let his wet hair rest on his shirt.

"I've been horny all day and it sucks."

"Hmmm." 

Dean blew a raspberry on his cheek, winding his arm around to pat Seth's side, sighing deeply.

"I'm serious, it sucks."

"It does suck. If only we could  _ do _ something about it." 

Seth giggled, shivering slightly. The AC in the room was blowing hard and he only had his trunks on, his skin was quickly starting to goose pimple.

"If only it wasn't raining outside you mean," Seth muttered, kissing Dean's shoulder. "Too chilly to hit up our usual spot."

"Sit down here, I'm almost done." Dean patted his lap. Smiling, Seth lightly laid his backside on top of Dean's thigh, letting Dean awkwardly pop his head under his armpit to see the computer. 

"I could help if you wanted."

"Nah, s'all typin'"

"Do you like doing office work?"

"Not really."

Seth scanned down the monitor, watching Dean's cursor pound in dates and payments by student's names. After a few minutes, he came to the final cell, punching in  _ 134.88 _ before pounding the save-floppy button. Seth ground his ass against Dean's leg, purring.

"Wet booty," Dean teased, examining the damp imprint on his leg. Seth turned, looking to Dean devilishly before tapping his chin, demanding a kiss.

It was a little awkward, but Dean helped, encouraging Seth to shift into him fully so he could sit across his whole lap comfortably. Seth traced Dean's jaw with his fingers carefully, feeling all the little hairs that had started to come in, a sweet, gingery, beard. Dean was mostly quiet, but Seth knew he'd been busy all day, was probably still distracted now, thinking about work.

"Why's this so  _ tight _ ," Dean whined, pulling his fingers into Seth's speedo trunks, cupping his ass. " _ Ungh _ ." 

"Crossfit."

"I meant your clothes."

They just continued making out, kissing sweetly and groping as much as was possible. It would be a little tricky, but Seth's heart raced as the idea of being fucked against a desk or right down on the carpet- all nerves and immediacy. If there was any lube around, he'd gladly go for it.

"Ngh, damn," Dean hummed, digging his fingernails into Seth's backside fondly. "Mmm-"

"You should take your shirt off…" Seth whispered playfully, giving Dean's ear a flick with his tongue. 

Something shifted in his periphery and Seth's heart dropped as he heard the door click before opening. Both men froze, breath hitching as AJ walked into the room, color draining from his face. 

Seth's hand had been dancing above Dean's cock just moments before, his ass falling out of his trunks. Beneath him, he could feel Dean shiver, similarly affected. No one said anything for all of three seconds.

AJ's face went from shocked to embarrassed, mortified, and then to outraged in less time than it would have taken for him to walk over to them. Without speaking, without the ability to  _ form _ words, he stormed off, slamming the door behind him. 

Neither man moved, both similarly horrified. Out of everyone at White Water, the last person Seth would have wanted barging in was AJ Styles. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late! School, or something...
> 
> Review if you liked it! >:)


	66. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dread, discomfort... dishonesty? What's the deal with AJ Styles?

It had taken a moment for the situation to wash over them, but crashing back to earth, Seth began to panic. He stood up, grabbed his towel and threw it over his shoulders, pacing. He couldn't go downstairs and risk running into AJ again. What could the man possibly do? What if he was telling everyone  _ right now _ ?

"Fuck, that was  _ so _ stupid," Seth said, his hands shaking. Dean looked troubled, but continued to sit, his knees rocking back and forth anxiously.

"I'll talk to him about it tomorrow…" Dean sighed, unsure. "It'll be fine."

"Or it could be  _ not _ fine!" Seth shook, running his hands through his hair. "What if he tells Hunter? We could get fired!"

"We're not getting  _ fired _ , look-" Dean shook his head. "He's probably gonna yell at me about professionalism and not even come near you. Don't stress out too much about it. He only reacted like that because he's some stiff church dude that has beef with me."

"Yeah, but-" Seth's head began to spin and his chest hurt. He winced, rubbing his eyes. "He'll tell- He could tell on you or me or-"

"So what?" 

"I don't wanna lose my job!" Seth yelled, feeling tears in his eyes. He was actually starting to feel dizzy; he grabbed the corner of the desk, shaking badly. 

"Okay, okay, let's just… calm down…" Dean sighed, walking to his side. "Where's your stuff at? Your locker?"

It took some calculated, even breathing to stop himself from rolling deep into a full blown panic attack. Roman's office suddenly seemed stifling and horrible. Dean offered to go grab Seth's things so he could change upstairs, and then they could sneak down the stairwell to the back exit and make their escape without being seen. It was a little ridiculous, but Seth wasn't really sure what he looked like- his hair was dry and crunchy from the pool, his skin freezing and bare. Running into his friends or his boss might be enough to illustrate some fishiness. 

"Thanks," Seth sniffed, grabbing his bag and throwing his clothes on over his swim suit, not bothering to take them off. 

"You… good?" Dean asked carefully, already pulling out a pack of cigarettes. 

"No, but I'm fine," Seth said quietly, tying up his hair. "I don't… I dunno…"

"You can come stay the night if ya want," Dean offered. "Might not be a bad idea, just in case somethin' comes up."

The 'something' turned out to be two separate phone calls. Dean and Seth both drove to Roman's house in their respective vehicles, but Dean sat in his Jetta for several minutes after they arrived, parked on the street. When Seth walked up, he looked pale, chain smoking.

"Yeah, I'll be there. No sweat." Dean exhaled long, smoke curling in front of him. Seth watched from outside the door, stomach turning. The window was rolled down and Dean's eyes flickered over Seth momentarily. "Sorry about all this, we'll get it figured out."

He hung up and flicked his cigarette, cursing. 

"There's gonna be a talk or somethin'. We'll see how bad it is." 

Seth's phone began to ring on cue and he felt faint again, wincing as his device vibrated cruelly in his pocket. Dean opened the door, offering him a spot to sit in the passenger's seat. He sat, drawing out his phone. Hunter's contact information shone horribly bright through the darkness.

"H-Hey-" Seth managed, holding his cell to his ear. 

"Hey Seth, I was calling about an incident that occurred this evening with you and a fellow employee. Do you have a minute?"

"Y-yeah." Seth swallowed. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Okay, I'm going to have you come in early tomorrow and talk with me and the management team about this, but I wanted to know if you'd read the employee policy handbook that I gave you when you were hired."

"Y-yeah," Seth breathed, "I… I still have it, I read it."

"Okay, so you believe you're aware of White Water's policies regarding sexual harassment and workplace professionalism?" 

"Yes," Seth whispered. He was getting fired, he  _ knew _ it. All because he was a stupid impulsive idiot.

"Alright, well, we'll be discussing all of this in a meeting tomorrow before your shift. You'll need to come in at seven-thirty, can you agree to that?"

He wobbled through the rest of the call while Dean sat next to him, lighting another cigarette and taking long drags. His voice held steady, but tears fell down Seth's cheeks in spite of his attempts to blink them away. Dean held out his hand and Seth grasped it firmly, swallowing hard.

"If you can't come at that time, please give me a call. This is serious, okay? We'll see you in the morning."

"Ok, thank you... Mr. Helmsley." 

"Have a good night, Seth."

He hung up his phone and dropped it in his lap, leaning into his hand and sniffing hard. Without much to say himself, Dean just continued to squeeze his hand, massaging little circles into the center of his palm.

"Did they make you swim for hours?" Roman laughed from the kitchen as they came through the front door. "I was about to give you a call!"

"Uh, Uce, we have a situation," Dean said loudly, pulling off his shoes. 

Roman became immediately confused when he realized Seth was with them, looking like he was about to be thrown in front of a firing squad. Abiding by Roman's love of living room conversations, Dean sat down on the couch while Seth followed. Anytime he opened his mouth, he felt like he was going to be sick.

Rather bluntly, Dean explained the situation, giving a pretty fair and balanced assessment of what had transpired. The moment he dropped AJ's name, Roman groaned, rubbing his face.

"So yeah, we're uh, both going in for separate meetings tomorrow," Dean mumbled, foot jangling madly. Seth noticed he was avoiding Roman's gaze slightly, looking at Seth's hand or the floor, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Okay, so," Roman laughed darkly, setting a cup of hot tea down in front of Seth. "You guys uh, you guys messed  _ up _ ."

Seth cried silently, hands trembling around his mug. 

"Well, we sorta  _ knew _ that." Dean snorted. "I still don' think it's gunna be that big a deal. Wouldn'a brought it up except for I brought our boy home too."

"You wouldn't have  _ brought it up _ ?" Roman laughed. "Like I wasn't gunna find out? Like I'm not  _ on _ the management team?"

And, like clockwork, Roman's phone began to ring, Seth shivered, wiping his eyes. He just wanted to wake up, to be done with this whole nightmare. Roman sighed, looking at the contact information before holding the phone to his ear.

"Yeah?" He paused, listening to the other end of the conversation. "I have water tabata at eight, so it'd have to wrap before that." Roman shifted on his heels, looking straight at them as his lip curled. "You don't  _ say _ …"

Dean's eyes narrowed, looking to Roman, annoyed. 

"Yeah, I can be there. It's okay. I'll see you in the AM."

"You could sound a little more sympathetic," Dean scoffed as Roman hung up. Roman blinked, eyebrows raised.

"Look, I'll agree with you, I don't think this is going to be much more than a write-up, but you were grinding on each other in  _ my  _ chair at  _ my  _ computer. What the fuck, you guys?"

"I'm'm sorry-" Seth cried miserably, wiping his eyes. "I'm an idiot… this is all my fault."

"Seth, just don't." Roman rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm not  _ mad _ , you don't need to apologize to me. Clearly it's all happened already and you just need to promise Hunter you're not going to do this again, I just thought you guys had more sense than to be pulling that shit."

"Big fuckin' talker you are!" Dean laughed. "You're trying to tell me you  _ didn't _ fuck Dan in that same office?" 

"Are you gunna bring that up in the meeting tomorrow?" Roman asked, face suddenly stony. Dean froze.

"N-no." 

"Yeah, didn't think so." He paused, looking pointedly to Dean and then to Seth. "You guys were just groping each other, right?" 

"Barely even that," Dean scoffed. "We were fuckin' making out."

"Well then that's that." Roman shrugged, watching, slightly exasperated as Seth blew his nose. "You ok there, Lil' Uce?"

"Y-yeah, yeah." Seth wiped his face off. "I'm- I forgot about Kevin…"

"Go take a shower, I'll run and deal with it," Roman said, standing up. "Dean, can you set up the coffee maker for me?" 

"Uh… yeah," Dean muttered. "Sure."

Seth was grateful for Roman's patience, as well as his expensive conditioners sitting on the floor of his bathtub. Showering felt good, ridding his hair and skin of the parching pool chemicals was helping his mental state greatly. As good as it was to hear his friends’ hopeful assessments, Seth still felt sick to his stomach. He'd never been a 'trouble' employee, always early, always helpful- he didn't want his sterling reputation ruined by a single bad decision. 

He closed his eyes, breathing deep under the warm water. Roman would stick up for him... He'd apologize to AJ and try to smooth things over... After a few weeks, everyone would forget the whole situation...

_...hopefully. _

Someone had left a pair of sweatpants hanging from the bathroom door, but both men had parted to separate rooms, shutting off all the lights in the kitchen and living room. He sighed, looking down to Roman's room at the end of the hall, and then to the guest room where he could hear Dean shuffling back and forth. 

The couch seemed like the most obvious option until Dean strode out, walking to the kitchen to get an ice cream sandwich. He leaned on the wall, taking a bite out of the frozen treat, watching Seth unfold a fleece blanket.

"My bed's a full."

"It's...fine…"

"You sure?"

Seth paused, looking exasperated. Dean snorted and stalked off with Seth following behind mutely, throwing the blanket over his shoulders.

"Uce isn't really mad. He just got pissed I called him out," Dean muttered, tossing a few shirts from the bed to a heap on the floor. "I've gotten written up at work before, it's really not that big a deal."

"What did you get written up for?"

Dean flopped down onto the mattress and patted his breast softly. Seth couldn't help but smile, sinking down and laying his head on Dean's chest. 

"Fuckin' work drama, the usual." Dean sighed, pulling a cover over him and Seth before eating the last bite of his ice cream sandwich. "People tryin' politic an' fuck' ruinin' erry-thing."

He pulled the wrapper away from the bite and a small flick of ice cream landed on Seth's nose. He winced, unable to stop himself from sighing. Without a moment's hesitation, Dean just leaned over and licked his whole nose, making him yelp.

"You're so gross!"

"I ain' gunna waste food."

"Are you even going to brush your teeth?"

"Mmm maybe…"

Seth wiped his nose, the skin turning pink. Dean just pulled him closer, planting a raspberry in his hair as Seth let out a low grumble. 

The two didn't sleep much, too busy kicking the covers around, tossing and turning. They were a little cramped, being two full grown men sharing a smaller space than Roman's massive mattress. But the real problem was the feeling of impending doom over what was waiting for them in the morning, making them both over-hot and sweaty, curled up in the sheets.  

When morning came, Seth was hopelessly tired, aimlessly blinking into his pillow, exhausted. Roman brought them each coffee, already dressed and ready for work while the two of them lay motionless, praying the alarm would delay for a few more minutes.

"Going to be ready in time?" Roman asked, lowering the cups. Dean just nodded dully against his mug, drinking deeply. "I left your dog a lot of food, so he should be set til you get off."

"Thanks." Seth mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I'll be okay…"

"I'll see you there." Roman gave their toes peeking out from under the covers a loving squeeze. 

Seth slammed his coffee as Dean left, then quietly got dressed before he shuffled into the Cadillac. He tried to breathe evenly, blinking hard before pulling on his glasses. The sooner he got it all over with, the better. 

By the time he got to work, he'd received a hurried text, making his whole body go numb.

**Aj just said he saw u guys fucking- so unless u were lying to me just tell the truth. The bullshit alarm is going off in here**

"What the  _ fuck _ ?" Seth laughed out loud, hands shaking as he rubbed his face. He let out a long exasperated yell, directed at his steering wheel. 

Did he do something to make AJ upset? Or was he just caught in the crossfire of the situation? He supposed it was possible AJ was an actual bigot- someone that just wanted anyone he suspected of gayness fired. 

If that was the case, Seth was just as likely to apologize as he was to willingly eat hot sand.

Walking up to the main entrance through the parking lot, his anxiety slowly began to morph into anger. Regardless of whether or not he would have fucked Dean had AJ not happened upon them, it wasn't up to AJ to decide what he'd seen.

Sami waved awkwardly at him as he came in, but Seth's eyes barely flickered away from his line of vision. He was determined now, he'd prove AJ was a liar and get to working the shift he'd been assigned. 

Despite the little wave of bravery, Seth's heart still jittered as he came onto the pool deck, hearing Randy guffaw loudly as he rounded the corner, nudging Dean hard with his clipboard. 

"Man, if you were gunna mess around, you shoulda just done it in the park! Nobody woulda seen that shit!"

Seth shivered hard, wincing as Randy continued to laugh. Through the office window, Hunter looked up, catching his eye. Seth licked his lips, shuffling awkwardly on the spot.

"We're just about ready, Seth," Stephanie pulled the door open, gesturing for him. "Why don't you come in..."

Sighing deeply, Seth wobbled into the office, accepting a seat in the middle of the small room. It was a cramped, over warm spot to have a serious discussion. His hands sweat as he grasped the arm rests, sinking down carefully. Only Stephanie had a clipboard, but Hunter, Roman and Dolph were sitting in front of him. Randy came back through the door giggling, much to Stephanie's chagrin.

"Are we all ready then?" Hunter asked, watching as the man regained his seat, smiling. 

Seth caught Roman's eye. Roman winked. Seth looked down.

"So, we've had separate conversations with the other employees involved, but we wanted to hear your side of the situation as you understand it, Seth," Stephanie said seriously, her gaze focused and unyielding. He nodded, looking to his hands in his lap.

"So-" he began, sounding slightly throaty. He coughed quietly, clenching his fists. 

Carefully, he ran down the events of the previous night. Thinking chronologically, trying his best to keep his voice even and calm. If AJ had constructed some lie, it would be best to tell the truth as exactly as possible. 

"AJ came in… I was sitting... in Dean's lap." Seth cleared his throat, sure he was blushing all down his neck. "Uh, we were both kissing… just, kissing on the lips… AJ looked really shocked and mad and he stormed out."

"Did he say anything to you?" Roman asked, sounding half interested. 

"N-no." 

Randy smirked, while Hunter looked at him seriously. 

"Alright, well," Stephanie sighed, rearranging whatever papers were in front of her. "At this point, based on what we've heard, we're just going to give you a verbal warning today."

"O-oh-" Seth said, his shoulders slumping in relief. 

"We'll have you re-sign this policy-" Hunter offered him a clipboard and a pen. " _ Please _ read it. Regardless of… sexual orientation… we try to run a professional operation here. Whatever you'd like to do on your off time isn't our business… but… at work."

"Absolutely-" Seth blurted, nodding. "I'm really sorry, I just… It was a really regrettable lapse of judgement on my part, this is never going to happen again-"

"Yep, that's why we're just doing a verbal." Hunter shrugged, almost bored. "We appreciate you coming in to clear this up."

The pressure finally lifted from his chest, Seth actually smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. Obviously a verbal warning wasn't fantastic, but it was much better than an outright firing. 

"Aight,  _ well _ ." Randy clapped, standing up. "I'm gunna go back home and sleep now if we're all set." 

"You can go," Stephanie said, looking agitated. "We can do the  _ secondary _ meeting without you…"

With some assurance that everything was squared away, Seth left the office, watching Stephanie and Hunter exchange looks of concern. It hadn't occurred to him until just that moment, but Seth was actually incredibly lucky for having not been fired solely for committing a brazen act of homosexuality. He had no idea what the legality was of firing someone for their sexual orientation, but if Seth had to guess, the state of Florida probably wasn't terribly sympathetic to folks like him. 

Dean wasn't sitting outside of the office any longer, but Seth hesitated, sure it was probably a little tacky to run and go find him in P-pool. The two would probably need to distance themselves some from each other at work, at least for the time being. Settling for a text, he drew out his phone, typing.

**Got a verbal warning guess im lucky**

**Yea same**

**Sorry again :( this was so dumb**

**Its ok they might fire Aj for being a jackass**

**Yeah wtf was with all that??**

Roman walked out of the office, cracking his neck and yawning wide. 

**Hes an asshole ?i dunno**

"He.." Roman muttered, rubbing his beard and looking around to see if anyone was listening or watching. "AJ made up this whole story, saying you two were f-ing each other on the floor,  _ graphically _ ." Seth shook his head, wide eyed. "He must really dislike Dean."

"Or he really hates gays," Seth whispered. "Does he ever give you any… shit?"

"He doesn't know." Roman shook his head. "At least I don't  _ think _ , I never mentioned that me and Dan dated."

"Thanks for looking out for us," Seth said quietly, wanting to show as much affection as possible, but handicapped by the circumstances. He settled for drawing his hand over his own chest, tapping his heart and looking to Roman seriously. "Saved our asses."

"Damn right." Roman hovered for a moment. "You're my boys."

It was confirmation enough. Roman rubbed a knuckle hard against his spine before walking off, making him shiver. Seth just licked his lips and rubbed the spot over his heart carefully. He had to guard in less than twenty minutes, but his mind was swimming, awash with anxious thoughts about his co-workers as well as his lovers. Could it be possible that someone would want him fired solely for being gay?

It couldn't necessarily be uncommon, but it would be a first for him. Again, he called upon the anger he'd felt earlier, wondering if there was anything he could possibly do. If Hunter and Stephanie were willing to protect him, he was safe, right?

The thought wasn't as comforting as he liked, but he could only continue being a good employee. Putting on his whistle and a fanny pack, Seth walked to the guard stand, arms extended to Nikki, looking for her tube.

"Little early!" she said, grinning. "Such a  _ gentleman _ !"

"I do what I can." Seth blushed, putting the strap over his head and settling it across his chest. Nikki stepped off of the stand.

There was only a single swimmer, a regular, shifting through a lazy backstroke. It suited him just fine. He'd had enough drama for one day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A close shave! Whew. 
> 
> Starting now to the end of the year there will be TWO UPDATES A WEEK! School is about to be over so I've got the time. Almost one year of writing this fic whoooooa.


	67. Make it Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work troubles. But it's Dean's birthday! What's going on at the library on a Wednesday night? The canvas bag mystery exposed!

Possibly the worst part about the whole scandalous work ordeal was just the fact that Seth’s entire social circle in Florida revolved around his job. All of the people he counted as his friends were now aware of some version of the events in the adaptive pool office, and unless Seth was alone, he couldn’t escape it. Thankfully, AJ’s story didn’t really spread much further than the meeting. Or at least if it had, it hadn’t been believed.

“I think some people may have thought Dean could be like that,” Cesaro laughed, “but not  _ you _ .” 

Seth just sank lower in his car seat, flicking the top of his water bottle angrily. All he wanted to do was workout- get some of his frustrations out on a bar and be around the regulars of the box. He and Cesaro were always partners, he didn’t even know most of the other’s names.

“It sucks,” Seth sighed, looking out the window at the cloudy sky. “They changed my schedule around a bunch too.”

“What?” Cesaro sped up, racing through a yellow light. “Why?’

Seth scratched his eyebrow, gritting his teeth.

“Oh… because they did not want you to be working with Dean?”

Seth had gotten a notification on his phone that his work schedule had changed that morning. Confused, he thought at first it had been a shift swap that he didn’t remember. His heart sank when he saw that all of his guard shifts until Christmas had been modified. Instead of arriving mid-morning to work until noon, Seth would be opening the pool each day, at 4:30 AM.

It was all so humiliating and awful, he just wanted to get the month over already, get to the holidays where everyone would forget about such a stupid incident and he could continue living his life. 

Cesaro was at least sympathetic, holding onto his own workplace woes. 

"We come to temple," Cesaro laughed lightly, parking the car in the lot outside of the box. "No bullshit, no drama. Just sweat."

"No employee of the month." Seth smirked, getting out of the car and grabbing his bag from the backseat.

"Maybe next month," Cesaro sighed. "I wouldn't be getting so worked up about lifeguard stuff if my personal training things were working out." 

"What's wrong with it?" Seth frowned, holding open the door with his friend.

Before he could explain his difficulties in any detail, the WOD class began and the men were urged to grab rowers from the corner, doing lunges around the room before hopping on to do some cardio. Seth's whole body felt shaky and sore. He'd been working out the same amount as usual, but for some reason, his joints seemed to be aching a lot. They'd arrived a little late, so there really wasn't any time to stretch, so Seth tried to at least go slow and ease into his movements. 

"You sore?" Cesaro asked, panting slightly as they finished a thousand meter row. Seth shrugged, pulling his leg out of the stirrup of the machine, bending slightly.

"Weak knees, the usual."

He supposed the slight discomfort in his muscles might be due to the weather. Seth wasn't that old, but he'd been starting to notice how the changes of temperature acted on his body. But then, his mind was so busy again, it was hard to concentrate on form as much when he was stressed out.

"I wish… there was a mirror…" Seth huffed, dropping the bar down on the rack and pawing at his knee carefully through his leggings. "Then I could see my form better…"

"Your back was fine, just go slower," Cesaro said, switching the weight out on their bar. "You're lifting a lot heavier nowadays."

It was difficult to go easier when the results of his work were so glaringly obvious. Seth felt sore, but he knew that in just the few months he'd been hitting the box, his physique was the best it had ever been. Going back to Iowa, Seth was almost hoping he might find an opportunity to run into Marek, just to show him how well he was doing.

It was shallow and stupid, but it didn't stop him from loading more plates on the bar.

The WOD was a mix of double unders, box jumps and V-ups that had Cesaro well out of breath and Seth wincing by the end. His right knee in particular seemed to smart every time he hopped off his box. Once, Seth tripped, nearly eating it right over the Pylo.

"Step down- d-don't jump-" Cesaro gasped. "If it's… your knee…"

Even a simple adjustment felt like a definitive, _embarrassing_ scale and Seth frowned, rubbing his patella hard. By the time the clock ran out, he collapsed down over his wooden box, his chest and legs both on fire.

"I have… a brace… do you want it?"

Seth caught his water bottle from Cesaro, smoothing back his sweaty fly aways.

"Maybe…" 

The only thing he had planned for the rest of the evening was a little celebration for Dean's birthday, so Seth wasn't too worried about his leg. He didn't think he would have much time for a big tantric sex party, working so early. Plus, his dick had been sheepish since the work incident. Every time he'd so much as thought about jerking off, his stomach turned and he felt dirty and weird. He still wasn't sure exactly what Dean had thought of the whole thing, they hadn't really seen much of each other since.

Accepting of Cesaro's kindness, Seth slipped the knee brace on, grunting with discomfort as the material pulled at his leg hair slightly. With some additional stability, his leg felt fine, though he still favored his left.

"Ice and elevation." Cesaro nodded, watching him hobble around. "You will be ok if I drop you at your car?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

They drove in relative silence, both dazed from their high intensity workout. Rather predictably, Cesaro ducked into a Starbucks drive thru, tapping his gold coffee card on his thigh.

"What… were you saying about personal training earlier?" Seth asked. The car slid ahead a spot.

"Oh, yes," Cesaro sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Just many different annoyances. I am trying to get into a few different gyms so that I may get some experience, but I am very choosy about where I want to go."

Seth nodded, sipping from his recovery drink.

"Sheamus had talked to me about a boxing gym that sometimes hires trainers, but I got in and they already have a few people with my certifications. But, I already bought a membership to the place, like a fool. Venti black please-" Cesaro leaned forward, smiling back at Seth. "And a hazelnut latte."

"You don't-" Seth rolled his eyes. "Thank you, anyways..."

"Anyways." Cesaro scratched his nose, pulling forward. "Meanwhile, my own personal business is a mess- I pay a graphic designer much money to make me a new logo, but then they are busy and I have run out of business cards with my old logo, just-" He tapped the steering wheel, testy. "Many small things."   


"I feel you." Seth nodded. "That sucks man. That bonus would have been nice…"

They drove back to White Water where they had started their trip. Seth tested his knee carefully before juggling the coffee and his bag, ready to go back to his Cadillac. Cesaro killed the engine for a moment, peering at his friend carefully.

"I am sorry to gripe-"

"Dude, it's totally fine." Seth wobbled slightly but he stooped, showing his slightly gaped teeth in a wide smile. "We'll both be okay. The year's gunna be over so fast, we'll barely remember this crap, right?"

"Yes, and I will be very busy," Cesaro laughed. "Everyone calling me because they want to lose weight in January."

"Exactly!" Seth chuckled. "Better days are ahead."

They parted and Seth went home to drop off his bag and feed Kevin some supper. Not more than a few moments after chucking his work clothes in the laundry bin, Roman shot him a text.

**Im icing the cake now, did u want to meet over here and then we can go to the libary?**

**Sure** Seth typed back, smiling.  **Ill be over in a sec**

It was difficult to not attach a string of happy emojis. Pretending he didn't know about Dean's birthday had been difficult, but being in on a surprise cake was exciting. Turning twenty-eight wasn't much of a milestone, but part of being a good boyfriend meant acknowledging the date as something special. 

When Seth had been with Marek, he'd never been too extravagant. Usually within a few weeks, Marek had slid a few gift suggestions under his nose and he latched onto one that he could afford. A nice dinner was usually in order, nice usually meaning their favorite pizza place or a family affair at a place that required some sort of dress code. 

Seth knew Dean would be the last person to insist upon a show of extravagance, so it felt nice to do something small and thoughtful. Leaving the cake making up to Roman's expertise, Seth had spent a few dollars on a serviceable card, settling for humor over maudlin, commercial poems.

He grabbed the card, a simple fold of card stock, showing a dog wearing sunglasses and leaning out of a car window, off his dresser. Seth grabbed his keys and jogged out the door as fast as his leg would allow, finally feeling a little more uplifted.

It was still difficult for him to articulate how thankful he was for Roman. Everyone at work was now gossiping about the possibility of Dean and Seth dating, unsure because it had seemed so much more likely that Dean and  _ Roman _ were dating, considering their living situation. Seth didn't have to hear the gossip to sense the underlying confusion in his co-workers expressions. Explaining polyamory would just be a huge headache.

Especially since AJ and Roman sat across from each other on a daily basis. As far as they knew, AJ was blissfully unaware of his coworker’s sexuality. Seth figured the least he could do was play along and keep from incriminating his other boyfriend.

"Hey babe," Roman murmured sweetly, eyes softening as soon as Seth walked in the door, slipping out of his shoes. Without pause, he melted into Roman's arms, humming and allowing himself to be swayed.

"I gotta card."

"I see that. Dogs?"

Roman examined the little fold, half smiling as he opened it up, reading the inside.

_ Hope you have a sun-in-your-face, wind-in-your-hair type of day _

"It's dumb, I know." Seth blushed, pocketing his keys. "I just figured it wasn't too 'Happy birthday! We love you!' ya' know what I mean?"

"Yeah, yeah, he'll like it." Roman snickered. "Though, I'm gonna write that on the inside."

"Personal is better." Seth shrugged, following Roman into the kitchen. It looked to be as though he'd just finished doing the dishes that had been dirtied from making frosting. The Kitchenaid was freshly wiped down, with several bowls drying beside it. Around his waist, Roman was still wearing a thin, black apron.

"You're a real chef, look at you," Seth laughed, easily imagining his boyfriend puttering around and measuring his ingredients perfectly to a hair. On the countertop was one of the most elegant homemade cakes he'd ever seen, frosted white and smooth all the way around, topped with chopped nuts and slices of fruit. "Damn, man."

"Dean's favorite," Roman said proudly, making to untie the apron. "It's a Lady Baltimore cake,  _ maybe _ a little dumb, but it's a family thing my folks do and Dean tried some once and said it was his favorite, so…"

"So long as I get to try a piece." Seth knelt over, examining the sweet bread.

"You okay?" Roman asked, suddenly questioning. Seth blinked, following Roman's gaze. Roman had noticed that Seth was hovering his leg in the air slightly, letting his left leg hold his full weight.

"Oh, yeah, I just went a little wild at the box today. CrossFit," Seth muttered, pulling up his pant leg and showing the brace. "My knees are always garbage, it's no big deal."

"You wanna ice it while I finish cleaning?"

Seth half wondered if Roman wasn't having the best day of his month, doting so easily on both of his boyfriends. Once the cake was covered and fixed in a to-go container, Roman set up a stack of pillows and settled Seth in with an icepack and a sweet tea. 

"There ya go." Roman handed him the remote, inviting him to watch something. 

"Thanks Uce." Seth pecked his cheek, flicking through the channels.

Dean had apparently stopped by already before going to the library, avoiding Roman for the most part, probably sensing some birthday planning taking place. For a quick dinner, Roman put together a few sandwiches and chips to eat, bringing Seth a plate from the kitchen. 

He flipped the ice on his knee and accepted the plate gladly.

"Any time I bring you food, your face says 'I love you'," Roman commented, sinking down beside him and kicking up his feet on the coffee table.

"My  _ mouth  _ says I love you. I love you." Seth smiled. "Guess I'm just easy to please."

"I'll keep that in mind for Christmas," Roman said, taking a bite of his food and watching the screen. "Some game replays?"

_ Christmas, fuck _ . Seth's heart beat awkwardly. He'd forgotten that it was pretty much assumed that he should shop for his boyfriends. He hadn't even bought anything for his mother, step-dad or brother yet. 

"Mmgh- E 'SPN," Seth managed through a full mouth. He was so dumb, time was running out and he hadn't bought  _ anything _ yet. 

They watched TV mindlessly for awhile, munching on their dinner and commenting back and forth on the state of football going into the new year. Seth's knee felt noticeably more mobile, as he stretched it back and forth carefully. His mind buzzed wildly, desperately trying to think what might make for a good gift for everyone in his life. 

_Cesaro should get a gift too_ , he thought, scratching his beard anxiously. _And_ _Sasha, but then, does that mean I need something for Bayley too? I could get them something together, like a package deal maybe? Is that weird?_

"Have you already bought Dean's gift?" Seth asked, his head lulling to the side.

"Mmmmaybe," Roman said slyly. "Couldn't say."

"What? Why?" Seth poked him in the side. "Why can't I know?"

"'Cause," Roman grunted simply, pulling out his phone which had vibrated in his pocket. 

"Should we get goin'?" 

"We could, yeah," he mumbled, smiling into his phone. 

"'S Dean?" Seth asked. "I'm nosy, sue me."

"My ma." Roman shook his head. "And my sister. They demanded to see my cake so they could talk trash about how they can make better cakes."

"Lovely."

"I'm gunna grab some candles-" Roman picked up Seth's empty plate. "I dunno how happy the library would be about lightin' 'em, but maybe if we bribe Renee with some cake, she'd let us."

Seth found a pen in the kitchen and opened the card up, trying to think of something meaningful, but concise to say. It was difficult. Never really the good at words, he tried to think how best to sound sincere, without sounding  _ too  _ serious.

_ Dean, _

"What the hell do I write?" Seth laughed, feeling Roman's eyes over his shoulder, watching passively. 

"Whatever you want."

He blushed, twirling the pen under his fingers, wishing he could just be decisive so they could leave.  _ What would Dean do? What would he appreciate? _

Words failing him, Seth bit his tongue, touching the pen to the page and scrawling out a small, bad doodle of a little chicken with a party hat. Roman burst into laughter, making Seth laugh.

"Shut up! It's awesome!"

"It is, oh my god." 

Seth held up his masterwork, blowing on it slightly.

"Try and do something better, I  _ dare _ you."

Roman wrote a simple, sweet and endearing message under the chicken drawing and the two men put on their shoes and left. Instinctively, Roman began walking to the Cherokee, but Seth stopped, heart sinking.

"Do you think, I could drive?" he asked, pulling out his keys. "They- Hunter changed my schedule so I have to open tomorrow…"

"What?"

"Yeah." Seth looked at the cement pavement. "I think it's probably best if I just leave… from the library…"

"Fuck… that sucks."

"Yeah, I gotta do it basically until we leave for Pensacola."

Roman just stared, incredulous. Seth sighed, folding his arms. He knew it was stupid already, he wished they could just pretend it wasn't a big deal. Eventually, they changed gears and Roman walked away from his car, following Seth to the Cadillac.

"Dean won't be mad or nothing," Roman sighed, setting the cake on his lap and adjusting the passenger's seat to scoot as far back as possible, making room for his enormous legs. "Hell, if you'd told me that, we coulda' left even earlier. I always hated opening."

"Coffee'll do it." Seth shrugged, turning his key in the ignition and buckling his seatbelt. "Better than not working at all."

He was grateful Roman could at least sense he didn't really want to press the subject much. Seth's ears were burning despite how warm it was in his vehicle with the heater on. Roman's hands twined over the covering of the cake box, making the container look small by comparison. After a few stop lights and a construction detour that took them off the main road for a while, they arrived at the library, almost missing the turn into the parking lot. There were just a few cars there, Dean's Jetta the most beat up out of the mix. Out front, a sandwich board advertised the new baby read-a-long group for the new year and the usual Wednesday knitting group. 

"What I don't get is why he keeps coming if he's already seen all the movies in the movie section," Seth sniffed, walking through the lobby area and glancing through the new public exhibit- a selection of dioramas from a third grade class. "You should really get him into streaming stuff."

"He doesn't rent movies all that often, at least that I know of." Roman shrugged. 

They came into the main atrium of the library and most of the shelves were deserted. The front desk was vacant as well. 

"Did you want to ask about candles?"   


"Forgiveness is better than permission, right?" Roman looked around. "You think we should check movies first?"

"Good evening! Oh!" 

Renee popped out from the back, clutching a long cardigan around her shoulders. 

"Hey boys!"

"Oh, hey Renee. How are you doing?"

"Great! Great! Were you coming to knit tonight too?"

"Weren't… planning on it…" Roman laughed, holding up the bag that contained the cake. "Dean-o's birthday, right? We wanted to bring him some cake for a surprise. You wanna help us celebrate?"

"Oh my gosh, that's so fun! Really?"

Seth tapped his foot, looking around for Dean as Renee inspected the cake through the semi-transparent covering. _Did young guys usually come around for knitting?_ _But then, it was pretty obvious that they didn't have a baby._

Seth wasn't sure what Renee knew about their relationship yet, but she could have probably guessed something in the ballpark.

"You guys are so sweet, I think the class is kinda winding down anyway. Did you want to share it with everyone?"

"Everyone who?" Seth asked, walking behind Roman as he followed Renee passed the row of computers and the periodical stacks. 

"The knitting and fiber class."

"We're… just here for Dean. Not knitting stuff." Roman shook his head, giving Renee a strange look. "Why-"

They came onto an open area in the middle of the shelves where a circle of chairs had been erected, seating a variety of older folks, all slumped over, working on various projects. At the foot of the opening, a little chalkboard was sitting that read  _ South Trail Fiber Arts Club _ .

Seth's eyes narrowed, disbelieving as he found Dean in the middle of the confusing scene, sitting on the floor in a tangle of yarn while an older hispanic woman with thick arms was winding the yarn into a ball with a tool.

"It all came undone in my bag, I dunno what the hel- heck happened," Dean muttered, pulling the strings apart, checking for knots. "Guess I just used up too much of it."

"Dean?"

Dean jolted like he'd been electrocuted and nearly fell over. The woman winding the yarn stopped, looking between Dean, Roman and Seth.

"Oh… hey…"

His hands shook and he stood up, letting the yarn fall to the floor in a heap. "Was just- Just uh-"

"Dean, are these your friends?" one of the other women asked, looking to Roman and Seth happily.

"Did you not  _ tell  _ them?" Renee looked to Dean, taken aback. She touched her chest lightly. 

Seth blinked. It wasn't that it was impossible, just wildly bizarre. Dean's face was burning up and his eyes continued to flick back and forth, from the people in the group to his boyfriends. Seth's eyes widened as he saw, at Dean's feet, the small canvas bag. His mouth opened into an 'Oh.'

" _ That's _ what you were hiding?" Seth's voice cracked. "You're a  _ knitter _ ?"

"Oh what, you're ashamed of us?" The woman winding the yarn laughed and slapped Dean on the leg. "You can spool your own yarn then, you do not want to talk about us!"

"He's really good! Look!" Renee picked up a long scrap of knitted material, still attached to needles. The yarn was thick and brown, very soft. Seth held it, incapable of letting his grin fall. Dean let out a half yell, jumping forward, trying to grab it out of his hands.

"Renee you-" Dean gritted his teeth, staring. Seth and Roman watched, completely confused as Renee's eyes suddenly looked horrified.

"Dean! I'm so sorry! I forgot!" She pulled a hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, I swear, I didn't mean to!"

"Dean, lighten up dude!" Roman frowned, pushing his hand against his chest lightly. "Look, we're here to bring you cake, not break up your… sewing circle… We don't care!"

"It's not-" Dean grunted, pulling the knitting out of Renee's hands and stuffing it into the crook of his elbow. "It's... "

"Oh! You guys are Roman and Seth! Aren't you?" an old man asked, pointing between the two of them. "Right?"

"Y-yeah?" Seth muttered, still confused. Dean heaved a sigh, picking up the yarn that had now trailed across the area as he dived for his knitting.

"I wasn't  _ just _ ... knitting," Dean said, barely opening his mouth. "I was making you Christmas presents…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as I assure you I can update regularly again, I get whisked into a three day getaway trip next week XD We'll see what I can do, my Christmas looks to be uneventful. 
> 
> Tell me your thoughts on knitter Dean, I'm dying to know. Review ! <3


	68. Point of Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth opens the pool. Can AJ be reasoned with? Anyone know a good pet sitter?

According to the members of the South Trail Fiber Arts Club, Dean had been a regular attendee for nearly two months.

"He really liked Rosemary's spinning wheel, do you remember?" Laura, the head of the club, laughed as she took a plate of cake. Another lady smiled and nodded, looking at Dean lovingly.

Dean was sitting apart from the group, looking confused and slightly upset.

"He came by because he was really interested in how we made the yarn, and then he'd come to see what we were making. Eventually we just sucked him in! You guys could come too!"

"Heh, maybe." Seth grinned, walking over to his friend. "This is really cool dude! Why didn't you tell us?"

Dean just fast shrugged, stuffing cake into his face. 

Seth  _ knew _ why, it wasn't as though knitting was a particularly manly activity. Everyone in the group that  _ wasn't _ Dean looked to be retired, probably a grandmother, old and rounded out. But it wouldn't have mattered to Seth. Really, he was just glad Dean was happy and engaged in a new hobby.

"Were you gonna tell us  _ after _ you gave us the gifts?" Roman asked, licking his fork. "Really dude, it's not a big deal."

"Goddamn Renee." Dean swallowed, squinting at the woman across the room, dishing out cake to everyone. " _ Ruined _ Christmas."

"It's not ruined, c'mon!" Seth laughed. "Look, it's your birthday! We haven't even seen the stuff finished yet! Be happy!"

" _ Uhhh _ look how happy I am," he snorted in a flat, monotone voice, biting into more cake. "Yay,  _ happy _ ."

A few minutes later, though, Dean perked up slightly, and even allowed Renee to hug him while she apologized. As soon as he was handed a second plate of cake, he began to show them some squares he had made, pulling them out of his bag.

"Beth- that lady-" Dean pointed, "she said I could make a blanket if I made enough of 'em, plus they're good practice, like, these ones suck-" He handed a few of the squares to Seth and Roman, letting them examine his work. "But I'm getting better at it."

Seth held the little square up to his face, running his hands over the little rows. The edges were a little crooked, and Seth could tell that one end seemed to be wider than the other, making it look more like a trapezoid.

"That was my first one." Dean took the square back. "But like, they just  _ give _ me this stuff, so I have all these different colors."

Seth nodded, looking to Roman, who was biting his lips hard, straining.

"Now, THIS is why I didn't tell ya!" Dean snarled. "Don't look at me like that!"

"Like… what?"

"Like I'm-" Dean stuck out his tongue, shaking his head. "... _ Cute _ !"

The cake seemed to punctuate the evening and most of the ladies began to disperse, picking up their things and thanking Roman and Seth for bringing the snack. Dean stuffed his squares and his knitting needles into the little canvas bag, pulling his hoodie back over his head. 

"Well… thanks…" Dean sighed. "For the birthday…"

"Of course Uce." Roman matted his hair with his hand. "I think Seth's gonna split, so I'll catch a ride back with you.

"Why?"

"I'm... opening…" Seth muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets. "For a while…"

It didn't take much explanation. Dean nodded, looking to the floor and toying with the birthday card in between his fingers.

"Well, uh, we'll be missin' ya…" 

Seth snorted, unable to stop himself from laughing. Dean just turned pink, ignoring Roman's giggling at his shoulder.

"Done with you guys, damn." Dean rubbed his face. "Drive safe, I love ya."

"Love you too." Seth waved. "I'll see you around."

Getting up early sucked, but Seth tried to just keep an open mind about it. He just had a few days until Christmas and then he'd be back on his regular schedule again, it wasn't worth having a sour mood. His leg still ached slightly as he arrived back home, so he took some Tylenol and wound down for the evening. 

Putting his phone on the charger and setting his wake up time, Seth's alarm clock wasn't very encouraging. 

"Six hours and forty-" his shoulders drooped, the phone's calculation of the amount of time he'd have to sleep was deflating. It hardly seemed worth it. 

_ Who the hell even swims that early? _

Seth brushed his teeth and hair, settling into bed with Kevin, who seemed intent on sniffing around for almost an hour, trying to find the perfect spot. He wasn't sure if it was the sugar from the cake or his knee, but he struggled to wind down properly. Peering through the darkness, Seth felt like endless cars were driving around outside, people coming and going as it wasn't even late in the night yet.

Seth moaned and rubbed his eyes. He should have just stayed with Dean and Roman... If he was going to be tired and sleepless, why not do it with friends?

When his alarm clock eventually rang, he jolted from the sensation of having woken up what felt like seconds after lying down to sleep. Seth turned on his lamp by the bedside and hissed, squinting as he stood up, walking zombie-like to his closet.

It was truly hellish, barely awake enough to remember to shut off the water at the tap or tie up his hair. He mumbled curses, scratching at his too-long beard and grimacing at his smelly armpits. 

Kevin just looked confused, sure that something was wrong.

"Coffee better be open-" he muttered, pulling his hood up over his head. Patting his pockets, he was sure he'd be forgetting something.

The roads were completely empty and every noise seemed eerily loud and jarring as Seth drove, blinking fast, trying to be alert. Every Tim Hortons and Dunkin Donuts nearby was dark and quiet and he sighed, rattling his head on his neck.

In the parking lot at White Water, three cars sat idling by the entrance with their lights on, but the engines died almost as soon as Seth pulled up. He fumbled, dropping his keys as he heard car doors slam. Strangely awake and happy people were talking.

"Morning!" Dolph chirped, watching Seth rise from his seat, unable to stop squinting. Even in the darkness, Seth could pick out his wavy silhouette. 

"Who says," he muttered, sure that Dolph had said  _ Good Morning _ .

"Have you opened before Seth? I feel like I haven't seen you here this early!" Chris quipped, sipping from a thermos. "It's  _ usually _ Nikki, is all I'm saying."

Kevin was there to unlock the door and the three men walked up the front path and in through the doorway. The lights flickered on and Seth blinked again, feeling his eyes water and his skin prickle. Kevin and Chris wouldn't stop joking and talking, but Seth wasn't able to process any of it.

"Lap pool, yeah?" Dolph said, patting him on the shoulder. Chris immediately went behind the desk, pulling out the oxygen and AED's the check they were working properly. The clock-in computer wasn't even on yet- so the men just walked across the hall and into the pool after Kevin unlocked the changing rooms.

The vacuums were in and all the lap lanes were laying in a heap on the floor. Dolph went to turn on the lights and set down his things. Seth just felt like an idiot, unable to think or make any decisions.

"Here man, this'll help." Dolph walked towards him, slinging on his whistle. He pressed a cold press coffee into his hands. "I keep a couple of 'em around."

" _ Lord _ , thank you," Seth said quietly, immediately cracking open the can and taking a long sip. 

They had about twenty-five minutes before anyone came in, but they had to get both pools ready for patrons. P-Pool wouldn't open for another two hours, but the second shift didn't start until eight- so Seth would stay in the Lap Pool until Dolph had to leave to guard the other. They worked quickly, jogging down the deck to put the lanes in and pull out the vacuums, then they went through and checked the chemicals in both pools, writing the numbers down in the daily log.

"So just check your fanny pack then and make sure you got everything-" Dolph nodded, handing him a pack. "Sometimes they forget to restock the gloves."

"It's not gonna be busy, you're not guarding, are you?" Seth asked, putting on a tube.

"No, I'm gunna do the other opening stuff, put all this into the computer-" Dolph patted his binder. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Almost as soon as the doors were opened to the public, a handful of older folks came in, seemingly unaware of the time. Looking through the windows to the observation area and the sky outside, it was still pitch black. 

"Mornin'," Seth said, managing a half smile as he passed by the swimmers. 

None of them looked at him or acknowledged his presence. They each began to swim, saying nothing.

_ You're all crazy _ , Seth thought bitterly, plopping down in his guard chair. It was going to take all the cold press coffee he had to not fall asleep where he sat.

Opening was easy, but that didn't mean it  _ didn't _ suck. For the most part, the actual guarding was so mindless and simple that it was frankly boring. It seemed like all of the swimmers had their weird quirks and were distinctly anti-social, as Seth found out over the course of several days. The regulars had their lanes, but they didn't want to talk,  _ ever _ . Though  _ honestly _ , as early as it was, Seth didn't really want to say much either.

Dolph was a great co-guard. He didn't say a word about the incident with AJ and seemed to be fine just letting him do his own thing. 

Seth just paced the pool, trying to move around as much as possible so he could stay awake. Usually, by the time he got off his shift, Dean and Roman were just arriving, catching him in the lobby on the way out.

"Do you work tomorrow? We were talking about maybe doing a movie tonight," Roman asked, pulling from his water bottle. Dean floated at his side, looking away and trying to maintain the buffer that he and Seth had agreed upon.

"Huh? Oh…" Seth sighed. "Yeah, yeah I work..."

The schedule change was just as much punishment as it had been intended. Obviously disappointed, they waved him off, watching him leave to make his way to the car in the light of the rising sun. 

Since he was normally much too awake and caffeinated to catch a nap right away, Seth caught an 8:30 WOD at his box. With enough Ibuprofen and wrapping, his knees weren't too cumbersome as he pounded out air squats and did box jumps, though he did miss having Cesaro around. His friend was working as well, probably in the lap pool, probably missing their dumb conversations. 

**I have this tape stuff that you could try putting on your leg I have never used it with knees but it might work well** Cesaro messaged him at the end of his session. They normally worked out together that day, so Seth let him know what the WOD was. 

**Maybe its not too bad really** Seth replied.  **That one day was just really heavy**

He felt sort of like a ghost, barely present in his usual life and living on the exterior of everyone else's. Yawning and bleary by two o'clock, he went home and napped, sure that all he would have time to do was wake up, eat, and then return to bed.

Kevin was happy to be seeing so much more of him, hopping up eagerly to touch his paws to Seth's shins, growling happily. Seth just picked him up, sticking him in the crook of his arm and eagerly spoiling him. They watched TV together on the couch. Kevin curled up on his chest while Seth scratched around in his fur, sure that the little dog was probably due for a grooming. 

"Oh heck, what am I gonna do with you?" Seth thought aloud, sitting up a little straighter and staring at his dog. Christmas meant he'd be gone in Pensacola with Roman and Dean. Could someone else watch him? 

_ Fuck…  _ he sighed. Cesaro had a cat and Sasha couldn't take a dog… and really, he wanted someone to take Kevin and actually  _ watch _ him, give him walks and love and make sure he was alright. He'd probably have to pay someone to do it. 

The thought didn't sit well in his stomach. Seth imagined dropping Kevin off at a boarding facility and sticking him in a cage for days. It seemed awful.

_ He'd have to ask around… _

**You hangin in there**

Roman texted him later that night, just as he was getting ready to lie down again. Exhausted but not properly tired. His body still wasn't used to this.

**Somehow** Seth messaged back,  **Just a few more days**

**I get off early on friday so if u wanted to do anything let me kno**

**Also sry if it seems like were not talking much i just knew that when i opened and stuff that i slept odd hours so i didnt want to bug ya**

**You wouldnt bug me**

**Its fine though**

**I love you both**

**Love you too**

**Dean says hey**

**Hey dean**

Roman texted back with a picture of Dean sitting on the couch in an undershirt and boxer briefs, knitting. His face looked suspicious, conscious of Roman's phone.

Seth just grinned, typing out a  _ goodnight _ message.

He didn't even have the wherewithal to jerk off, which was saying a lot, but then he'd just been feeling off since the incident. Any time Seth was even remotely aroused, he felt like was being doused in a bucket of cold water. Why would someone at his workplace be so vehemently hateful? If one of them had been a woman, really, the whole thing would have been a joke. Seth even wondered, rather angrily, if he'd even be written up for something like that. 

He hadn't ever encountered someone who was methodically homophobic. Seth had grown up in the Midwest, in a fairly progressive town, but surrounded by plenty of country folks that didn't mind saying things were 'gay' or 'prissy' or throwing the word 'faggot' into derogatory conversation. But even then, Seth had never thought of it as hateful, just stupid and uninformed. 

Tossing and turning, he knew that he shouldn't be afraid. He didn't want AJ thinking he could walk all over him or Dean or any other gay person. When he was at work, he wanted to feel secure and safe, not like he was forced to watch his back.

The next day, Seth finished up his shift and passed off his tube to Charlotte at eight. As calmly as he could manage, he walked up the stairs to the adaptive office, making his way to the landing. He was going to see if he couldn't talk with AJ, just to understand his point of view. Seth had never imagined himself to be a sort of 'angry' gay person, or someone that couldn't be talked to- but then, he'd never had reason to fear for his employment because of his sexual orientation.

AJ was actually there, waiting for the elevator with a cart of buoy rope. Seth's skin prickled and AJ looked up from his phone, face suddenly turning red.

"AJ-" Seth licked his lips, trying to force his voice strong. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"I don't have anything to say to you-" he immediately blurted, eyes darting to look at the light display above the elevator, eager to escape. "I don't-"

"Look man, I'm sorry for what happened," Seth admitted, standing his ground and keeping his gaze forward. It was difficult, but he folded his arms, forcing his back straight. "It wasn't professional and it was gross 'cause it was your office. I shouldn't have done it."

AJ didn't say anything, but Seth could tell he was really upset. He was glad that the hallways echoed, if he had made it all the way to the office to find AJ, he might have been cussed out and turned away already.

"But I don't want there to be any bad blood, you know? We all got a job to do. If I can… I dunno… if I can help you or-"

"I don't  _ need  _ your help." AJ wouldn't even look at him. "You know this is a  _ family _ establishment? You know what you're doing-" 

Seth raised his eyebrows, staring. He honestly had no idea what to say. Every angry twitch of AJ's eyes gave him away. He seemed unreachable, unwilling to even share the space of the hallway with Seth for any longer as the elevator light dinged and his eyes widened. He pushed the cart right to the entrance, waiting. 

"Just stay away from me," AJ instructed, eyes forward. "I don't need none'a that."

"Fine."

The doors opened and he practically ran in, pushing the close door button inside. The metal sliders shut and Seth's heart sank. 

He wasn't sure what he expected, but he'd hoped for better. Seth wasn't sure how he could handle working with an employee that seemed to resent his existence. It wasn't as though Seth saw that much of AJ on a day to day basis, but he knew Dean did and Roman sure did. What was going to happen if if came out that they were all dating? Would their lives be inconceivably frustrating?  

Or worse, could AJ get them fired for some other horrible nonsense?

It made his stomach clench up, but Seth knew that there were three of them. AJ would be hard pressed, especially as a newer hire, to try to push them away. He could try, but just about everyone on staff was more likely to believe in them.

In a daring act of pettiness, Seth clicked the up and down buttons repeatedly, pushing his whole hand against them multiple times, scrambling it. 

_ Let him try some shit. _ Seth yawned, smirking and walking away. He'd barely been dating Roman and Dean for three weeks and he felt invincible.  _ I'm not scared _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two more chapters planned before the xmas chapters. I think it works so long as I get it all done before the years end... 
> 
> It's nearly been a year though and I'm sort of dumbfounded. How long have you guys been reading this? Since the very start? Or from a certain part of the story? What's been your favorite part so far? Or maybe, why are you still reading it? I notice there's folks that are definitely here for Dean and Seth together or Seth and Roman, and then some of you guys can come together and agree when they are all doing everything together XD. 
> 
> As always, I appreciate your thoughts. I have this fic planned down to the ending, but it doesn't mean I can't add things in. Let me know your thoughts.


	69. To Give

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does Seth buy for all of his friends? Who does he meet at the mall?

Monday seemed to be a logical enough time to go to the mall and get a lot of Christmas shopping done, because Seth assumed it would be a little less busy. He hated malls and tried to avoid shopping at all costs, which usually meant that he waited until the last minute and struggled to figure out what his gifts would be.

It was all a huge headache, he never knew what to get anyone because he never thought about showing affection through gifts and purchases. Roman and Dean were the obvious two he'd have to purchase for, but if Seth was going to be a good friend, he ought to get Sasha and Cesaro something, probably even Bayley as well. Then there was the stupid Secret Santa gift for Chris that he was clueless about, and he hadn't even considered what he was supposed to get his own family.

Peeking into his meager bank account, Seth's aspirations to be generous were quickly dashed. The fact of the matter was, lifeguards didn't make much money and he had little to no savings to draw from. He was going to feel like a real idiot Christmas morning, watching his boyfriends open silly little gifts in front of Roman's family. 

But then he was reminded how blessed he was to have them.

"I thought we could do our  _ own _ little Christmas thing at my place," Roman quietly proposed one morning as Seth was just getting off the lifeguard stand. "Since my folks don't know what all's going on, I thought after the holiday party we could give each other our gifts. If you wanted to, I mean."

"Yeah, sure." Seth nodded, immediately feeling some sort of pressure lift. "I'll... put it all in my car and bring it to the house that night then."

Roman nodded while Seth handed his tube to Nikki, yawning slightly. However, a sudden thought occurred to him and he paused, turning back to his friend.

"What the  _ hell _ do I get Dean?" 

Roman smiled, chuckling. Seth looked frustrated, actually quite clueless as to what to do. For having two boyfriends, Seth couldn't have picked two men of starker contrasts. Roman seemed to already have everything possible, his house was full to the brim with things and trinkets that he only used half the time. A gift for him would probably have to be really thoughtful and endearing, because Roman didn't really need anything practical. 

And then Dean was the man who just didn't seem to want anything, content to live  _ without  _ any sort of excess. It was incredibly difficult to predict what he might want or get any use out of. 

"Well, what did _ you _ get him?" Seth asked quietly. Roman just shook his head, giggling.

"Couldn't tell ya. It's a secret," he said, thinking for a moment. "Food's never a bad idea. If I knew anything about knitting, I'd get something like that."

"Yeah, yeah." Seth nodded, sure he probably could have come up with the advice by himself.  _ Why didn't Roman want him to know his gift? _

**What am I supposed to get Roman?** Seth texted Dean quickly, sliding on his shoes and staring at his phone. Dean was in P-Pool already, but he didn't want to bother him with his presence.

**I dunno**

"Real helpful," Seth snorted aloud. He was just about to ask Dean what he got Roman, but remembered quickly that Dean was knitting them things. Surely, if all of Dean's gifts were handmade, there couldn't be too much pressure to outdo each other, right?

Seth drove to the mall, trying to put together some sort of plan so he could get in and get out quickly, but his mind kept drawing up blanks. The only other time he'd even come near the galleria, he'd been with Sasha getting coffee's and fixing up his dye job, so he wasn't sure what shops were there. The whole complex was decorated with string lights and signage advertising holiday deals, but Seth just groaned, parking his car in the lot that was already overfull.

He slid on a pair of sunglasses and walked toward the entrance, trying his best to move quickly and avoid other cars. Seth was just thinking about how a latte might perk him up a bit when he saw a familiar head of fuchsia hair on a woman sitting at a bench outside. 

"Sasha?"

He jogged quickly, positive it was his friend as he drew closer, seeing her familiar jacket and purse. Sasha looked up,  grinning as she recognized him.

"Did you follow me here? What the hell?" she laughed.

"Doing some shopping?"

"Yeah, I was waiting for Bayley, she's busing over." She looked him up and down, sucking on an iced coffee. "Did you just get off opening then?"

Seth sat and waited with her, sure that his shopping trip would probably take a lot longer with the two ladies, but he didn't have anything better going on that day. Sasha apparently had already finished with her shopping and sent her gifts home to her family, but Bayley was still looking for a few presents. 

"How've you two been getting on then?" Seth asked, watching as a bus pulled up and a few passengers got off. Bayley wasn't among them. 

"Really good," Sasha said nodding, eyes wide and shining. "She asked me if I wanted to come and see her family for Christmas, but I thought it was a little soon."

"Aww really?" Seth laughed. "Me and Rome have been dating for a few weeks now and I'm already goin' up to Pensacola. Is that weird?"

"Maybe a little." Sasha shrugged. "But you're from out of town and all and you weren't gonna see your family. Plus, isn't Roman's family kinda like that anyway?"

"Yeah, they don't even know we're dating though," Seth said, feeling a weird twist of discomfort in his stomach.  _ Were they going to tell them at some point during the visit? _

"Well, I'm going to go and see my own family. Got my flight booked the morning after the party." Sasha nodded. "I'm really excited to see my brother again."

Another bus pulled up, and they stood, watching Bayley emerge from the back, wearing a sweatshirt with a fuzzy lining. Eagerly, she walked over, ever the smiling beacon of positive energy.

"Hey friend!" 

After hugging her girlfriend, Bayley turned to Seth and pulled him into a tight hug, making him blush.

" _ Hey _ Bayley."

The three walked through the entrance and were instantly met with the reality of shopping so close to Christmas. Groups of people were all walking around, carrying their shopping bags, looking equal parts harried and excited. Teen girls and boys were talking loudly, pulling each other into stores, and mothers with children were trying to corral their purchases into strollers and carts. Seth immediately pinched his nose, sure he would have a headache in no time.

"I think I wanted to look at clothes and books for my parents." Bayley nodded, looking down the map of stores, thinking carefully. "Did.. you guys want to go anywhere in particular?"

"I'm gonna wait on getting stuff for my folks cause I'm seeing them later," Seth mumbled. "Wait on… another paycheck…"

"My dad wanted shoes," Bayley said snapping her fingers. "There's a lot of shoe places though, aren't there?"

Seth elected to go get a coffee while the girls popped into the DSW warehouse next door. Really, he was starting to get a little hungry, but he figured that a drink would tide him over until it was closer to noon. Looking dully at the holiday decorations, Seth watched a mini-meltdown of a child right outside of an Apple store.

When he was little, his mother used to bring him and Brandon to the mall and try on new pairs of shirts and slacks that they would wear for church on Christmas morning. If they were good and patient with her, they each got to get treats from the food court and usually some sort of toy. Seth wasn't even sure if the outlet mall that they used to go to was still around, but it had given him a few good memories.

Bored, he walked around the shops nearest the shoe store, thinking hard. If he was being smart, he would pick up a gift for Bayley and Sasha now while they had their backs turned. 

"Would you like to try a sample?" A tanned and well-kept associate in a santa hat outside of the Godiva Chocolatier shop caught him. Seth blushed, blinded by his shiny, white, smile. He took a nougat off the offered tray and bit in, nodding.

"Everything's 20 to 30 percent off today!" the associate continued, gesturing into the store. 

"O-oh, okay." Seth followed dumbly. 

The store was pretty full, but Seth just chewed the little treat, thinking fast. He was too easily swayed by attractive men. However, chocolate was never a bad gift idea. He enjoyed a good treat every now and then and his mother was a die-hard chocoholic. 

"Was there anything I could help you find?" A small, dark skinned woman with long straight hair beamed at him. Seth shrugged stupidly.

"Uh… no, I think I'm okay." He sipped from his drink, looking around. At the corner of the store, he noticed a sale sign, advertising a huge bin of assorted coffee products. "Wait, you guys have coffee stuff?"

Seth ended up leaving the shop with a gift for Cesaro. Chocolate truffle espresso and chocolate drink stirrers. He felt pretty proud of himself, sure that his friend would appreciate more coffee products in his life. On the way out, he managed to snag another sample from the hot associate, a coconut sweet. 

Inside DSW, Seth could see Sasha and Bayley rummaging through men's boots, holding up a furry lined pair and a more sporty work shoe. Seth frowned, rotating on the spot.

"Excuse me." An old man bumped past him, nearly smacking his leg with a huge shopping bag. Seth moved to the wall, exasperated.

The only other stores in the vicinity were a pop-up holiday convenience shop, a store for luxury, high end spirits, and a business that sold board games and trading cards. Seth wondered if it wasn't worth looking into the place to see if he could find something for his brother, but he could always come back later.

Amused with a turnstile of Christmas stockings with personalized names, Seth went into the convenience store, wondering if he couldn't find his own name in the mix. There was almost always a 50/50 chance of finding it somewhere between SEAN and SHANE. 

" _ Hey _ ," Seth muttered, finding CHRIS almost immediately. He pulled the stocking off the rack and continued to search. It wasn't a full gift obviously, but it was a start. 

BAILEY and SASHA jumped out immediately. Though the spelling wasn't correct, he grabbed them, slightly disappointed that SEBASTIAN was there, but not SETH. 

The convenience shop functioned like a 7-Eleven, with a surplus of random Christmas crap. Soda, makeup and snacks lined the aisles and Seth almost contemplated just putting the stockings back, sure he couldn't find a suitable Secret Santa gift there- it was just too general.

Passing a magazine rack, he paused in front of a row of coloring books, frowning at how half of them seemed to be advertised for adults. It was a fad he didn't really understand, but he sighed, noticing one with a blue and pink dog on the cover. 

Was it insulting to get Bayley and Sasha a kids coloring book? Seth remembered how excited they were on Halloween, dressed up like the cartoon dogs. It was sort of special, right? Because they'd sort of hooked up because of that? He felt unsure. Bayley probably would really like coloring books, but he wasn't sure they both would. 

"Screw it," Seth muttered, grabbing the activity books and two fat boxes of crayons. It was cheap enough where he could put a bunch of smaller things in their stockings. Seth grabbed some lipglosses and nail polish at random, at a loss for what the women would want.

"I always save money coming here-" one of the ladies boasted, ahead of Seth in the line. She slid some two-liters of coke across the counter. "They charge me nearly five bucks a piece for these at the liquor store! It's outrageous!" 

The store clerk nodded, barely listening, but Seth squinted, thinking. It was probably a little cheap to just buy the girls what he'd gotten and call it a day. Liquor was always a good gift…

"Where did you go?" Sasha asked him about fifteen minutes later. She pulled at Seth's bag, trying to peek, but he jerked it away quickly.

"None of your biz, sis." Seth grinned. He'd bought a handful of different high-end shooters from the liquor store, effectively filling their stockings and checking the girls off his list. Sasha sniffed, but Bayley was too happy about the shoes she'd just bought to care much.

"My mom wanted a new planner for the year," Bayley said, turning around. "Unless… where do you wanna go, Seth?"

"I don't care, I'm figurin' it out." He shrugged.

"We should shop together though, who else did you need to buy for?"

"Roman and Dean are hard, I dunno what to do," Seth admitted, thinking. "What do you guys think?"

They sat down for lunch in the food court to brainstorm, but Bayley and Sasha seemed in agreement that it was a rather difficult task. Seth explained his difficulties finding Roman something he didn't already have, and thought aloud about Dean's new biking and knitting hobbies.

"I know they were trying to get my cousin to knit when they found out he had ADD," Bayley said, munching on fries. "Good thing to do with your hands and stuff."

"Right, well." Seth sipped off his coffee. "There isn't a craft store here, is there? I don't even know jack about knitting though, I wouldn't want to get him something he doesn't need."

"Maybe… look in the books at the bookstore?" Sasha offered.

"He hates books," Seth said glumly. "Ugh, is it this hard to get  _ me _ a gift you think?"

"Nah, you're easy." Sasha smirked. "We already got your gift." 

They went to the bookstore next, as Seth was grumpy and indecisive about what he should look for. Bayley and Sasha led the way, cutting through the mess and hullabaloo at the entrance to get to the stationary section. Seth paused, looking down the magazine aisle and the kids section, trying to find an area that was less populated. 

He never really saw Roman reading much either, but Seth tried to think if there wasn't anything on the shelves that might amuse either of his boyfriends. If it wasn't for the fact that Dean seemed to have all the Sasquatch literature he could find at the library, Seth might have thought to look for a book on paranormal phenomenon that could entertain him. 

A stack of sale books, self help guides and calendars was displayed near the center of the store and Seth perused them, wondering if a comic might be more up Dean's alley. After several minutes paging through an introductory guide to hypnosis, his eyes fell upon a row of books in the  _ crafts and hobbies  _ section. 

_ Roman likes to cook… I think… _ Seth thought, picking up a few books on southern cuisine and gourmet meals in under an hour. There were also books on knitting and crafts, which Seth ran his fingers over, staring.

"Find anything good?" Sasha asked, poking her head around the corner of the shelf. Seth was squatting down, looking through the volumes. He rose to his feet, shrugging.

"If I don't find anything today… I mean… I still have a  _ little _ time. I should have thought about it a little better."

"It's a kinda late for online, but I bet your boys would understand." Sasha wrinkled her nose, poking at a book cover that was fraying and ripped. "Oh, what's _ this  _ though?"

Sasha's well manicured finger pulled and drew out a hardcover book. Immediately Seth's eyes lit up and he laughed hard, snorting.

"I found one I liked," Bayley said happily, clutching a leather bound planner. "What's up?"

The book,  _ Knitting for Chickens _ was so inexplicable that Seth had to turn it over several times. It wasn't very thick and most of the pages were visual, advertising just a few different patterns and styles for knitting little jumpers and cloaks for birds. The author, a rather large woman named Dawn Dundergren was on the back, holding two fluffy chickens that were wearing little pink sweaters.

"So Dean's accounted for." Sasha laughed, watching Seth just about lose it, staring at a fat hen wearing a knitted hat on the first page. 

"This is…" Seth wiped a tear from his eye. "This is ridiculous! Can I actually get him this?"

"It's made for him!" Bayley chuckled. "Why not?"

Seth tried to imagine Dean's reaction to such a bizarre book as he went to the register to pay. It would probably work out fine- Seth didn't have any other great ideas for gifts, so it would have to do. He did hope that Dean wouldn't take it as some sort of insult at least.

"Did you want a gift receipt?" the associate asked him, ringing up his card.

"Yeah, actually, thanks," Seth nodded, grabbing the little piece of paper. Worst case scenario, they could return the book and Dean could get a movie or something instead.

"Clothes you think?" Sasha asked, "I was thinking of looking at a top for myself for seeing my family. You wanna look for something for your boy there?"

"Uhh..." Seth blinked. It was just a little after noon now and his brain felt fried. "Yeah, sure. Why not."

"Can you think of anything he might need?" Bayley asked, coming to Seth's side. "Guys always buy each other ties a lot, right?"

"I'm not gonna get him a tie," Seth scoffed. "I don't think I've ever seen him wear a tie."

"Socks are pretty lame too., Sasha said, readjusting the strap on her purse as they walked into Macy's. The mannequins were all dressed in exuberant, bright, New Years Eve outfits with sequins and glitter. Seth thought hard, looking around the racks for the men's area. 

"A watch maybe?" Bayley thought outloud. "Or maybe… a fragrance?"

"He has a pretty nice watch already." Seth shrugged. "I wouldn't want to get anyone some perfume without them approving it."

Uninspired, they watched Sasha try on a few tops. Seth texted Dean, practically begging for insight.

**Im at the mall now, u think of anything Rom might need like clothes or something?**

"I don't like boob pockets," Sasha said, examining her frame in the mirror and picking at the little pockets on the front of the shirt she was trying on.

**Uhhhh**

**His flip flops broke the other day but i don remember his size**

"Goddamnit." Seth leaned back against the wall. Christmas music was playing overloud in the background, driving him up the wall. he just wanted to be done with it all. 

"It would be cute if you got him something you thought  _ he _ looked good in," Bayley tried. "Like, a really flattering shirt or shorts or something. Roman isn't too picky with his clothes, is he?"

"No, but I don't want him to feel like a dress up doll either., Seth grunted. "What are you getting Sasha?" 

"I got her…" Bayley lowered her voice, blushing. "I got her a bunch of things, but I got her a lot of makeup and Sailor Moon DVDs. She loves that stuff."

"Like, the show?" Seth frowned, he was pretty sure he vaguely remembered the cartoon she was talking about. Bayley nodded just as Sasha emerged, modeling a flowy, sheer white top. 

"I liked the other one better I think," Bayley said, squinting. 

"I'm gonna keep looking around," Seth sighed, standing up and setting his hoodie down on the seat. "See if I can't find anything good."

Part of him almost wanted to just hide or break something of Roman's and then gift him an upgraded version of it. Seth had never had such trouble finding a Christmas present. Just about everything he passed, be it bedding, home appliances, or even clothes, Roman seemed to own some version of. He stopped at a display full of candles and chocolates, sniffing the little wax cups and thinking hard. 

Roman almost always had a sweater and some days he wore hats. He didn't always wear undershirts, but on colder days, Seth knew that he slipped one on. His shoes were usually flip flops or slip ons, unless he was doing something active- and he just wore some simple trainers.

Seth's mind purred, imagining Roman in various states of dress and undress. A bathrobe might not be a terrible idea. Seth knew Roman wore one sometimes, but he couldn't remember if it was new or not. 

He strode past displays of men's pajamas and thermal underwear before he was basically staring at a row of mannequin hips, modeling underwear that came in packs. The middle one was showing a strappy Armani jockstrap style underwear with a thick band.

"Did you need help finding anything honey?" An older woman with a headset passed him by. Seth pointed at the underwear. 

"Where's that?"

Roman's usual underwear was just greying boxers or boxer briefs. Aside from his kinky S&M gear, he seemed to be pretty conservative with his undergarments, not bothering with anything too flashy. Seth didn't want to get something Roman wouldn't want to wear, but it was quite the scene, imaging Roman's backsided framed with an elastic shaper. 

"These were the charcoal colors and this is white-" The woman pointed to a short aisle of packaged undergarments. "And black."   
  
"Thank you ma'am," Seth muttered, squatting down again and wincing slightly at a little twinge in his right knee. 

"No problem, hon." 

At twenty-five to thirty-five dollars a pair, Seth thought it best to only get one, just in case Roman didn't actually like it. He'd pick up some candles for both him and Dean on the way out and call it sorted. He grabbed a black pair of underwear and stood, wondering what scents might amuse the other men. Honestly, Seth was probably the most interested in candles of the three, but he figured it couldn't hurt to just get them something small and inoffensive.

"I'm done!" he said happily, coming back to where Bayley and Sasha were sitting at the fitting rooms. "Pickin' up some underwear. I'm all figured out."

"That was quick." Bayley smiled. "Were you ready, Sasha?" 

"Yeah, oh-" She sighed. "I should probably pick up something for my secret santa. I forgot all about-"

"Shit!" Seth swore loudly. "Me too."

Sasha and Bayley frowned, looking to each other carefully, then to their phones, checking the time. 

"I could pay first," Seth offered. "Did you want to go to any one store?"

"Mmm… I can do it later," Sasha said, tucking her phone into her purse. "I still need to think on it."

"Did you get me?" Seth asked wiggling his eyebrows. Sasha just shrugged, gesturing with her hands. 

"I actually hope you did, you kind of know me." Seth laughed. "I got Chris, what the  _ hell _ do I do with that?"

"That's easy! Are you kidding!" Sasha laughed, "Seriously though," she turned on her foot, craning her neck around the store, leading them to the middle near the jewelry cases and the escalator.

"What do you mean it's easy?" Seth argued. "I haven't worked with him that much and the dude drives me up a wall! What does-"   


Bayley laughed, watching Sasha point to a rack between purses and hats. Seth peered over, coming closer, before breaking into a grin.

"If you take the tag off, nobody knows it's for girls." Sasha snickered, picking up a long flowing scarf. "The trouble I guess is just finding one he doesn't have already."

"Genius." Seth smiled, looking through the row, trying to find something androgynous and inexpensive. 

"Now you have to pay me back-" Sasha said authoritatively, snapping her finger. "You're getting him the chicken book, what the hell am I supposed to buy  _ Dean _ for secret santa?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to have another chapter up on Friday. I'm leaving town for a couple days after not doing much over Christmas.
> 
> Afterwords there might be some wild updating- I wanted the Christmas chapters up earlier :( I want to write them so bad!
> 
> Thanks for reviewing, as always.


	70. ...And To Receive [Part: 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas creeps closer. What's a dog to do? The boys trade gifts before heading to the holiday party. [Part 1 of 2]

Seth had just enough energy when he got home to wrap all the gifts and stuff the stockings before passing out in a sloppy, snoring mess on his couch. While it was comforting to know that he'd got all of his presents sorted, now he was just stuck with fussing over whether or not Roman and Dean would appreciate them as much as he hoped.

He worried the chicken book would be too silly, and underwear was just so… small and inconsequential? Come to think of it, Seth hadn't seen any candles in Roman's house before, would they even use them?

"Leave it," Seth said sternly to Kevin, who had been sniffing the wrapping paper inquisitively. The little dog shuffled away quickly, sad to be scolded. Seth stacked the gifts higher so Kevin couldn't access them as easily, staring at the little snowflake print anxiously.

Being harried and uneasy was just part of the holiday season, but Seth would have felt a lot better if he wasn't getting up so early each morning. The time shift was really wearing him down and the only balance he'd found was napping in the afternoon until about 6:30, then staying up until midnight to sleep for a few more hours before his shift. He woke up sweaty and urgently feeling like he needed to pee, and during the day, his stomach ached with indigestion because his digestive system was confused by the irregularity of his diet. 

"I'm falling apart," Seth whined, sliding the knee brace over his leg and ripping into a bottle of Tums. He'd just finished his shift and was sitting in the breakroom with Cesaro, who had started arriving early to bring him coffee.

"It will be over soon, right?" his friend asked. "You will be back on the usual one after Christmas?"

"Yeah for a minute, then I'm gone again." Seth nodded. "I'll bring you back some snow from Iowa if you want."

"In a bag?"

"Yeah, sure," he giggled, spinning the bottle of pills. "I'll just stick it in my pockets."

Cesaro went to go take the stand and Seth's eyes fluttered. If he wasn't careful, he was going to fall asleep right there. He'd packed a protein shake for himself, but he honestly didn't really want to go do a WOD. His knee was nagging him enough where he'd have to start scaling his exercises, but Seth couldn't help it- any time he was stressed he  _ had  _ to work out. If he didn't, he felt like he was going to pace a hole in the ground or break something.

The door opened and Seth started, almost knocking over his water bottle. Finn came into the break room, arm in a sling, holding a large piece of paper. 

"Oh, hey Seff-" Finn beamed, "I wus kinda hopin' someone'd be in here- Do ya think ya can cut me some pieces of tape?"

"Huh? Oh." Seth leaned forward, grabbing a roll of masking tape off the table before standing and handing Finn the little squares. Despite his bad arm, Finn managed to hang the sheet on the wall above the schedule.

"You been doin' okay?" Seth asked. "How's the shoulder?"

"Real good actually." Finn smiled. "I jus' been keepin' it in here durin' the day and doin' my therapy in the evenin's. I'll probably be back nex' munth." He grabbed a pen off the table. "Get firs' dibs on party seating!"

"Is that what this is?" 

Seth watched Finn write his name into a box by one of the first circular tables, nodding to Seth and making his way back to the front of the building. Seth looked over the table diagram, sure he should probably fill his name in sooner than later. 

Immediately, he thought to fill in Roman's and Dean's, whipping out his phone, wondering if either of them remembered the venue from previous years. Did it really matter what table they chose? If only Finn had put his name in?

But then, Finn _wasn't_ the only person whose name was on the sheet. Looking to the top at several long tables, a sea of names had already been typed in, apart from the little circle spots. Hunter and Stephanie's names were there, with several of their close friends added as well. Seth supposed that the higher ups all had their names in automatically.

But then, the greater management team was represented as well and Seth's heart sank slightly as he noticed Roman was seated right next to AJ, far removed from any of the available spots. Even Dean had been put in, a table away.

_ Why didn't they tell me? _ Seth thought, put out. Realistically, he and Dean probably still shouldn’t be right next to each other… it just sucked.

"Can we sit together at the holiday party?" Seth re-entered the lap pool, trying to sound casual and uninterested as Cesaro drew his attention from the pool momentarily. "I can write our names in."

"Sure! I didn't turn in any guest slip or anything." He beamed. "Get us a good spot!"

* * *

Christmas crept closer and the Friday of the party, Seth tried to stay in high, lively spirits as he opened the pool and scanned the water. None of the regulars had ever warmed to him, but frankly, Seth was just ready to be done with the shift. He would be completely fine if he never had to wake up before sunrise again.

Everyone else was extra giddy. Sami sported a fluffy stocking cap and handed out candy canes to patrons as they came through, waving Seth off happily as he left.

"See you at the party later!" he chirped. Seth just yawned, nodding, eager to get home and curl up in all of his blankets before he had to wake up again.

"Headin' out?" Roman asked, spotting him across the parking lot. Seth waved bleakly. They'd gotten used to seeing each other off, either in the lobby or by their cars, trying to make up for the time they were missing at work.

"Mmmh." Seth nodded, blinking hard as Roman approached. "Dean comin'?"

"He had the day off. I was gunna let ya know-" Roman nudged him playfully. "I'll probably get off early too so we could meet at my place and carpool over to the party later."

"Aiiight-" Seth yawned again. Daringly, Roman leaned in and kissed him on the forehead.

"Go sleep Lil' Uce." 

Seth did, until he woke up incredibly thirsty, sweating through his sheets. He ate, drank and showered, playing music loudly while he lint-rolled a black shirt and slacks. While taking out the trash, Seth found some large cardboard boxes someone had used to move in with, so he grabbed a clean one and packed up all of his Christmas gifts for the party. 

It would probably be the last time he saw Cesaro, Sasha and Bayley before Christmas, so Seth put their gifts in the box as well. The next day, he'd be leaving for Pensacola.

"I haven't even paaaacked," Seth sang, matching the melody of the song. On the couch, Kevin was sniffling loudly, barking into the cushions.

"FUCK!" Seth shouted, slapping his forehead and looking to his little dog. Kevin yipped and ran away, terrified. He'd _ completely _ forgotten his dog!

"Shit shit shit!" Seth breathed, pacing around his house. He had no idea what to do… boarding facilities? 

Quickly, he opened up his iPad, googling what his options were. His heart raced. He'd meant to do some research and call some places a week ago. How could he have forgotten?

For twenty minutes, he sat, feverishly scrawling down numbers and requirements, rearranging the list with numbers as he read, trying to figure out what he prefered. After pulling out the folder the shelter had given him when Seth had adopted Kevin, he breathed a huge sigh of relief, finding the proof of his vaccinations.

"Hello? Hi." Seth called his first choice, _The_ _Happy Paws Country Club_. "Yeah, could I bring my dog in and board him from-" He looked at his scrap of paper. "The 23rd to the 26th?" 

"Oh sir, _ no _ ." The man on the other end of the phone almost laughed. "We've been booked full for two weeks."

Seth hung up and tried Dixie Daycare, then Woof Resort, and Pet Inn, all giving similar reactions. Some spots were available for partial days, and Seth circled them, wondering if he couldn't work something out. On the verge of panic, he set Kevin in his lap, petting him for reassurance. 

"You could try Wyatt's Canine Outpost," the lady on the other end of the phone at line at Furry Friends Boarding suggested. 

"Who- what's that?" Seth asked, pushing down the plunger on his pen hard, copying down their number. 

Wyatt's Canine Outpost was a daycare and boarding facility out past the airport, so far it was halfway to Kissimmee, but Seth was running out of ready options. He called and was put through to a man with a gruff voice who sounded like he was speaking a little too close to the receiver.

"You don't have any openings for boarding over the holidays, do you?" Seth asked, crossing his fingers and toes under the table. Kevin shifted, whining as Seth had stopped petting him momentarily.

"Depends, we could probably make room for'a small dog. We got just one suite open and the bed's not real big."

"He's a Teacup Yorkie!" Seth blurted. "Is that ok?"

"Mmm? Oh… yeah… that'll work."

The man, Luke, walked him through the process of boarding Kevin and the necessary arrangements that the facility would require. Seth nodded, trying to keep up and write things down at the same time, his chest filling with cool relief that he'd found someone. He was hugely anxious about leaving his dog with anyone and definitely wanted to take a look at the facility, but Luke seemed knowledgeable, aside from sounding a little creepy. 

"If you wanted to do a daycare package, you'd need to come in as soon’s possible for an assessment. Bray does ‘em and he's going to be gone for the holidays. We'd just need you to bring in his vaccination forms, food, and maybe some toys or’a blanket that he could keep in his suite. If he's not suitable for day care, than he can do solo boardin’ where we just let him outside a few times a day and we'll give him one on one attention. It all costs the same."

"I can-" Seth looked at the clock. "Yeah, I'll come down now."

Seth quickly threw together a box of Kevin's things and picked his dog up, ready to go. He had enough gas in his car to make the trip, but he'd definitely have to get ready quickly if he wanted to make it over to Roman's in time. 

"This better work bud," Seth sighed, pulling out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell, buffeting Kevin around slightly on the turns. "If we can't do this- I probably can't go to Pensacola…"

Driving out into a more rural area, Seth's nerves calmed slightly. He had a moment to breathe, turning off the radio and just enjoying the noise of the highway and his dog licking the creases in his seat. He hadn't thought about it too much, but he was pretty nervous about going to see Roman's family. It couldn't be _ too _ terrible; the way that Dean described them, they seemed numerous and maybe slightly overbearing. But Seth was afraid about how they were supposed to act as mere 'friends' as opposed to lovers. 

The concept of being slightly closeted wasn't something Seth had ever had to deal with, and it was agitating him quite a bit. Was it so unacceptable that he be gay and dating two men instead of one? 

If the facility wasn't up to par with Seth's expectations for his dog, he just wouldn't go, that was it. He knew it would probably disappoint Roman some to back out so late, but Seth cared a lot about Kevin, he didn't want him to sit in a gloomy cage for three days. 

He almost missed the sign for the Wyatt's facility, lost in thought. Seth pulled onto a long driveway off the road and through some trees, eventually coming upon a well lit facility with a gravel parking lot. In the back of the concrete building, he could hear dogs barking. Immediately, Kevin was on alert, excited.

Coming in the front, Seth was surprised to see a long open area, fenced off into sections with dogs just wandering around, sniffing each other and playing. A few grizzly, bearded men were walking around among the dogs, cleaning and petting them. As soon as Seth walked in the door, they all looked up, nodding.

"Teacup Yorkie? You must be that man on the phone then." A man at the front motioned for him to come closer and Seth shuffled over. "What do you call your critter?"

"Kevin… yeah… hi." Seth said, mystified by how calm and serene all the dogs seemed to be. On occasion a dog would yip, but one of the men shushed it and silence was observed.

"I've never boarded him before or done anything like this," Seth said plainly, petting Kevin's head anxiously. "So… I don't know… How does-" He waved to the building. "How does this all work?"

The man, Luke, explained the daycare play rooms and showed Seth pictures of the suites. He nodded along, holding Kevin tighter to his chest. Some dogs came right up to the fence and stared at them.

"Can I see where he'd sleep?" Seth asked. "There's people here overnight, right? In case something happens?"

"No, we lay ‘em down at night and when they do daycare, they usually sleep right through." Luke shook his head. "We don' like bringing anybody back, it disrupts the  _ energy _ ."

"I can assure ya' it's all quite alright." A larger man came through the sea of dogs, holding out his hands. "Let's see how your baby fares."

With immense trepidation, Seth slowly handed Kevin off. He didn't really trust any of these strange men- they all looked like followers of some swamp cult, but all the dogs seemed oddly mesmerized and calm. 

"Bray'll assess ‘im good." Luke nodded, watching as the man called Bray set Kevin down, bearing over the other dogs to keep them away. Slowly, he allowed a large yellow lab close, letting them sniff.

"He's a little one, so he'll be scared at first." Bray nodded, a manic look in his eye. "But he'll  _ learn _ ."

Seth leaned over the fence, his heart beating fast as Kevin sniffed the other dog and promptly sneezed, tail wiggling excitedly.

"So you were coming back on the 26th?" Luke asked, stapling a form. "We'll get his file started."

After a few minutes of going through paperwork, with a third eye set on his dog, Seth gulped at the final bill total, shoulders sagging. He'd have to put the whole thing on his credit card if he was going to make it work. 

"This is the… cheapest package?" Seth asked meekly, anxious to sign his signature. Looking up, he spotted Kevin playing with a huge fluffy dog in the corner. It was adorable, but it didn't distract him from the charge.

"Yup- daycare and boarding. Grooming is complimentary on visits over two days, unless you wanted a spa treatment."

"No, no, no spa," Seth mumbled, pulling out his Visa sadly. "Do I get to... say goodbye?"

"We don’ recommend it," Luke said seriously. "It could cause an upset."

Deflated, Seth turned over the can of Kevin's food, a blanket and some toys, selfishly wishing he could dip his hands behind the fence and give his dog some love. He looked happy, so Seth guessed that was as good an indicator as any of a good choice. Luke nodded and Seth stalked out the door waving, though he wasn't really sure to whom.

* * *

"We could have probably arranged for  _ something _ at the house," Roman said, after listening to Seth's long winded story. "How does Kevin do around little kids?"

"I have no idea, probably not great though, knowing him." Seth sighed. "He seemed okay, I'm just hopin' they don't stick him in a sad little cage. They wouldn't show me where they keep them! Doesn't that sound fishy?"

"Maybe, but then, I'm sure they are professionals. They reserve that right." 

Dean emerged from the bathroom, looking well coifed. He'd trimmed his beard down some, shaping it smartly.

"Nice," Roman said, passing by Seth to help fix Dean's collar. "You guys excited for the six hour drive tomorrow?"

"Mmmeh," Dean mumbled. "Is anyone going to laugh at me if I show up in my underwear?"

"I will."

Seth toyed with his own hair, trying to calm down a little. Roman had made him a hot toddy, but he hadn't drank much of it, still consumed with thinking about his little dog. He'd quickly changed and made his way over and was now trying to get his hair to lie flat and soft. It had been so long since he’d gotten his hair serviced in any way, it was sort of a losing battle.

“Let’s put everything under the tree though, yeah?” Roman proposed, walking to his room. They could hear him rummaging around in his closet, so Dean and Seth came into the living room, basking in the reflecting light of the little tree.

Dean sniffed, un-balling his socks and fitting them on his feet and Seth sipped from his warm drink, taking a deep breath. He almost always hit a point in the holidays were he loathed the sight of anything Christmas related, too stressed out to enjoy the tinsel and bright colors. Under the tree sat a couple lumpy packages, wrapped hastily.

“Okay, sue me,” Roman said, grinning. “Can we open our stuff now?”

“You’re like a kid, look at you.” Dean grinned, watching Roman sit down by the tree. “Uce loves Christmas.”

“You’re damn right I do!”

“We could, I’d just have to grab mine out of the car.” Seth hummed, standing up and making his way to the door. By the time he re-entered, Dean and Roman both sat, childlike and bubbly, holding the gifts they intended to give. 

Seth felt slightly nauseous, he still wasn’t sure of his presents. 

“Roshambo for it?” Dean asked, holding out his hand.

“There’s three of us.” 

“I wanna know what I was knitted,” Seth tried, sure he didn’t want to go first. “You go, Dean.”

Dean sighed, pulling the lumpy gifts out of his lap, looking at the tags, unsure whose was whose. Both of them were wrapped with paper covered in tiny snowmen, topped with a loose bow. Eagerly, Seth tore into his, excited.

“Oh wow,” Roman muttered, pulling out a long length of knitted fabric.

“I wanted to make scarves, but I started with a real thick brown wool and I thought that was like, too  _ hot _ ,” Dean explained quickly, watching Seth unfurl his own scarf, soft and black. “So it’s mostly just fuzzy.”

“It’s so soft!” Roman said, delighted, bringing up his own Charcoal-gray scarf to his face. 

“Yeah.” Dean blushed, scratching his nose. “Merry Christmas.”   


“Thanks babe.” Seth smiled, instantly uplifted. Roman leaned in to kiss his cheek and Seth did the same, making him groan. It was too sweet. Not only were the scarves long and incredibly soft, Seth could smell something distinctly  _ Dean _ about them. Every inch was his creation and had passed through his hands. It was impossibly sweet. 

“Okay-” Roman nodded, looking to Seth.

“Okay, well-” he began, sighing. “It’s _ definitely _ not going to be as cool as this- I didn’t-” 

“Shuddup, who cares.” Dean laughed, pulling the gifts from his hand.

“That’s Roman’s-”

“This feels like a  _ book _ -” 

Seth’s heart immediately fell, watching Dean stick out his tongue. It was all playful, but incredibly embarrassing. Seth passed off the main gifts, and then two baggies containing the candles, made mute by his worry.

Roman got his gift open first, his eyes immediately widening at the thin string of fabric that made up the underwear. Dean laughed, patting his knee.

“ _ Good _ call dude.” 

“I didn’t know!” Seth squeaked. “You… have lots of stuff already…”   


“No, it’s uh-” Roman coughed, his whole face red. “I  _ don’t _ got this.”

“There’s a receipt… if you didn’t…”

“Nah babe! It’s great!” Roman said. “I don’t have any sexy underwear.” 

“You recognized a need,” Dean said, smiling, pulling the paper off his own gift. “Gotta frame artwork, ya know?”

His eyes immediately widened when he pulled the paper off the cover and Seth couldn’t help wincing. Roman leaned in to look, falling into hearty guffaws.

“Sorry,” Seth blurted. “I’m crap at gifts, I swear-”

Dean looked astounded, pulling the book open. He ran a single trembling finger over a picture of a chicken wearing a striped sweater, staring.

“It’s  _ patterns _ ?” Roman cackled. “Seth, where did you find  _ this _ ?” 

“Barnes and Noble!” Seth stared at Dean, who was grinning fit to burst. “You… like it?”

“If I get…” Dean covered his mouth with a hand. “If I get number two needles… I can…” He paged through, closer to the front. “I can make Crispy… a tiny hat.”

“Yeah, yeah you could do that.” Roman laughed, wiping his eyes. “Holy shit.”

Relieved, Seth let out a sigh. Dean had probably never been more amused and excited, looking through the pages at the different styles and designs for chicken outfits. It was everything Seth had hoped it would be.

“Top that Roman,” Dean joked, nudging Seth. “He’s been so damn smug, telling me that my gift is gonna be awesome.”

“Okay, there’s no way I can top that-” Roman giggled, “but it’s  _ still _ awesome.” 

He held out two envelopes and then unfolded his legs, as though bracing himself. Seth picked up his own, a red decorative fold of paper, his heart thumping hard.

“If it’s just money I’m gunna punch you,” Dean snorted. “I worked too damn hard making that scarf.”

Seth unfolded his own envelope and his stomach dropped. On the sheet was a picture of a small boat, parked in some sort of coastal Marina.

“So, okay-” Roman interjected. “Me and my siblings, every few years we have to do a travel package for my parents for Christmas, right? We’re sending them to Samoa this summer, that’s their Christmas gift. But-” 

Dean punched him in the side and Roman squawked. Seth’s hands trembled holding the sheet. 

**_KEY WEST - SHIELD KEY HOUSEBOAT RENTALS_ **

“We’re going on a  _ cruise _ ?” Dean blurted, “How the fuck did you-”

“It’s not a cruise! It’s not a cruise!” Roman yelled. “Houseboat! We’re renting a houseboat for spring break in the Keys!”

“Roman…” Seth stared. “This is…”

“It comes with a caveat-” Roman said, holding up his finger. “My folks don’t know we’re dating and we need to play it  _ cool _ , okay? I wanna tell them, but not… this soon… so let’s have a good holiday. I’ll take the lead on this, and then this is the treat for... corroborating a lie to my family.”

Seth’s stomach reflexively turned, but Dean just sat, grinning and looking back and forth between the two. The pictures from the brochure in the envelope showed a watercraft with a luxury interior, with smiling happy people drinking cocktails on board. It was a lot to absorb.

"It's.. just us then?" Seth asked, heaving a breath.

"Yup, us three." Roman nodded. "I've taken these little trips with my fam before, they're pretty fun. The Keys are always a great time anyway. I get a discount because my family does business with this company."

"I ain' ever been on a boat before." Dean said excitedly. "Shit man, thank you."

"Yeah, thanks Roman." Seth leaned in, planting a kiss on his cheek. He had no idea how to react to being given such an extraordinary present. 

"Don't mention it guys," Roman smiled. "Merry Christmas." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued in Part 2


	71. ...And To Receive [Part: 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The White Water holiday party! [Part 2 of 2]

They carpooled over to the restaurant in the Grand Cherokee. Possibly sensing Seth's nerves through his silence, Dean nudged him with his foot, staring. 

"You thinkin' about your dog?"

"Kind of," he mumbled, staring out the window. "I dunno, just a lot going on…"

"When do you leave for Iowa again?" Roman asked, peering through the rearview. 

"The thirtieth," Seth hummed. "I'll probably break away at some point from the Christmas party and Skype my family or something. I was gonna bring my ipad."

"Yeah shit, I should call my sis." Dean muttered, toying with his bangs. "Do you think if I figured it out with her… could I do the video thing on your computer?"

"Yeah, that's no problem." Seth nodded, morbidly curious to see Dean's relations. "So long as we got wifi, we're set."

They pulled off of the highway and were instantly met with downtown traffic. Horns honked and cars shifted between lanes sloppily, leading onto the main streets. Seth felt sweaty in his collared shirt, watching people walking through the streets between bars. He felt strange and out of place, knowing his dog wasn't home and he'd be leaving the next day. 

It didn't feel like he was about to go celebrate anything. With both Hunter's birthday and the closing of the water park, Seth had felt confident hanging out and having drinks with his co-workers. But now, with the situation with AJ, he wasn't sure he wanted to be around the whole of White Water. He could just imagine people shunning him, leaving himself and Dean out of the activities for fear of stirring the pot. Seth didn't really want to go, but  _ not _ going could be perceived as worse.

"Kevin'll be ok," Dean assured him, putting a hand on his knee. 

"I'm gonna be sitting next to Cesaro tonight," Seth said, remembering his seating assignment. "Did you guys fill out your table spots in advance or something?"

"Huh?"

"Management just gets put with management." Roman shrugged looking in the rearview.

"We can sit together, it don' really matter," Dean sniffed.

"Do you wanna? What with like… AJ and all?" Seth bit his lip, thinking.

"Who gives a shit?"

Seth blinked. Roman snorted, merging into the turn lane. Dean had a point.

The Citrus Club was a venue contained within a larger building with mostly office space. On approach, Seth was sure that they weren't in the right area because they were blocks away from all the bars and restaurants. But as soon as they pulled in, a valet flagged them down and they disembarked.

"We're with White Water." Roman said, giving his keys to the man, who nodded and waited from them to take all of their gifts from the back. 

Nattie, Dolph and Becky were all entering at the same time, dressed similarly immaculately. Seth almost felt bad he hadn't brought a suit jacket- everyone looked more like young professionals, not lifeguards.

He smiled and nodded back at his co-workers, following the stride of his friends up through the lobby escalator and emerging in front of a shining glass door. Eagerly, they were swept inside, welcomed as part of the party.

"Come 'on in!" A lady chirped, smiling as soon as she saw Roman. "Welcome back handsome!"

"Good to be back, Happy Holidays," he said, nodding. "Same as usual?"

"Yes, you're in the same room again and the bar's back there-" The woman gestured with her whole hand. "Welcome everyone!"

The lamps were dim and there were candles and string lights illuminating a large chalkboard reading  _ Welcome White Water Aquatics Facility.  _ Christmas trees were decorated with tinsel and oranges, and Seth could begin to hear his co-workers talking merrily.

"There's a photo booth usually." Dean mumbled, pointing to a corner where a few employees were standing beside a camera set-up, waiting for service. "And the free shit, of course."

Cesaro grinned, leaning on the table Dean was gesturing at, already holding a drink in his hand. 

"Hey man!" they embraced. "You are still awake?" 

"Somehow," Seth laughed. "What's all this then?"

Like the wrap party for the water park, an array of small gifts were set up, each meticulously labeled with a personalized name tag. Each of the men grabbed theirs, peering at the small packages.

"Little chocolate things," Cesaro explained, showing his own box that had been opened already. "I got chocolate espresso beans."

"Which reminds me actually-" Seth eagerly pulled his own gift for Cesaro out from under his arm. Cesaro froze, blushing.

"Oh! I am a bad friend!" Cesaro sighed, "I did not get you anything!" 

"That's not important," Seth said, "Nearly slipped my mind too."

Dean and Roman brushed past them, allowing Seth the little moment with his friend. They entered the main dining area just as Cesaro uncovered the coffee bags, taken aback.

"Godiva is so good!" He giggled, "Seth, you are too nice!"

"Hey, Merry Christmas." Seth patted him on the back. "I'll… I'll see you inside…"

They were nearly the last to arrive and the main room was full of folks of all ages Seth didn't know. His eyes weaved through the tables, trying to connect individuals. Randy was seated up on in the management area with a very young girl, and Kevin was in a corner with a boy and a woman that ought to be his wife. At the front, Hunter was talking to Shawn, who was wearing a set of fuzzy, fake reindeer antlers. 

"Seth!" 

Bayley and Sasha waded over. Both were wearing beautiful white dresses, festive earrings and small heels, carrying cocktails and grinning eagerly at him.

"You made it! We have stuff for you!" Sasha said happily, throwing her arms around him. Seth blushed, they both looked a little tipsy.

"Yeah, of course I was coming!" He laughed. "You guys having a good time?"

"This is the best party they throw because the bar is  _ wide _ open," Sasha said seriously. "I put it- I put it in my purse, come here!"

"You're really gonna like it." Bayley smiled. Seth just followed Sasha over to a circular table near the front, trying to avoid a man that looked like Dolph's brother.

"Ok-" Sasha said, shoving a thin, rectangular package into his hands. Seth grinned, shaking it. "Open it!"

"I'm scared," Seth admitted, peering at the red paper and the label  _ To Seth, From Sasha & Bayley _ . He tore at the corner and instantly his heart leapt. 

"Some John Madden _football_?" Seth chittered, staring at the new playstation game. "Ladies, please!"

"Ok, thank  _ god _ , you don't already have it." Sasha clutched her heart. 

"Thank you so much!" Seth pulled them both in, giving them a large hug. "You really didn't have to- but hey I got you-"

They sat down at the table and Seth pulled out the stocking gifts, in the corner of his eye, he could see Dean and Roman up by the bar. AJ had arrived with a very petite, modestly dressed woman, and he was looking at Dean suspiciously a few spots away.

Sasha and Bayley both gasped as they pulled the contents out of the stockings, surprised. He had felt much less pressure to give the ladies something they'd like, but now that he was carrying around the new Madden game- he wanted it to be special.

"Blues Clues?" Bayley covered her heart, tugging out the activity book. Sasha paused, oddly quiet.

"Yeah, I mean, maybe it's dumb-" Seth shrugged. Hoisting the considerably lighter bag in his arms. "But… yeah…"

"This is  _ all _ I'm gunna do on break now," Sasha said softly, toying with a bottle of nail polish in her hands and paging through the activity book. "Color in some clues."

"Thank you Seth," Bayley smiled, giving him another hug.

Feeling significantly warmer and happier after passing out the presents, Seth rejoined his boyfriends at the bar, skipping up behind them and leaning in. Dean had been laughing to Enzo about something, but as soon as Seth had returned to their side, they turned to allow him in.

"Can I get a beer?" Seth asked, nodding to the bartender. "Look guys! I got a video game!"

"From Hunter?" Dean looked around wildly. Seth was still holding his small gift, unopened.

"No, from Sasha."

"We just got Starbucks gift cards," Roman said, holding out his box. Seth broke into his, pulling out a bag of chocolate rocks and a small note. 

_ A very Happy Holidays from your White Water Family, Hunter and Stephanie.  _

"I'll trade you, you drink more coffee," Dean offered, sipping from a whiskey-diet. 

"If you want."

The three lingered by the bar a little longer, mostly just people-watching and mumbling amongst themselves. It was entertaining to see all of their co-workers so clean and styled- John arrived with Nikki, wearing an ill-fitting, grey suit. Enzo had somehow been allowed inside with just a sport coat and a t-shirt underneath that hung almost down to his knees. The graphic on the shirt was a barely dressed woman spooning a black jaguar, and it was quite hilarious to see the reactions of the employees every time he turned. 

E was the best dressed (except perhaps for Roman) adorned in burgundy-wine colored slacks with a matching jacket. For the ladies, Charlotte was the most high-fashion, with diamond earrings and an A-line dress that exuded holiday energy. 

"Food's going to be ready soon people!" Chris yelled over the din of chatter and light music. "Then we'll do the gift exchange!"

"Hey, _thanks_ Chris!" Dean yelled sarcastically back, a few people laughed. Hunter clinked his glass in front of his table and quickly everyone hurried to find their place, adhering to the seating chart in spirit. 

"I want to thank all of you guys for coming out-" Hunter began, looking to each face. "I was afraid we might get an inservice turnout."

A few people chuckled, but Hunter smiled warmly. 

"We've had a long year, but it's been really great," He continued, all the voices in the room hushed. "Folks have come and some have gone, we've implemented new programming and, as always, I'm really thankful and proud for the team I have. You guys are all what makes White Water work."

He raised his glass. 

"We got some great food coming out, so I'll shut up, but I hope you all have a fantastic holiday, whatever you're doing. Let's make this next year just as good if not better."

"Try not to hurt yourselves." Stephanie added on, everyone looked at Finn wearing his arm-sling. He turned pink.

"Yeah, let's all be safe tonight and this next year so I don't have to guard much," Hunter grinned. He raised his glass and everyone followed suit, Seth tipped his beer in the air and accidentally caught AJ's eyes from across the room. They both looked away, sheepish.

_ "Cheers." _

The food for the evening was rib roast, vegetables, some sort of baked mashed potatoes and sweet rolls. The wait staff brought out plates and served tables individually, offering wine as trays of food came out to be offered up. Cesaro and Seth sat alone until Sami asked to join them, settling into the last chair at their table. 

Seth looked up at the seating for management and Roman and Dean were together on the end, looking to him with a sort of weary frustration. Hunter looked to be addressing each of them personally, passing them some extra gift. He supposed they probably couldn't have joined him after all. 

The food wasn't bad and Seth wasn't _too_ put out by not being able to sit with his lovers. Sami and Cesaro were good enough conversation and the food was excellent. With a little wine and some ribeye in him, they talked about the Christmas holidays, work, and eventually music. It turned out that Sami and Seth actually had a lot in common and even liked some of the same bands. 

"You ever go to shows or anything? Around here?" Sami asked, wiping his hands on a napkin.

"No! I don't really know anything!" Seth admitted sadly. "I used to go to a lot in Iowa, but as soon as I moved down here, I didn't really find anybody that liked going out to stuff like that." 

"I don't even go out that much, but I could go with you." Sami smiled. "Orlando's got an interesting scene."

"Alright guys!" Chris jumped up from the back, clapping his hands together. "You all ready to reveal your gifts?" 

The room went quiet, but everyone mumbled and nodded, looking around and drawing out bags and boxes that they kept contained for the duration of the meal. Seth didn't really have much ambition to get up and walk over to Chris at the moment, but as soon as a few people began to stand, Chris clapped his hands again, calling for attention.

"We'll go one by one!" He insisted. "Everyone sit! I'll go first!"

"He is very excited about all of this," Cesaro laughed, watching Chris march over to the front management table, brandishing a small bag. 

"Wait till he starts yelling at people for trading gifts." Sami snickered. Seth watched as he approached Stephanie, giving her the bag.

"Oh, thank you Chris!" She smiled, opening the bag and uncovering a bottle of some fragrance. "Oh wow, this is wonderful!" 

The gifting proceeded from there. Stephanie had a present for Kevin, and Kevin had a gift for Bo. All eyes in the room went to the person bestowing the item, watching the person unwrap it and react while Chris smiled smugly from his table, moderating the whole interaction. Dean and Roman watched, their own gifts waiting in front of them. Seth still didn't know who Roman had drawn.

"Well, I got Cass." Enzo said, confused as Chris called on them to resume the gift-giving. "But-"

"We got each other, of course." Cass chuckled. The two drew out identical shoe boxes, laughing anxiously as they opened them up. Seth tried to sit up a little higher and see what was going on over Cass's back. Enzo drew the shoes up, yelling animatedly.

"They got each other the same shoes!" Sami cackled, "Those dudes-"

"THE VELVET! SOME CHRISTMAS VELVET!" Enzo screeched, patting the velvet lined Air Jordans. "TOP NOTCH."

"They aren't real, they're _bootlegs_ 'Zo." 

"So's yours!" Enzo hugged Cass around the middle. "Merry Christmas bra'!"

Slowly, Seth started wishing that someone close to him would have drawn his name, but he felt like he might be out of luck for getting a good gift. It wasn't as though it really mattered, but as he watched random acquaintances exchange presents with little thought, Seth began hoping that he might be in for a pleasant surprise. Cesaro had drawn Dolph, purchasing him a high-end bottle of whiskey, and Sasha, of course, had drawn Dean.

Seth had told Sasha about Dean's interest in the Paranormal weirdness, suggesting that he might enjoy some DVD's of  _ The X-Files _ or  _ Unsolved Mysteries _ , but, likely to save money, she'd gone for something a little less ambitious.

Dean opened the small gift slowly, drawing the attention of all of White Water. Seth watched, grinning stupidly. He still didn't know what it was, but he was glad he hadn't told her about the knitting just yet- His lover would probably be really upset if he was outed to everyone at his job in such a manner.

Roman smiled, laughing as Dean unwrapped a black shirt, that looked as though it had been thrifted. He turned the front around for everyone to see a faded graphic of an alien in a hawaiian shirt, reading  _ Far Out, Dude!  _ In peeling text. 

Without a second thought, Dean unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, slipping on the top and messing up his hair in the process. Sasha gave him a quick hug and he thanked her, nodding.

"Oh, but your  _ pal _ ," Dean motioned, pulling out a package. Sasha blinked, unsure what Dean had meant, until he pointed over to the table where Bayley was sitting.

"I helped with this one." Seth murmured proudly to Cesaro, watching Bayley walk up to where Sasha was standing in front of Dean. 

After some lengthy time complaining about being utterly clueless about his Secret Santa, Dean had taken Seth's assistance to pick out a decent gift. While Seth hadn't had the time to go and shop with him, he'd done some sleuthing talking with Sasha, and Seth learned which college Bayley attended.

**Shes a girl shes probably already got makeup n stuff** Seth messaged him  **U should go to UCF and see if u cant get her anything from her school, go to the student shop or something**

Bayley promptly began to jump up and down happily, ripping off the wrapping paper and opening up a thick yellow sweatshirt with UCF across the front. 

"I wanted one of these the moment I got there!" Bayley chirped, nearly throttling Dean across the table in a hug. "Merry Christmas! Thank you so much!" 

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah-" Dean muttered, completely shocked by the show of physical affection. "'erry Christmas."

Bayley had drawn Randy, probably winning the best gift of the night with a remote controlled car. It was the most random thing imaginable, but Randy went from bored to manic in seconds flat, whipping out the little RC gadget and showing his daughter how it worked by running over wads of wrapping paper on the floor. It took some reminding from Chris that Randy had to deliver his Secret Santa as well.

"Happy Holidays," He smirked, tossing Hunter a box that turned out to contain a tiny zen fountain. 

Hunter had drawn Roman, and Seth watched with interest as his boyfriend nodded, grabbing an envelope from his boss. Dean leaned in, watching him open it from his shoulder. Immediately, Dean's face lit up, while Roman looked politely amused.

"Five tickets to a monster truck rally." He said, turning the papers over so the room could see. 

Seth and Cesaro both snorted, watching Roman quietly tuck the tickets back into the envelope. Meanwhile, Dean looked fit to scream with excitement, thumping on Roman's chair. 

_ When is it? _ Seth mouthed, looking at the two of them and sipping his wine. They each said something back, but Seth couldn't hear or understand it. 

As it turned out, Roman had picked Baron. Gifting him a sort of morbid curio of a taxidermied bat's wing, preserved and laying on a black cloth encased in a flat glass. Baron actually smiled, fascinated by the gift.

Charlotte, Xavier, Alexa, and John all paddle-balled their gifts and some people actually began to leave, taking their families and friends home after they had passed their gifts on and received what was given to them. AJ got a pressed vinyl of a band that Seth had never heard of, which turned out to be some sort of Christian R&B group. He forced himself to repress a sigh.

"Oh my-" Finn covered his mouth in excitement as he unwrapped a gift from Kofi,  a lego architecture set of the New York Flatiron building. "This was the on' I was lookin' for!"

"I hope it has all the pieces!" Kofi explained, grimacing. "I  _ did  _ get it on ebay, so lemme know and I'll contact the seller..." 

It was just as Seth was starting to wonder who the hell could be left that Finn turned with a wrapped box in his hands, looking right at him and grinning happily.

"I thought you might like some of this stuff 'cause I know tha' ya do Crossfit." Finn said sweetly. Seth blushed, setting down his wine and beginning to unwrap the gift. He opened the soft cardboard and pulled out a variety of packets. "A lotta the guys in the outdoor department like this stuff, but a lot of fitness folks go fer it too."

His heart fluttered as he picked through the nuts, jerky and dehydrated fruit. It was all things he'd seen before, on sale at his box and advertised as Paleo treats. Seth himself didn't strictly eat Paleo, but he'd always thought the stuff looked good.

"This is awesome!" He smiled, examining a nut butter jar. "Dude, thanks so much!"

"Happy Holidays," Finn beamed, sliding back over to his own table.

"Wow, uh," Seth sighed, playfully slapping Cesaro's hand away from his gift. "I'm not the last one, am I?"

"Which leaves me!" Chris said enthusiastically, strolling over to Seth's table. Seth picked up the stocking he'd purchased with Chris's name on it, hoping the gift would suffice. Chris was already wearing a dark red scarf loosely around his neck. He grabbed at the stocking eagerly, delighting in the print of his name across the top. Sinking his hand into the top, everyone watched and Seth held his breath.

A few people stifled laughs as Chris pulled out the fashion scarf, tugging it out and examining the loose, shimmery fabric and raggedy fringes. Seth had bought it straight out of the women's section, imaging the accessory was marketed largely to older ladies looking to appear chic and lively. Thankfully, Chris seemed immediately attached to the present. 

"It's  _ kinda _ like one I  _ already _ have," He drawled, throwing it around his neck and feeling the material in his thumb and forefinger. "But it's a  _ little _ nicer."

"It'll be your going-out scarf," Sami teased, grinning.

"Merry Christmas, Seth," Chris said, blinking quickly and drawing him into a hug. Seth patted him on the back.

"Yeah, don't mention it man..."

They spent some time eating chocolate silk pie for dessert and getting cocktails from the bar, but Seth began to feel wholly exhausted. Everything was so overwhelming and he'd been up so early opening the pool that he started yawning as soon as he finished his wine, fiddling idly with his paleo treats.

"Did you want another beer Seth?" Sami asked, patting him on the shoulder.

"No, I think I'm good," He shook his head and peered around, looking for Roman or Dean. Everyone was dispersing, leaving or falling into their own little social groups. Through the crowd, they were already stalking over to him, holding their new gifts. 

"We were thinking of leaving early, 'cause we gotta drive tomorrow and all," Dean leaned in close. "You pack yet?"

"Kind of, All my stuff's clean an' ready i just gotta put it in a bag. I was gonna-" he broke off in a yawn, blinking hard. "Whew-"

"You can sleepover and then we can swing by your place on the way out of town," Roman proposed. "It's up to you."

"Mmmaybe." Seth muttered, stuffing his gifts into the plastic bag he'd brought with him. "I am sleepy."

The three said goodbye to everyone at the party, wishing a Happy Holidays and pouring thanks over those who had given them gifts. Seth hugged Finn, Sasha and Bayley while Cesaro looked at him dutifully.

"I will give you a good present when you come back," Cesaro urged. "I don't want to be lousy."

"You drive me to the box and buy me coffee constantly!" Seth laughed, "This is payback."

The valet returned Roman's vehicle and Seth and Dean slipped into the back. Seth sighed, doing up his seat belt. There was so much to think about, he really did have some great friends. Already, this Christmas was shaping up to be one of the better one's he experienced in his adult life. He'd probably never been more poor and far from home, but everyone was so kind and festive.

"Sorry we got caught up at the front babe," Roman said, patting Seth's knee as he turned to back away from the curb. "We were trying to sneak off, but Hunter caught us and held us up."

"It's fine, I don't care," Seth muttered, watching down town roll by through the window. 

"I's a good night," Dean yawned, toying with the T-shirt he was wearing. 

They drove in relative silence, and Seth closed his eyes, comfortably warm and content. He was done with work for the rest of the week. He'd be spending the time getting to know Roman's family instead. But still, Seth wondered if they might be asking any difficult questions. It wasn't that hard to lie, morally Seth didn't really have any issues saying that Roman and Dean were good friends. There was a strange nagging feeling though, that maybe part of being in a polyamorous relationship meant having varying versions of honesty with strangers and acquaintances.

Being gay was one thing, but if Seth was with two women, there would probably be just as many awkward questions.

"Monster trucks are around Valentine's day," Dean poked his leg, bringing him back to reality. "You ever been to one of those before?"

"Nah," Seth smiled. "I'm down."

They got to Roman's and disembarked from the car, moving quietly and carrying their bags and boxes of gifts inside. For the time being, they just set everything on the kitchen table, yawning and tired.

"You're so sleepy," Roman observed, pulling him close and rubbing his hands through his hair. "You alright?"

"Mhmmm." 

Dean was getting a glass of water from the refrigerator and simultaneously slipping out of his slacks. His pants pooled around his ankles as he shuffled to the table, grabbing his medications and swallowing them.

"Did you get that refill yet?" Roman asked. Seth peered out from Roman's chest.

"Nah, I'll have enough to get through Christmas, I just gotta run to CVS like… right when we get back." He tossed the bottle down, sniffing. "Gotta… go to the doc soon too. They're calling me telling me I need to get an assessment or some shit cause they want to change my dosage or something. Stupid."

"We'll figure it out," Roman sighed, grabbing him in as soon as he'd put his cup in the sink. Seth's eyes fluttered, feeling Dean wrap his arms around the both of them.

Even though Dean and Roman hadn't been up as early as Seth, they were clearly tired. Dean immediately relaxed, coming undone in Roman's arms, while Seth could hear Roman's heartbeat pounding slow and calm. Without much to say, they shut the lights off in the kitchen, scooting to the bedroom to collapse into bed. 

"I'm setting the alarm for 7:30." Roman grunted, plugging in his phone. "Breakfast on the road good? We could eat in Gainesville."

"Yeah sure."

Roman's bags were already packed, sitting by the door in a neat bundle. Seth's blinked lazily, head resting over Dean's breast while he shifted under the covers, getting comfortable. He was asleep before he could even think to say goodnight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! I hope it isn't too weird reading about Christmas stuff still. 
> 
> Was caught up and busy this week, but here's the lot. The next few chapters might be multi-part installation type deals too, so maybe they won't happen till the end of the next week, I dunno.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope everything was cute enough to your liking!


	72. Noel [Part: 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys leave for Pensacola. Just how many people are in Roman's family? (Part 1 of 5)

Getting on the road was bleary and difficult the next day, and Seth was really grateful that Roman was taking the wheel. After they started moving and had picked up Seth's things from his apartment, he'd fallen asleep again in the backseat before they'd even left the metro. Days of waking up ridiculously early had caught up to him and Seth was sleeping furiously.

Dean's hand shook his knee and he winced, jolting awake. Both of his boyfriends were staring at him from the front seat of their parked car. 

"Want some breakfast babe? Hate to wake you, but I figured you'd want food." 

"Huh? Yeah." Seth sat up, wiping drool off his cheek. 

Dean grinned. "You were snorin' real loud."

Some coffee, bacon and eggs and he was a little more awake, peering at his surroundings from the window of the Jeep. Seth had never been farther north in the state than Gainesville, and yet things were definitely feeling more 'Southern'.

When they were getting close to Tallahassee, Roman's phone rang and he used the display in his car to answer it.

"Hey mom." 

"Hey sweetie, I was just going to run to the store and I was wondering if you were getting close or not?" Roman's mother's voice crackled through the stereo of the car.

"We should be fine... " Roman shrugged, looking to his lovers. Dean and Seth shook their heads.

"Okay! Well, your father's still at work and I might be out when you get in, so if nobody's answering the door, Mandy said she would be home today so you could pop in next door and she can let you in with her key."

"Okay."

"Yeah, and what I did was I got you guys  _ reserved _ in the basement den. So the couch bed is all made up with the cot and I put some extra blankets down there in case it gets cold. If you guys wanted to put anything in the fridge though, I would use the garage fridge because we got… just a whole big dinner mess in there right now."

"We'll be okay mom. It'll just be another two hours or so," Roman said firmly. "You know us, we can handle it."

"Well  _ of course _ hun, I just want to be helpful." She sighed. "All the kids will be coming over in the evening and we're doing gingerbread again. It would be really great if you could help out with that. See if Dean wants to be our photographer again."

" _ Absolutely _ ," Dean drawled from the front seat. Mrs. Reigns chuckled. 

"Well good, I'm so excited to see you guys again and to meet Seth. You in there Seth?"

"Yeah, hi!" Seth piped up, leaning in so he could be heard. "I'm excited to be there!"

"Lovely. We'll see you boys soon, drive safe!"

Spanish moss and woody forests gave way to more open areas, as well as billboard advertisements for marina space and timeshares. Palm trees shifted in a light wind and the sky appeared deep blue and cloudless. Seth cracked his window for a time to get some fresh air. He was feeling a little restless, stuck in the back seat. 

"Do you think we'll have time to go to the beach?" Dean asked, looking at Roman over his sunglasses.

"Maybe… it's cold though…"

"It's fifty five!" Seth laughed. "That's fine for a walk!"

"Maybe we can convince Rosey to let us take Harley on a walk or something, I dunno," Roman said, looking to Dean. "You know how it is… Gotta take a  _ guilt trip _ if we want to go anywhere."

"We can take Milo and Tamar, they're good."

Around 1:30, the highway turned and tilted, rising up sharply. Seth moved closer to the window, peering out and feeling his stomach tighten. They were driving over the ocean and the view made his body feel like it was soaring. Small waves curled and broke below, while pelicans and other sea birds soared high in the air. Pensacola was flat and small, making the sky above it seem enormous and endless. 

"I gotta piss." Dean shifted, also looking at the water outside. 

"Bad?"

"Not  _ that _ bad."

"What's that?" Seth asked, pointing out of the window to a huge military complex. Planes were circling the bay area, flying in tight formation. "National guard?"

"Naval base!" Roman said eagerly. "Blue Angels are always flying around."

The planes soared over the highway and Seth sighed, sinking deeper in his seat. Roman merged into the exit lane and he wondered where exactly they would be going. It hadn't occurred to him how quickly they were doing this until they were in the actual town. Seth would be meeting Roman's whole family and they'd only been dating for a few weeks… but then… this week they weren't dating…  _ technically _ . 

They wouldn't be touching each other or  _ really  _ sleeping together. It wasn't as though Seth required a lot of physical contact, but there was certainly a part of him that was starting to initiate it unconsciously. Really, Roman himself was the worst offender, always grabbing them from behind or resting his head on their shoulders. Would they have any slip ups?

"Isn't there a key under the flower pot?" Dean grumbled, crossing his legs. Roman turned off of the main road, pausing at a stop sign.

"There might be, mom forgets about it a lot." Roman shrugged, slowing to a stop and grinning into the mirror. "We're  _ here _ ."

Seth whipped his head around, watching as Roman and Dean got out, looking up to a large, two story house painted mint green. The lawn was lush and well manicured, but currently, the whole front was adorned with the kind of decorations Seth would call  _ excessive _ . String lights, a plastic santa with reindeer on the roof, snowmen and candy canes lined the path and face of the house. Mixed with the tropical palms, it was surreal.

Dean jogged ahead of them, running to the front and picking up a flower pot to uncover a key. 

"I'll grab my shit, don't sweat," he muttered, getting the door ajar. "I'll be a good boy and flip the seat."

Seth pulled his bag over his shoulder, walking up the path to the now opened door. Roman held it open, smiling.

Everything was very well kept and Seth recognized a familiar scent of glade plugins and fabric softener. Coats and shoes were packed away neatly, the entryway enshrined with a wooden cutout that read  _ LOVE REIGNS _ in thick block lettering. Immediately, a little dog charged into the room, barking and alert.

"Superman, shush," Roman hissed, poking the little dog back. It panted happily, wagging its tail. Seth could see it had an old, white face. 

"He's cute," Seth noted, watching Roman pick up the dog and cradle it in his arm. Nobody else appeared to be around, the house vacant and quiet except for their own footsteps.

"You want the tour?" Roman asked, nudging his shoulder playfully. Seth offered to take Superman, pulling the dog into his arms and letting it lick his neck and beard. He nodded, grinning.

Roman's house was overwhelming even in silence. On every surface in every room, decorations, possessions and photographs seemed to be competing for visual dominance. The living room was a huge circle of chairs and a sofa, an enormous flat screen television and a Christmas tree that looked as though it was pushing up the ceiling. Under the tree, gifts spilled and piled out, flowing almost halfway across the room. 

On the coffee table was last year's family Christmas photo. Seth wondered if the cameraman had been forced to back up all the way to the back wall of his studio. In the middle, he picked out the faces of Roman, Dean, and his ex, Bryan. 

In fact, there were a lot of photos of Roman and Bryan all around the house. The double refrigerator was covered in pictures, and easily, Seth picked out three photos of the former couple.

On the top of the stairs, an old picture of Bryan and Roman marked the landing and Seth had to stop in his tracks, laughing.

"Do they know yet?" he asked, pointing. Roman rolled his eyes, sighing.

"I've asked, no lie, my mom looks at me and just says _then_ _give me a better photo._ " 

He looked at the floor awkwardly and Seth set Superman down on the floor, uncomfortable. The photos of Roman and Bryan were cute, surely, but Seth knew the moment that he and Marek had broken up, his mother had had the decency to take their Christmas card picture off the mantle. 

The tension dissolved as soon as they went down the hallway, which was a virtual shrine to Roman and his siblings. His old room had been converted to a guest bedroom, painted a soft blue and carpeted with beige. Seth giggled madly, staring at the array of photos from his childhood that hung around the door frame. Every picture showed a chubby, slightly confused baby with a careful scowl. 

"Oh god, you're a  _ ham _ ," Seth snorted, pointing to a pee wee football photo of Roman with a buzzcut, looking fiercely serious. Roman just blushed, shaking his head.

"You'll see every photo of me ever this weekend. Mom's serious about digging out the albums" he mumbled, continuing down the hall. Seth watched the frames morph into other siblings, showing Roman's sisters and his older brother. Out of the four of them, Roman seemed to be the most serious, face set stony in every photo.

"Okay, I need  _ help _ " Seth said desperately, turning to the largest photo in the middle of the hall. "Who-"

"Okay," Roman laughed. "Quiz time." 

"That's you, I'm not an idiot," Seth scoffed, watching Roman point to himself in a family photo. It had to have been taken some time in the nineties. Roman looked to be in elementary school. 

"I'm the youngest, then it's  _ Summer _ ." Roman pointed to the girl closest to him, her hair long and beautiful like his own. "She's important, you'll see a lot of her this weekend probably. We get along good, I like her husband a lot and her kids are adorable."

"Okay, Summer. Summer  _ Reigns _ ." Seth chuckled.

"Exactly! It's dumb so you'll remember!" Roman laughed. "And then, there's Vanessa. She and my mom fight all the time and she owns a nail salon." 

"Vanessa," Seth repeated, looking at a taller, larger girl that was resting her head on her mother's lap in the photo.

"Rosey," Roman said, pointing to the oldest boy, who was huge compared to everyone else in the photo, probably teenaged. Roman's face looked cold. "He lives next door with his family." 

"That's it? You're not close with him?" Seth smirked, looking between the two brothers in the picture.    
  
"We don't talk that much, no." His mouth twitched. "There's a big age gap and all, but I dunno. We just don't have a lot in common." Roman turned to his parents in the photo, pointing to a large, older man with long hair and a greying beard. 

"My dad is Sika and he runs a shipping and distribution company. Once he retires, Rosey's going to sell the restaurant he owns and take it over. Lisa-" he shifted his hand to a blonde, well kept woman. "She has a real estate license, but mostly she's just a homemaker. Super grandma. Watches all the grandkids and does stuff with church to help with other people's kids. I think by  _ existing _ , me and all my siblings are just supposed to have as many kids as possible."

"Really?" Seth laughed, taking in the large photographer with new eyes. "That's… crazy… do you  _ want _ kids?" 

Roman bit his lip, a complicated look on his face. He blinked and nodded. Despite the moment's hesitation, Seth thought he was sincere. 

"No pressure or nothin'," Roman said lowly, passing by the door at the end of the hall and knocking hard. "Uce, you good?"

"Takin' a shit. Sorry," Dean muttered from beyond the door.

They both laughed and kept walking, making their way down the stairs at the end of the hall, coming back out into the kitchen. 

"That must be why you're always fuckin' me so good," Seth purred, giving his ass a pat. "Trying to knock me up or something."

" _ Jesus _ ," Roman snorted, laughing. "I need a drink, you good?"

They went out into the garage, making sure Superman didn't slip through the backdoor. Seth followed, watching Roman make his way to a refrigerator, popping open the door and looking inside. He crept closer, wanting to keep the mood light. The way Roman was talking and moving around made Seth wonder how comfortable he really was having Dean and Seth there. Dean obviously seemed fine, but Roman definitely seemed on edge, like he was holding tension in his body and walking in small steps.

Seth supposed all families were different; he didn't want to be  _ too _ quick to judge.

"Miller lite? Natty Ice?" Roman offered, picking through beers. "Nah?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Seth shook his head, leaning his weight toward Roman as he picked out a beer. They nearly started as the garage door shuddered open, shifting onto the ceiling as a gray SUV pulled up the driveway and into the stall. 

They broke apart and Roman waved. Seth could see an older woman inside, smiling and waving back excitedly behind a pair of sunglasses.  _ Lisa _ , Seth repeated in his head, sure it was Roman's mother. 

"You're here! I saw the Jeep!" She pulled out of the car, not bothering to pull the keys from the ignition before hopping down to throw her small arms around her son. They embraced and she rocked him, moaning with happiness before planting a kiss on his cheek. "How was the drive?"

"Fine, we got up early enough." Roman shrugged. "We just got in a second ago, haven't even gone downstairs yet."

"And you must be Seth!" 

"Yeah, hey!" Seth turned pink, trying to follow suit as Lisa pulled him in for an identical hug, unmistakably feeling him carefully. "Thank you… so much for inviting me!"

"Absolutely! We want Roman to bring the people he  _ cares _ about. It's so good to meet you! You boys breaking into the beers already? Where's Dean?"

Seth blinked, but Roman seemed quick on the uptake, following his mother back to her car. 

"Yeah, upstairs. Did you want a hand? We still gotta unpack the car, but I can help you out and they can grab the rest-"

"Seth dear, why don't  _ you  _ help me-" Lisa turned to him, eyes wide and hopeful. "It's really not much- Roman, why don't you get your things because you know where everything goes." 

Before anyone could answer, she had pressed two grocery bags into Seth's hands. 

"Lots of powdered sugar! We made  _ so  _ much gingerbread, we knew we were going to have to get more if we wanted all the little houses to be put together right-"

Mutely, Seth followed Lisa back into the house, awkwardly trying to hold the door open for her. Roman hung back, face tight and jaw set as he pushed the button for the garage door so he could make his way back to his car.

"Thank you so much dear!" Lisa sighed as Seth set the bags down on the kitchen counter. Superman panted, walking between their feet. "Now,  _ where _ did Roman say you were from again? Illinois?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part one of probably five or six parts that will contain all of Christmas in Pensacola. I'm posting a part each day! Maybe the last two together, I don't know. 
> 
> Goofy references to m-preg, sorry, you know me though. 
> 
> Thanks to all of y'all for reviewing! I appreciate it. Happy new year! Much love to Kenjideath for beta'ing, as always.


	73. Noel [Part: 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and gingerbread houses! Family feuds. (Part 2 of 5)

The next people to arrive at the house were Roman's nieces and nephews, children of his brother Rosey. Seth assisted Lisa, trying his best to be helpful and communicative, and Dean rejoined them after grabbing their things from the car. The back door slammed hard and a boy and a girl came racing in, backpacks on their shoulders.

"Grandma! Can we go to our friend's tonight?" the girl asked, pleading. They each glanced to Seth and Dean momentarily, but seemed entirely focused on their request, panting hard. "Nevah and Sam- they said we could come to their house and their parents got them the new Rock Band! Dad said we had to ask you!"

"The whole family is going to be here tonight! Why do you want to go there?" Lisa asked. "Everyone is going to miss you!"

"Jordan's not coming 'till seven because of football!" the boy piped up. "We don't care about gingerbread!"

" _ Now _ , you two were supposed to be my helpers." Lisa sighed, staring intently to the children. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of other opportunities to go and see your friends, but this is family time! Uncle Roman's already here and all your cousins are coming!"

The kids pouted, stamping their feet. Roman chuckled, setting a beer down in front of Dean.

"It's not fair!" the boy said, screwing up his face and swinging his bag. "We're gonna be around family all of break! Why can't we do tonight?"

"Koa, you know Grandpa would want you to be there, do you want to make him sad?"

"Why don't you go over there  _ until  _ dinner?" Roman proposed. "Come back before eight or so."

"Can we do that Grandma?" the girl asked, nodding quickly. Lisa sighed, shooting Roman a withering look. 

" _ No _ , that's the final answer. Go put your bags down at home and make sure you get here before your aunties show up, ok?"

Koa and the girl left, sulking as they stomped to the back door with their bags dragging on the floor. Roman sighed, toying with the salt and pepper shakers on the counter. 

"Is Dad coming home early today?" Roman asked, trying to divert his mother's souring mood as she pulled pans down from the counter, looking annoyed. 

"No, Jimmy and Jey are picking up Nia from the airport, so that's all sorted out. Really, Summer and Vanessa probably won't be here for another hour or two, so it's no rush. Everyone else will be here either tomorrow or on Christmas morning."

"Buffet for tonight?" Dean asked, sipping off his drink.

"Yup, buffet tonight and tomorrow it looks like. I'm saving all my energy for Christmas."

Roman showed Seth downstairs where they were sleeping, effectively finishing the tour as the sun began to set. The basement was warm and well finished, with another gigantic TV and a small bookshelf. More pictures lined the walls, showing vacations and moments that were likely captured when Lisa and Sika were just married. 

"What's the buffet?" Seth asked, pushing his bag to the side of the fold out couch and looking at the large cot wearily. He felt a little overwhelmed.

"This Chinese place down the road," Dean answered, plopping down on the bed and curling his toes. "They do a lot of seafood and stuff, it's good."

"Yeah, we like to do that a lot just so everyone's fed and there's no bother," Roman explained, looking to Seth carefully. "Sorry if my mom's a little overbearing, but I think she really likes you, honest."

"Yeah, no, I wasn't concerned about that..." Seth shook his head. "It's all good."

They watched television for a little while, zoning out to some show about deep sea diving on the Discovery Channel until it became obvious people were arriving upstairs. Dean and Roman seemed intent on refreshing drinks and Seth obliged as well. He hadn't been in much of a drinking mood, but something about the energy in the house told him he'd do well to keep a little buzzed to remain social.

" _ Hey _ brother!" 

One of Roman's sister's clasped him in a huge hug at the top of the stairs, effectively blocking Dean and Seth from reaching the landing. In her arms, she was carrying a baby, and a huge purse was slung around her shoulder.

"Vanessa," Roman introduced her to Seth, taking the baby and smiling. Vanessa beamed, hugging him while Dean nodded to her husband, a tanned, slightly overweight white guy wearing a trucker hat and jeans. 

"It's great to meet you." Seth nodded, hearing children from the front door again. 

They mingled, and suddenly, everyone was there at once. Looking out the window, cars were parking on the street and Dean took the cue to hold the door, greeting everyone with a half smile as they hauled their roller bags over the front. Superman barked, nearly getting stepped on every few minutes.

"Dean, my man!" 

Two nearly identical men with long hair and facial hair similar to Roman's clapped Dean on the back. They laughed loudly, carrying luggage over their shoulders. 

A little lost, Seth hovered close to Roman, hoping for an introduction. 

"Jimmy and Jey," Roman explained, "My cousins." 

Behind them, a large woman with wavy brown hair came in, looking a little haggard, but excited. She looked behind her, muttering something, and a smaller woman followed. 

Seth blinked, smiling as they made eye contact. The first woman was obviously Samoan, but her friend was Japanese.

"Nia! You made it!" Lisa came in, pulling the larger woman close to embrace. Dean melted against the wall, trying to make space.

"Yeah, the flight wasn't too bad. The only issue was we had to do some run around to get our bags." 

Nia said something in Japanese and the other woman smiled, nodding and bowing to Lisa.

" _ This _ is Asuka."

Seth's heart sank, eyes darting around as names came shooting out like popcorn. It was  _ hopeless _ , there was no way he could remember everything, but he did his part in greeting everyone and making sure he wasn't in the way. Koa and his sister returned, looking slightly sour as Lisa told them to take coats from everyone. A little boy ran between Seth's legs and chased after Vanessa, yelling.

The baby in Roman's arms yawned and peered up at him. Seth couldn't help but feel a tingle of saccharine joy, seeing his boyfriend holding his infant niece. 

"Penelope," Roman said, nodding to the little girl. "I might be full of it, but I still think she likes me best."

"She's cute,” Seth agreed, watching as yet another couple came in through the front door. 

"Roman!" 

"Hey, hey." 

A comparatively smaller woman hugged him and Seth supposed she had to be Summer, his last sister. Dean looked exasperated, pushing the door fully open again, but not before a man came through the door and grinned at him.

"Hey Dean! We got this, it's okay." He gestured to his two sons, ushering them in through the door. "C'mon kids, you were just complainin' about how cold it was…"

"Dean!" one of the little boys cheered, jumping up and down. "Up Up Up!" 

" _ Milo _ ," Dean sang, immediately hoisting the young boy into his arms. "What's up kid?"

"Mom said! Mom-" Milo laughed, "Mom said you might not come!"

"I'm here, ain' I?"

For about twenty minutes, everyone was just milling around, shaking hands and getting settled. In his head, Seth tried memorizing names, attempting to engrain them all in his brain. The hands around his beer were sweating and he was sure he looked stupid, leaning on the wall until he was in the way, then leaning on the bannister. Eventually, Roman handed him Penelope and Seth took her with some hesitation while Roman left to see to something upstairs. 

"Are there more people?" Seth asked Dean, rubbing an unsure hand over the baby's back and trying to steer clear of the children running around. Dean shrugged. 

"Roman's brother and dad will come, but I think that's it, at least for tonight. More people will come later."

They all came to sit in the living room, pulling up seats wherever they could be found. Vanessa rescued Penelope from Seth, and Roman rejoined them bearing more drinks. His face was a little rosy, but Seth was glad he wasn't worrying about his boyfriends. Everything seemed to be going fine.

Dean and Seth just sat on the floor, folding up small as everyone came to pile even more gifts under the tree, emptying out bags with wrapped presents. The children cheered, picking through the boxes, much to Lisa's annoyance. 

"Come and sit everyone, Grandma wants to take a picture!" She beamed, pulling on a pair of glasses to see her phone and eagerly snapping a few photos of all the kids crammed against the coffee table. "Jordan's not here. We can do some  _ phone magic _ and just put him in later, right?"

The dynamics were pretty much as Roman had described, and it was fascinating to see all of the family together talking. Seth and Dean didn't really have much to add, but they listened and drank. 

"How was Hawaii? You haven't told us yet!" Lisa asked of Summer and her husband, Trevor. The attention of the group shifted to the couple sitting together on the couch. 

"It was great! I think we're going to go back in a few years if we can manage it." Summer beamed, looking to Trevor. "We don't know about doing an all-inclusive again, but-"

"Yeah, it would be great if we could see some of the other islands or something," he said. "But those are a lil' more pricey."

"We should do a  _ cruise _ one year!" Lisa said, drinking from her wine. "Haven't I been saying that? God, I would love to take your girls and Mandy or something. Nani, my friend, you know? She got a huge deal on a trip that loops around the Bahamas and comes right back through here. I just haven't had a vacation in  _ so _ long!" 

"Yeah, well," Summer shrugged animatedly, looking to each of her siblings. "Vacations  _ are _ expensive..."

They all grinned knowingly and Seth had to stop himself from giggling. It was so  _ obviously _ Roman's family- he could see traces of his lover in each of the people sitting in the circle. Jimmy, Jey and the young boys all surely looked like they'd been cut from the same tree, but all the women mirrored Roman's assured way of talking. The way his mother laughed, spreading her lips and bearing all of her teeth was so distinctly Roman, it made Seth's chest feel bubbly. 

"When are we making houses?" Milo asked, leaning on his father's knee and wobbling around. 

"We can do that now! We have a few hours before dinner. I think Rosey said he was on his way?" Lisa checked her phone. "We just need to make up some frosting and we'll be good!"

Dean immediately stood up, clinking his beer glass and letting Milo and his brother giggle and pull on his arms. Seth smiled again; he watched Dean work with kids all day at the pool, but Seth could tell he really liked the little boys.

"We'll make a ginger  _ mansion _ ," Dean said gruffly, playfully bonking Milo with the bottle. "Gingerbread  _ jacuzzi _ ."

Seth rose up too, happy to do whatever he could. He knew he was probably being a little too quiet, but he was always a little shy in large groups.

"Roman? Nia? Did you guys want to help too, then?" Lisa asked. "Give the moms and dads a break?"

Nia said something in half japanese, half english and Asuka nodded.

The last time Seth had made a gingerbread house was when he was in first grade and he'd done it at school. He remembered bringing a bag of mini marshmallows to share, as his teacher had requested. It was a fun project for one of the last days of class before the holiday break, but sadly, his house was smashed on the bus ride home and he cried to his mother about it all evening.

Now, Seth didn't really care much about making his own house, but Roman, a little tipsy and playful, began constructing a house with gingerbread slabs and invited his lovers to work on it.

"Dean is helping us!" Tamar argued, grabbing unwrapped chocolate kisses and throwing them in his mouth. Dean nodded wisely, mixing up some frosting and sitting between the two boys. 

"Seth's a better architect, I'm sure," Dean mumbled, holding a gingerbread square and letting Milo apply globs of frosting. 

Koa and his sister Madison didn't really seem to care much about making houses, but sat down to work anyway, feasting on candy and waiting for Lisa to hand them some cookie pieces. Nia and Asuka sat down next to Seth and smiled, looking at the array.

"So… you guys are from… Cali?" Seth tried, trying for some sort of conversation. Asuka nodded happily.

"Yeah! We just flew in today. We haven't been to Florida before! In the bay, it's a lot more chilly, so it's a nice break," Nia said, picking up some gumdrops and collecting the pink and white ones. "My family isn't very supportive…  so we took Lisa up on her invitation."

"Oh, okay." Seth nodded, remembering that Roman had told him about a gay cousin. "Good to meet you guys."

Roman giggled at his shoulder and Seth turned, watching him constructing some sort of triangle.

"What are you doing? That's so wrong," he laughed, turning the plate to see the weird little teepee from all angles. "This is all off."

Lisa put on Christmas music and they all worked. Seth was a little short on elbow room, sitting next to Nia and Roman, but he made it work, disassembling Roman's bizarre creation and putting together a neat, square little house. Dean was mostly letting Milo and Tamar stick m&m's and gumdrops to everything, stacking the gingerbread roof neatly. 

"Hey Jordan!"

Seth looked over his shoulder and a teenaged boy was standing in the kitchen, dressed in a large hoodie and sweats. Lisa put a hand on his back, patting him, and Roman turned around to nod to his nephew.

"Just get done with practice?"

"Yup." Jordan looked at each person and slowly stalked off, going back to the living room. Seth smiled, he remembered being in high school.

Roman was just sticking a licorice trim to the bottom of the house when an enormous man came in the door, following Jordan's path and pulling Lisa into a side hug.

"We about ready to go soon?" he asked, taking a look at all the houses. "Uncle Afa wasn't coming, was he?"

"Not tonight."

Roman nodded to the man and Dean didn't even bother to look up. Milo and Tamar burst out laughing as Dean painted a face on the side of the house in frosting. 

"Is that Rosey?" Nia asked quietly as soon as the man left. "I haven't seen him in  _ ages _ !" 

"Yeah, that's him," Roman confirmed. "He cut his hair two years ago."

"Yeah, now it's just you rockin' the locks. You and Sika."

"Oh Roman, that's such a nice house!" Lisa admired, coming over. Immediately she whipped out her phone. Respectfully, Seth moved over, giving Roman some space to be seen. 

"Oh Seth, get closer! You two are darling!" Lisa chirped. "I think we'll have to put your house on the mantle tomorrow."

"We want to go on the mantle!" Milo yelled, balancing his body weight between the chair and the table and swinging back and forth. "1243! Gumdrop Avenue!"

Lisa took pictures of all the gingerbread houses before they tried to clean up a little, putting the frosting bowls in the sink to soak and organizing the candy. Seth felt a little strange, going to wash his hands, but he had eaten a lot of peppermint patties, so he just assumed it was sugar.

Dean elected to drive the Jeep, not that Roman was really drunk, but Roman and Seth both sat in the back together. Having a moment away from all the noise and commotion of the family was appreciated.

"You guys doin' okay?" Roman asked, leaning towards the driver's seat. "My fam's picking up the check like the always do."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Seth said, stroking his beard. Dean just nodded. "Was there… any reason you didn't want them to know about all this yet?"

"They… don't even know Dean's living with me," Roman sighed, sinking back and running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated obviously. That house is technically owned by them, so they… have a lot of say about it."

"It's a little soon still," Dean said quietly.

"Yeah, of course." Seth shrugged. "I just… everyone seems so nice…"

"Eh, wait till the first fight," Roman said hesitantly. "Nobody's  _ mean _ , we're just… we're a big family with a bunch of egos… Everyone has an opinion."

Roman's hands fell on Seth's thigh, rubbing comfortingly. Seth smiled, warming to the touch. He pulled his hand over Roman's and held it carefully. 

_ The Chow Tyme China Buffet _ just barely had a large enough parking lot to contain every member of the Reigns family. Palm trees shook lightly in the calm breeze, and Seth could smell the ocean in the distance. As they entered, they drew the attention of everyone around. The children were loud, and Roman, Dean and Seth hung in the back, content to let Lisa take charge of everything.

"Oh, and Sika's already here!" She laughed, pointing to the huge table that had been assembled in the middle of the dining area. An older man with long white hair was sitting at the front, his fingers folded in front of him. He waved, nodding to his family.

Seth thought they would all disperse and grab food, but instead, they all sat, preparing a drink order. Lisa sat next to Sika and Roman came over to greet his father, so they ended up close to the head of the table. 

"You can sit here, dear," Lisa offered, pulling out a chair and smiling to Seth. "Roman always puts his elbows on the table and boxes me in."

"Don't know where he gets it from," Sika said, chuckling. He nodded to Seth, but Seth stuck out his hand, trying to make the best first impression.

"Seth Rollins," he said firmly, bowing his head a little. Sika shook it.

As soon as they were all settled, Lisa put her hands on the table, insisting everyone join together. Mutely, Seth mimicked her, looking around.

"Devin, you say grace this time," Sika instructed, looking to Vanessa's husband carefully. 

Devin fumbled, quickly tugging off his trucker hat and looking to his wife, bowing his head. 

"Bless us oh lord… thy gifts we are about to receive… from… thy bounty… through Christ our lord." 

"Amen," everyone echoed. Seth curled his lip, looking around. He'd forgotten Roman's family was so religious, but then, he guessed he should have expected something with all of the Catholic decorations all over the house. He'd swear he'd seen a crucifix in every room, along with the usual decor that said something to the effect of  _ Christ _ and  _ Blessing _ lining most of the picture frames in the house. 

Dean looked similarly out of place, waiting to see who would rise for food first.

The whole dinner itself took probably two and a half hours, with everyone making the most of the all-you-can-eat options. Lisa fussed over everything, going to each grandchild in turn before getting her own plate, and making sure everyone was comfortable. Sika sat patiently, observing everything and sipping from his water while the individual families helped themselves. Seth watched carefully as he seemed to shift between his children, his neck rotating slowly as he surveyed the scene.

Sika was a very quiet and reserved man, but when he spoke, everyone seemed to harken to him. With each of his children, he made direct conversation, diverting the attention of the group to individuals as he saw fit.

"Well, now's as good a time as ever," Rosey said, turning to his wife after finishing an explanation of Jordan's football ambitions. Jordan himself sat quietly, eating crabcakes. 

"Yes, well," Mandy said, smiling mischievously. "We're  _ expecting _ again." 

"You are?!" Lisa nearly slapped her plate on the floor in her urgency to be closer to her daughter-in-law. Everyone around the table applauded, with the exception of Rosey's children who just looked annoyed. 

"Summer baby." Rosey nodded. "We're actually thinking of… well… doing Lisa or Sika for names." 

Everyone raised their glasses, saying  _ Manuia!  _ and toasting the family. Lisa dried her eyes while Rosey just looked smugly around the table, earning a smile and nod from his father. 

_ Eight now? _ Seth saw Jimmy mouth to Jey, looking speechless. 

"That is very good to hear," Sika said, turning to his other son. "Roman, you are feeling better?"

"Huh? Oh-" Roman nodded, wiping his mouth. "Yeah... I felt better a while ago."

"How are chickens?"

"Just… just the one. She's good." 

"Oh... that is good."

Sika drank from his glass and continued to eat, leaving a sort of absence in the air. Vanessa began asking Mandy about the baby, and Nia translated bits of conversation for Asuka. Seth looked at Roman, a little bemused, and then he felt eyes on the back of his own head. 

"Your family is far away?" Sika asked Seth, "You are like Roman? You moved away?"

"Oh, yes," Seth said quickly. "My whole family, they live in the Midwest… I came down to Florida for a change."

"That is hard, to move away," Sika said. "I am always telling Roman, he will come back soon. After he and Dan stop living together, I thought he would come back home."

"He… his house-" Seth tried, trying to steer clear of any uncomfortable topics. "His house is very nice," he swallowed. "So is yours, you have a beautiful family. I don't think I've ever met such a bunch of happy people."

"Thank you," Sika said seriously. "Roman is a good man. He is very-" Sika gestured, and Seth was almost positive Roman was staring back at him. "He is very  _ confused _ , but he has very good friends."

Seth nodded awkwardly, turning his attention to his food. He wasn't really sure what Sika meant, but there wasn't any good way to ask about it. 

"Hey Lisa," Dean mumbled, looking around Seth. "Can you pass the soy sauce?"

The rhythm of the meal, it seemed, was to get full, wait around and listen to conversation, drink, and then keep eating. Seth was already uncomfortably full by eight thirty, but Lisa kept offering him almond cookies from her plate. Rosey, Jimmy, Jey and Roman all seemed to be in brotherly competition, stacking their plates high and putting food away quickly. 

"Another beer sir?" the waitress asked Seth. He politely declined, waving his hand.

"Well, you can all thank me for having hot water at the house tonight," Lisa said animatedly over her third glass of wine. "It's been a  _ nightmare _ , I'm tellin' you. Now, I had to go to take Superman to get groomed and then swing by the plumbing company because I wanted to show them the photo of my pressure relief valve, because I thought it was broken, right? You kids remember how bad it was when you guys were in high school? Well, it was doing that  _ again _ -" 

"Mom, you really don't need to tell the whole story," Vanessa laughed. "It's fixed… that's the ending."

"-Not  _ five _ minutes away from my car, I have this lady storming into the office of the plumbers and she's accusing me of animal abuse because I left Superman in the car! I mean, just yelling and saying that if I took any more time, she was going to break my window!"

" _ Oh my god _ ," Vanessa mouthed. Seth smiled and Dean nodded eagerly, trying to be supportive.

"Now, I had just planned to be in there for a moment, right? I had my phone out and I was trying to explain the problem, but this lady would  _ not _ leave it be!"

"Mom, if you used the kennel crate I had gotten for you, this wouldn't be an issue!" Vanessa said, looking to the group. "Like,  _ every time _ I go out with her and we bring Superman, we get called animal abusers because she won't crate this dog."

"If I put him in there, he will bark the entire time! Anyways-" Lisa continued, largely only addressing Dean at this point.

"Because you have to crate train him!" Vanessa laughed, rolling her eyes. "You spoil that dog so bad mom."

Trevor looked to Summer and Summer sighed, chuckling under her breath. Roman blinked, peering down at his plate.

"I do not spoil him! We always had him in the front seat and it's never been an issue until the last few years! He's not a big dog like your dog, I don't need to crate train him!"

And just like that, a screaming match nearly started in the middle of the restaurant, with every family taking cover in their own way. Lisa and Vanessa both were gesturing madly across the table, hurling insults at each other while Sika sat, poised and calm. Devin looked to the tablecloth stupidly, occasionally catching eyes with his son until Penelope began to cry and he went to assist her. Trevor took Milo and Tamar to the soft serve machine and Mandy stroked her daughter's hair, bored.

Roman, detached and unaffected, sat sipping his beer with an uncomplicated smile on his face.

"Can we  _ not  _ do this right now? Mom, are you effing kidding me?" Vanessa scoffed, running her manicured hands down her face. "Every goddamn time-"

"Do. Not. Use that type of language," Lisa said dangerously. " _ You're _ the one making a scene!"

"Mom, I was just telling you how to deal with your friggin dog! I wasn't trying to assault your intelligence! You were  _ just  _ talking about this to us last week, can you treat me like an adult?"

Highly uncomfortable, Seth saw the bathroom sign in the corner and shuffled off. By the time he had returned, Vanessa was in tears and the bill was paid. 

"Sika always makes her apologize and then she always cries," Dean said under his breath to Seth. "You didn't miss much."

It was a very strange sight to Seth, who wasn't used to any such hysterics, but Dean and Roman seemed completely unaffected, shuffling out of the restaurant and bidding goodbye to all the siblings that were returning to their homes.

"Dean! We're in the play this year!" Milo said, spinning in circles by the gumball dispensers outside. "You have to see us!"

"What? Oh." Dean squinted. "The Christmas one?"

"We're shepherds!" Tamar said, opening up every dispenser flap to try to find a prize. "We don't have to say anything."

"Christmas play?" Seth asked, watching the boys run out to the car as Trevor pulled up in a Tahoe. 

"Yeah, on Christmas Eve the kids do a play at their church." Dean nodded. "We do that, and then we go to fuckin'  _ mass _ in the morning." 

" _ Seriously _ ?" Seth asked quietly. The trip was starting to feel like a marathon. The whole family was discussing the photos they'd be taking the next day and Seth started to wonder if he'd be getting much sleep at all. Roman reappeared, tossing his keys back to Dean as they shuffled off.

"Just us, Jimmy, Jey, Nia and Asuka tonight." he sighed, rubbing his nose. "Breakfast should be pretty easy."

"I ate so much, I'm not gunna shit 'till Christmas," Dean snorted, opening up the door to the Jeep and sliding in. 

"Well, my dad likes you too," Roman said, grinning to Seth. "He was just paying- said he really liked talking to you."

"Oh… great," Seth mumbled, sliding into the back again. "I don't think I'm ever  _ not  _ impressive. I just have to actually talk is all. You're  _ sure _ your sister's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine," Roman laughed. "They all know their lines by now, they've been doing this all their lives." 

"Does that only happen with her?" Seth asked, buckling in. Roman slung a hand around his back, slumping in his seat.   


"Nah, well, it only happens with her  _ constantly _ . Dad butts heads with Rosey and me sometimes, but he's not like mom. Summer probably gets it the easiest, she's just smart enough not to engage."

It was only a few blocks back to the house, but Seth fully relaxed into Roman's hold, letting his head bob back while the car carried them out. The night sky was much brighter than in Orlando, as Pensacola was so much smaller. The stars were beautiful, peeking through the clouds. 

"Almost Christmas," Dean noted, turning down the church choir music that was playing softly on the radio. They all nodded, sleepy and full.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two! Next time, family photos and miscommunications!


	74. Noel [Part: 3]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family photos, What's it look like? (Part 3 of 5)

Cramming into the car early the next day and getting to a shopping mall downtown was a blur. That night, Dean had agreed to take the cot, and Roman and Seth slept on the pull out couch, falling asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows. But only  _ after  _ Jimmy and Jey had kept them up till past midnight, telling stories and drinking beers.

It took Seth several tries to get his button down fastened correctly, without missing any holes. He yawned and blinked, eventually just throwing a sweater over the whole thing anyway. 

"Good morning boys!" Lisa greeted them in the kitchen, her face layered with makeup. "Grits and biscuits!"

More heavy food, and Seth was nearly passing out on top of Dean in the car. He shuddered awake when Roman pressed a coffee into his hand. 

"Hazelnut, right?" Roman asked. Seth nodded, sitting up and taking a long drink from the cup. 

When they arrived at Sears and arrived at the photo area, Vanessa's family was running late, so Lisa called her, shrieking over the phone while Sika stared absently at the shoe department. Seth was really glad that Roman's family had invited him for pictures, but if he'd had the option, he would have gladly stayed at the house and slept in.

"She's on her way up," Lisa said, shaking her head and trying to fix her hair again. "I suppose we could get our individual ones out of the way."

Rosey's family went first, getting a few pictures with his wife and then just the children, then everyone together, alternating poses and angles. Dean sat on his phone, looking similarly tired.

"We weren't supposed't pick up Grandma were we?" Jey asked, looking to Jimmy fearfully. Jimmy froze, but then relaxed.

"Shit, no, don't scare me like that." Jimmy laughed. "She's getting breakfast with Uncle Afa." 

Gradually, the store was becoming busier and Seth just sipped his coffee and kneaded his forehead, plopping down next to Dean and trying not to look too broody. It didn't take Roman long to walk over and sit down on the floor with them, tapping their feet with his fingers.

"Sorry this is such an ordeal," he apologized, pulling his hair over his shoulder. "I think we're doing the food court for lunch and then we'll have some down time before dinner."

"No prob," Dean mumbled, shifting and blinking hard. "Coffee'll kick in inna sec here, I'm fine." 

Seth hadn't realized it, but he and Roman had almost worn the same thing. Dark grey sweaters and black slacks. Dean was wearing a long sleeve blue shirt and khakis, looking almost corporate casual. 

"Y'all wearin' that to church tomorrow too?" Jey asked, pacing the area. "I ain' brought enough clothes, I'm gunna have to run home or somethin'..."

"Why're you even stayin' the night?" Dean asked. "Don't you live a few miles away?"

"So I don't get another DUI," Jimmy said, chuckling quietly.

"Are we DONE yet?" Tamar asked, bouncing out of the photo studio in front of his family. Summer and her boys had just finished.

"We gotta do the family ones, but we can go look at toys in the meantime," Trevor said, looking to Summer. She nodded and waved at Roman.

"I think y'all are up to bat." She gestured to the group. "Jimmy and Jey can sneak in."

"We'll see what mom wants." Roman sighed, standing up. Seth, Dean, Jimmy and Jey followed him into the studio room where Lisa was standing outside.

"Vanessa's still not here?  _ Great _ ," she huffed, pulling Roman into the room. "You look  _ fantastic _ , sweetheart."

Seth and Dean hovered, unable to keep from grinning as Roman did a few individual shots, looking stormy and serious until the photographer put a hand to his mouth, gesturing to smile. Roman cheesed, his eyes immediately falling slack, his lips revealing straight, even teeth.

"Uce, stop seducing us," Jey teased, laughing as Roman puffed out his chest and pulled his hair back. 

"Boys, why don't you go in too then-" Lisa nodded, walking the twins onto the set and posing them as she liked. Roman stood in the middle on a riser while Jimmy and Jey framed him. Lisa then frowned, guiding Seth up to stand alongside her son, having Dean stand below them on the floor. 

"That's great, with... the heights." She nodded, pulling back. The photographer motioned and they focused their gazes toward the camera.

"Perfect, and then, maybe… just family?" Lisa suggested. Dean and Seth stepped down, wordlessly. Seth had no ambition to go and wander the mall until the group photo rolled around. He was fine to wait in the lobby area. 

"Oh- but, Seth-" Lisa stopped, leaning in close and rolling her lips. "Would you want to get a photo? Just you and Roman?"

"Huh?"

"We could do a set of you and Roman, would you be interested in that?"

Seth blinked, and he turned his head slightly. Dean was standing by the photo desk, looking at examples for framing options, bored. Suddenly, he realized what was being insinuated and he had no idea what to do.

"If you don't want to, that's okay," Lisa said slowly, "I just thought I should  _ ask _ ."

"Oh… no… I mean." Seth coughed, looking back at the studio. "I… should uh… you should ask Roman."

"...Alright," Lisa said, looking confused. She turned, making her way back into the studio.

None of them could have anticipated this, but Seth wasn't fully panicking just yet. His reaction hadn't been great, and now it probably really looked as though there was something  _ suspect  _ going on. But Seth hadn't thought about having to clarify this kind of assumption.  _ Yes _ , he and Roman were dating… but… not by themselves. 

Confused and unable to move past the awkward moment, Seth wanted to quip something to Dean, see if he could confirm this belief- but Lisa reappeared.

"Let's do it!" Lisa said, smiling bright. Roman followed in her wake, popping his head out of the door, looking alert. Seth caught his eye, brow furrowed.

_ What the fuck was going on? _

"Can we have Dean come too?" Seth tried, looking to Dean and nodding. Dean looked up from the binder of sample photos he was peering at, completely oblivious to what was happening. 

Lisa froze, looking between them. 

"I… suppose…"

The three of them stood and Seth was now really sweating under the hard lights of the cameras. Purposefully, Seth stood next to Dean, trying to use him as a barrier. 

However, Lisa had a vision.

"Is this-" She set a hand on Roman's shoulder. "This… how we want it?"

Seth looked at Roman again, completely disregarding the awkwardness of having his mother on the spot. Roman swallowed, looking between Dean and Seth. It was unnerving; he didn't look terribly confused or apologetic. 

"This works," Roman said quietly, breaking eye contact with Seth to smile for the camera.

"Smile everyone," the cameraman instructed, frying their eyes with light.

"Nia's… next then…" Lisa muttered, distracted. "Would you boys grab them?"

Roman said something, but Seth didn't bother looking back. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, but his sweater was suffocating him. 

"Your mom-" Seth blurted the moment they'd made their way out to the lobby. "Does she think- She sounded like-"

"Yeah, I  _ know _ ." Roman sighed, looking between Dean and Seth. "I didn't SAY we were, I just like… let her  _ think _ we were, okay?"

"Huh?" Dean blinked. "What's up?"

The more Seth thought about it, the more it made sense. The framing of their photos, the honeyed voice, preferential treatment, extra helpings at breakfast. It was subtle, Seth had just assumed it was the kindness of an excitable mother, but then, Dean didn't really receive the same magic.

"Okay, so, when I first told her you were coming, she sort of asked and I didn't know how to handle it," Roman explained. "I never said  _ yes mom, we're dating _ I framed it like,  _ oh you never know _ …"   


Seth looked scandalized, eyes wide with fear, but immediately Roman pushed back.

"Look! I told you already! I didn't want to tell them everything yet! I just wanted this to all be simple and easy. We come here, we do the holidays, I kinda get everyone used to seeing the three of us, right? This is a lot for my family to handle!"

"Well, now you gotta tell her the truth!" Seth hissed, trying to keep quiet so they weren't noticed. "It's just… it's not fair-"

"I don't give a shit." Dean shrugged. Seth looked at him and Dean frowned. "Look, it's just family, you tell them whatever you gotta to get them off your back!"

"How is this okay with you?" Seth pleaded. "Are you serious? You just don't care that they don't see us together?"

"We wasn't-" Dean laughed. "We weren't gonna be a couple this whole weekend anyway. We agreed to that."

Summer craned his neck in their direction, looking curious. Seth bit his lip, taking half a step back. 

"I'm not comfortable with this." Seth shook his head. "No. I don't like it. What are we supposed to say when we really want to tell the truth? Won't it just-"

"We are definitely not worrying about that  _ now _ ," Roman said firmly. "And I'm definitely not making a scene _ here _ ."

The tightness of it, the pitch of the tone made Seth's heart sink in his chest. Dean looked to the ground, exhaling. Roman looked almost predatory, his face set, arms folded. 

Seth didn't know what to do, and so he simply walked away, brushing past them to continue down the tiled floor, past the jewelry section toward the exit. He could feel Roman and Dean watching him leave, perhaps shocked, but Seth felt justified. In his head, his pulse beat fast. He didn't know where he was walking or what he was supposed to be doing, but sitting in the photo lounge wasn't what he wanted.

_ Is this our first fight? _ Seth thought, chuckling darkly as he stopped between a Dunkin Donuts and a AT&T wireless stand. There wasn't anything in the mall that was particularly appealing to him, but ahead, there was a circle of benches in front of a crappy little fountain. 

He sat, whipping out his phone on instinct. If it wasn't Christmas Eve, Seth would have thought about talking to Cesaro, Sasha or Jimmy. Everyone he knew was likely doing similar activities at the moment- spending time with family and doing holiday things. Seth didn't know how long he was going to sit out- if the family photo would go on without him or not, but at least at the moment, he didn't care.

How could Roman not see the problems with this? It made no sense. Dean had specifically talked to Roman about how he was afraid that he and Seth would forget about him. Even though Dean  _ said  _ he didn't care, Seth knew him well enough now that he could see when he was lying. It was written all over his face. 

What bothered Seth the most though, was just that by being complicit, he felt so dirty. He was  _ trying  _ to be more open and honest about his feelings, and since cheating on Marek, Seth thought that he had learned his lesson. Reflexively, he still hid, still had issues being forthcoming with his feelings, but it was all a process. 

Seth leaned back, sure that he looked weird sitting all by himself. He pulled his fingers through his hair, untangling a few knots, trying to calm down his heart and mind.

"You okay?" 

Seth jumped. Dean was standing behind him, sipping on an Orange Julius. 

"I just... need a second."

Dean sighed, turning to come to the front of the bench, leaning on the little fountain and looking to the ground again. His face looked tired, maybe a little annoyed, but mostly just worn.

"I asked Rome-" Dean sniffed. "I asked him why he couldn't just tell his ma' that  _ me and you  _ were dating, just to like, get the heat off his parents." He kneaded his forehead. "That kinda fucked him up a little."

"Yeah?" Seth's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"He wants to impress 'em, you know." Dean waved. "Wants to look like a big guy that has his shit together. I've seen him do this every holiday, you know, he shows up and, well, after he left Dan, his family just started pickin' on him for being single and not makin' much money. It sucks."

"But that's such a bullshit excu-"

"I know, it's no excuse." Dean rolled his eyes. "This just isn't about us, you know? Not about our feelings."

"Well, we  _ have _ them." Seth snorted. "Look, if Roman made it like he was only dating you, don't you think that would make  _ me _ feel like a shitty third wheel?"

Dean heaved a breath, grinning darkly and immediately Seth shut up, watching him shrug sarcastically. 

"I ain' got  _ no _ idea," Dean scoffed. 

"Dean, I  _ love _ you," Seth said firmly, frowning at the expression on his lover's face. "I really do, I don't  _ want  _ you to feel like that. That's  _ why _ I'm speaking up."

"I 'ppreciate it. I think." Dean squinted. "But uh, I  _ am _ sort of living with this dude. If we piss off his parents, that might fuck that up."

"I'll take you in," Seth said in a heartbeat. Dean blinked, and Seth looked away, his heart beating fast.

Dean moved, opting to sit next to Seth on the bench. There was a burgeoning want on behalf of both men to hold each other, to do something that was physically assuring. But there was still some fear in the air. They were in public, it wasn't really smart. Dean rubbed his thumb on the seam of Seth's pant leg, breathing deeply and staring. After a few minutes, he offered Seth some of his drink, but Seth declined, thinking hard.

"Man, when we get back home. We're gunna  _ fuck  _ him  _ up _ ," Dean said, mouthing fuck silently. Seth burst out laughing, watching Dean crudely hump the air. "He's always super down to bottom after he's with his family too, something about gettin' like, _ humiliated _ by them just preps his ass."

"Really?" Seth giggled, watching Dean just nod, mouth open, reliving some past experience.

"Almost as slutty as you."   
  
"Shut up."

"I'm serious."

"I KNOW you're serious- just-"

Seth sighed, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't really thought about Dean's living situation, but it was obviously a lot more important than being wholly truthful. Even being around Roman's family now, Seth couldn't tell if they would be thrilled having Dean living at Roman's house. 

It was a topic that he didn't really want to discuss at the moment, Seth didn't want to get Dean anxious.

**Family photo in 5...** Roman texted them. Seth trembled slightly, but Dean shot up, tossing his empty cup in the garbage.

"I know you're not trying to… box me out," Dean assured him, holding his hand out to help Seth back to his feet. "I think it's just… it just happens to me a lot."

"Yeah, which is why I give a shit."

"Well." Dean leaned back, looking anywhere but at Seth. "It's not gonna feel right, but we know who we are, ya know?"

Seth pinched Dean's hand with his thumb and forefinger, some small form of encouragement. 

Re-entering the store, Seth tried to pull on some mindless positive face. He was sure if he'd taken off his sweater, he would be sporting sweat stains, so he just kept his arms at his sides. All of Roman's family was standing up, fixing each other's ties and hair, waiting.

**I told my mom to just lay of of relationship stuff because it was making u uncomfortable** Seth and Dean's phones vibrated, alerting them to the group conversation.  **didn't say anything else n it will probably come up again, but im goin to divert it as much as possible. Im sorry.**

Roman caught their eye before they had a chance to respond, nodding. Seth and Dean nodded back.

It was enough for now.

"Oh good! Oh good! We're ready!" Lisa waved happily as soon as she saw Dean and Seth. Somehow, they all managed to file down the narrow hallway, earning some strange looks from the Sears customer's nearby. Roman stayed close by them, quiet and impassive. 

The siblings and the parents went together first, and Seth watched sympathetically as Roman was sidelined by Rosey, standing below his brother and his father next to Summer. Right at the flash, he pulled a warm grin, trying his best to keep up the facade. 

When they finally all crowded in to take the group photo, it took almost fifteen minutes to get everything perfect. Roman seemed content to shift toward his cousins and his lovers in the composition, standing just above both men. Nia rubbed her hands on Asuka's shoulders, and Trevor leaned into Summer, giving his children some words of encouragement. 

If he could have, Seth would have taken a moment to put his hands around Dean's shoulders and maybe kissed him on the side, sure that nothing he could say would be as comforting as an assuring touch. Seth hadn't imagined it would be this difficult to keep his hands off him. 

Though, he would need to receive affection from Roman before he returned it, there was still some sort of formal apology needed before they were all going to be cool. But being around the family all day, no such opportunities arrived. 

The group made their way over to the food court afterwards, and all three of the men were quiet and subdued. Roman and Seth went to stand in line at Chik-Fil-A, but Dean went for Sbarro's instead.

They sat together, but didn't talk much. Even though they were a few tables away from Lisa and Sika, it didn't seem like a great idea to be talking candidly about anything important.

The sort of uneasy silence continued all the way home and then into dinner later. Seth tried to be sociable, sipping wine and walking around the house from conversation to conversation, but more often than not, he just ended up petting Superman. Roman kept tabs, making sure that wherever Dean and Seth were, they were comfortable, but all the family members were so busy that they mostly went unnoticed. Vanessa and Devin had taken over a room upstairs to wrap gifts, and Nia and Asuka had gone to lay down for a period of time, likely the most overwhelmed by so many people.

Dean was sitting in the living room with Summer, looking at photo albums,so Seth thought to join them.

"I'm looking for the one-" Dean paged through a leather bound volume- "the ninja turtles."

"Oh, shoot, here," Summer laughed, setting down her drink and pulling out a black album. Dean moved over so Seth could sit next to him, and they cackled, finding a spread of photos with a chubby, adolescent Roman, mired in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise.

"Mom, I want a coke," Tamar, said, flopping down onto the couch and nearly knocking over a stack of albums sitting next to her. Quickly, Summer grabbed them, frowning.

"Why don't you go ask dad to grab you one from the garage?" she tried, setting the books on the floor. "We're looking at pictures."

"Is that you mom?" Tamar asked, pointing to a girl in a fairy costume in front of their house. Three children were all dressed up and smiling happily on the front step. Rosey, much older, was dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants, not participating. 

"No, this is me," Summer said, tapping a picture of the girl dressed as Belle from _Beauty and The Beast_. " _That's_ Aunt Vanessa."

Disinterested, Tamar skipped off, but Seth grabbed a book off the stack and began to sort through it, letting Dean watch over his shoulder as he poured over the photographs. The pictures were dated around the mid eighties, all likely taken on disposable cameras. The first few pages documented the repainting of the exterior of the house, with Rosey and Sika wearing work pants and walking around with paint-trays in the sunshine.

Seth could tell by the wear of the pages that the albums had been well loved. Summer leaned over, watching.

" _ Real  _ old," she laughed, watching as Seth opened the page to a picture of Lisa, vastly pregnant and holding a small baby girl. "The house next door was still owned by that one Pentecostal family."

"I seen this one before," Dean muttered, watching Seth turn the page. "And there's Roman."

Hospital photos showed Lisa grinning and holding a large, wailing newborn. Even at birth, Roman had a full head of hair and a worried expression.

Most of the book was Roman's first year and Seth couldn't help smiling stupidly as he turned the pages, seeing Roman look less like a wet, newborn alien and more like a pudgy baby dressed in floral prints. He burst out laughing at a photo of Vanessa taking Roman down a slide in her lap while he screamed and cried.

"He was sort of  _ our _ baby," Summer explained, pointing at a picture of the girl's bathing him in the sink. "There's this creepy one in there somewhere where you can see he's about the same size as our dolls."

"Totally." Dean laughed, seeing Roman propped up against a wall in a sea of lifeless barbies and babies. The children had enough toys to entertain a whole daycare.

Paging through a few other albums, Seth felt mischievous, seeing so much of his boyfriend while he was in the other room, talking with Jimmy and Jey. Roman's life through pictures looked very sweet and endearing, a picture perfect family with all the awkward nineties haircuts and high waisted pants imaginable. Even as he grew bigger, so many photos showed him spilling over his mother's lap while the rest of the family was rolling around in the grass or swimming at the beach. 

"Momma's boy." Dean nodded, watching Seth exhale softly at a photo of Roman wearing a straw hat and sitting by a wheelbarrow while Lisa pulled weeds outside.

"Did your family…?" Seth asked, finishing an album right around when Roman was starting school. He looked to Dean. "Do they have these?"

"Eh, a couple maybe." Dean shrugged. "My grandma took a few pictures, but we moved a lot and whatever wasn't in a frame probably got chucked out as some point."

Seth nodded. He wasn't sure what he expected. At his parent's home back in Davenport, both he and Brandon had a single photo album that contained a sort of highlight reel of their childhood. Seth hadn't looked at his own in years, but it had a lot of the same principle family shots. Church. Christmas. Swim Team. State fairs.

"Oh, we've got the albums out!" Lisa cooed, sinking down and pulling out a book lined with red and white binding. "We should have had this one opened up!"

"Here we go." Summer laughed, watching her mother flip through the book, trying to find something. Seth and Dean waited patiently, smiling.

"You've  _ got _ to see this one," she said, pushing the book into Seth's hands. Seth accepted it, nodding happily. "It's my favorite one of his."

An infant Roman was sitting under the Christmas tree in footie pajamas with little candy cane print. He was drooling, and clutching a stocking that was as long as he was, but he was giggling. In swooping red cursive under the photo,  _ Roman's First Christmas _ was written. 

"We've got to get going soon-" Lisa sprang back up again. "Summer, were your boys-"

"We're ready." She nodded. "Their costumes are all packed."

Dinner was incredibly rushed. Another trip to the Chow Tyme Buffet and everyone was eagerly trying to put food away to make it to church in time for the play. Roman was a little bright and tipsy again, giving Dean and Seth a playful slap on the ass in the parking lot in lieu of any sort of drawn out conversation. 

By the time he was fed, Seth was feeling less angry and anxious on the whole. He was starting to understand how the family was functioning as a sort of gigantic, symbiotic creature, moving from place to place. Seth didn't like keeping quiet and uninvolved, but dropping the polyamory bomb in public simply wasn't an option. Lisa was the family's momentum in everything, and the moment she became confused or distracted, things started to fall apart.

"Afa was coming and bringing Grandma, right?" she asked Rosey, pushing her plate away from her as she dialed her phone fiercely. 

"I think it's a lil' late now. I don't think Grandma was coming to this." Rosey shook his head. "Afa might, but not Grandma." 

"She came last year though! The last that I knew, they were all coming and they were meeting us there!"

Rosey, Summer and Vanessa's children all had a part to play in the Christmas Pageant, and so they left early to make it in time. Lisa scoffed angrily, hearing a voicemail for the third time in a row.

"We will know when we get there," Sika said, putting his hand over his wife's. "If it happens it will happen."

The church was a drive through downtown Pensacola, all lit up for Christmas Eve. Everything was beautiful and serene, and even though it wasn't the Christmas he was used to, being so warm, Seth felt peaceful, seeing a lack of pedestrians and cars. From his side, Roman nudged him, leaning toward him across the back of the Jeep. 

"Everythin' okay?" he asked, pulling his hand across Seth's back. Seth shivered slightly, graciously falling in. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered. "It's all okay."   


"I should have warned you about this, but I just forgot my mom gets like this… You can probably see it."

"Yeah, dude, it's okay." Seth nodded, blinking into Roman's armpit. "My family isn't like this at all, that's why I didn't get it at first. It's fine."

"How about you Deano?" 

"M'fine."

"I love ya both." Roman kissed Seth's forehead, tickling him slightly with his beard. "I think aroun' Easter or so, that'd be a good time to talk to 'em. A few months."

Seth and Dean didn't say anything really, but the silence was agreement. None of them knew the form their relationship was really taking and Seth didn't even know if he wanted to tell his own family yet. He'd be going to Davenport soon and would need to figure out exactly what he was going to say, but even he wasn't sure about anything. 

It was easy to feel upset about Roman not being honest, but Seth knew that he didn't have all the answers either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Christmas. We will all be together, if the fates allow...


	75. Noel [Part: 4]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Day. Families. Presents. Food. And... (Part 4 of 5)

The Christmas Pageant was one of the most adorable things Seth had seen in a long time, and although he was less than interested in religion, Roman's niece's and nephews made it worth it. Milo and Tamar were squirmy and giggly the entire time they were on stage, hamming it up despite their lack of lines. Koa and Madison, though a little less excited, still put on a show for their parents. 

But when they left, finishing up taking photos of the children's costumes in front of the church, Seth sighed, imagining their return for mass in the morning.

"If you don't want to come, it's ok." Roman smiled. "I'm obligated because I'm family, but I can give an excuse."

"You dragged me there for  _ how  _ many years?" Dean said, exasperated, hopping into the backseat of the Jeep. "Lookin' like an ass 'cause I'm fallin' asleep and shit?"

It was a little weird, as Seth and Dean ended up being the only ones staying home, but Lisa and Sika didn't seem to mind. They slept together on the pull out couch that night, and barely stirred the next morning as Roman shifted around, getting changed and making his way out the door.

"I'll make coffee for you guys," He whispered, leaning over and rousing them slightly. "Merry Christmas."

"M'rry Chrissmass." Seth mumbled back, eyes closed. 

An hour or so later, he stirred, feeling strands of sunlight coming through the hopper window. Dean snored lightly, laying on his belly, face buried in the covers. Eventually, Seth sat up, blinking and pulling his phone off the charger.

It was strange to think it was Christmas and he was so far away from both Iowa and Orlando. States away, his parents would be making coffee and sticky buns, getting ready to drive to the family farm in Buffalo and see his grandfather. 

**Merry Christmas Seth! We love you!** His mother had texted him early that morning, probably just around when Roman had left  **Tell us when it's a good time to call!**

**Merry xmas probably this afternoon** Seth replied  **love u too**

Absentmindedly, he checked his Instagram and his Facebook, scrolling through his friends feed's to see what they were up to. Cesaro had been invited along to his friend TJ's house, and had taken some pictures with their tree. It seemed that Sasha was just happy to be back at home with her family dog, and was snapping lots of photos of the pet.

With an acute pain in his chest, Seth thought of Kevin, all by himself on Christmas Day. Bringing the little dog up to Pensacola wouldn't have been a smart option, but Seth still felt awful, knowing that he wouldn't see him until tomorrow.

Slowly, he stood up, easing off of the pull out bed and walking to the stairs where he got better cell phone coverage. It was probably really stupid of him, but with Dean sleeping, Seth felt strangely lonely all of a sudden. The house was completely still and quiet. 

He looked up the number for Wyatt's Canine Outpost and dialed, wondering if anyone would even be answering the phones on a holiday.

"Wyatt's." A gruff voice barked against the phone. "Happy Holidays."

"Merry Christmas, I'm really sorry… for calling, uh." Seth bit his lip, pushing some stray hairs out of his face. "My dog is there right now, I was just wondering if you could tell me… he's never been there before-"

"Which dog?"

"Kevin? Kevin… Rollins?"

Much to his relief, it seemed that Kevin was doing just fine at the boarding facility. Seth cracked a smile, hearing the man over the phone reach for some papers and look over some notes that had been put on his file. 

"He's doing just great, yeah. He likes to play in the room with the big dogs for awhile and then when he gets tired, we put'em with the smaller, older pups. He really likes this beagle-"

"A beagle?" Seth laughed, trying to keep his voice down. He sat down on the steps with his toes hanging off the side. He wasn't sure why it was so funny to him. 

"A beagle named Bacardi." 

"That's great. I was really worried-"

"Nah, he's fine. He's been running his tail off around here, so he'll probably be real tired once ya pick him up. If you want, we got cameras in the playrooms here, so you can just go to our website and watch him play."

"Oh wow, really?" Seth grinned. "That's awesome! thank you so much."

Reassured, Seth thought about going upstairs and grabbing some coffee, but he could hear Dean stirring back on the bed. He returned to their corner of the basement, leaning down over the couch and gazing at his boyfriend, who had similarly curled up to his phone.

"Merry Christmas," Seth said. Dean smirked, and he leaned down, planting a kiss upside down over his mouth. 

"And a happy new year," Dean muttered, tossing his phone to the side. "Man, not going to church is the  _ best _ ."

"You're tellin' me." Seth laid back down, pulling the covers over him and wrapping Dean up into his arms. "When do they normally get back?"

"What time's it now? 8:30? Probably 'n an hour and a half or somethin'... It goes so damn long." Dean yawned. "Then we do presents and stuff."

For a little while, Seth just lay, spooning Dean quietly. They were both a little stinky from sweating through the night, but Seth didn't care. It seemed like ages since they'd been able to cuddle or touch each other, and now that the house was empty, he was going to take full advantage. Their hair was a mess and they each hadn't shaved in a few days, but nothing mattered. 

"You wanna shower?" Dean suggested, patting Seth's thigh. "It's been awhile since I tried to fuck 'n a pull out bed, I don't wanna break nothing." 

Seth blushed, he'd thought he'd been fine concealing his morning wood between his thighs, but it was probably crazy obvious. Dean rubbed his forearms.

"It'll be fine. They won't get home in a while."

Nonetheless, there was some urgency as they rushed up the stairs and pulled towels out of the linen closet. They both grinned, shutting the door and turning the lock, pulling off their shirts and letting the water run warm. Dean grabbed him around the hips, squeezing playfully before bringing him close to kiss. 

The two hadn't been able to be intimate really at all since AJ had stormed in and found them at work. Seth had been so busy with work and being exhausted and stressed out, sex wasn't the first thing he'd been thinking about. Now, in Roman's family's beautiful main bathroom, he was shivering eagerly.

"Fuck," Dean panted, pulling away giggling. He was sporting a wet spot on the inside of his thigh where Seth's dick had just been pressing into him. Seth blushed harder, his shoulders twitching.

"It's been awhile," he grunted, dabbing at the end of his dick where he was leaking fast.

"All full up and ready to shoot?" Dean snickered, testing the water with his hand. "Let's get clean before we get dirty."

Seth could just imagine Roman's expression if they'd bothered to tell him that they'd spent their Christmas morning jerking each other off in the shower instead of going to church. He would have rolled his eyes, maybe shot Dean a sort of withering glance. Really, Seth felt like he needed it if he was going to get through the day. Ignoring the tender soreness in his knee, he bent down and sucked Dean off under the water, holding onto the side of the tub for stability while he lapped away.

Dean groaned, fisting his hair and playing with it under the water. Only because they were in the shower, Seth let him come over his face and chest, grimacing slightly before Dean wiped him down and they swapped. Seth felt fingers cup the base of his cock and shoot playfully up his rear, and in about ninety seconds, he was losing himself down the shower drain.

"Fuck, you  _ were _ holding it in," Dean said slyly, watching Seth shudder and pant, coming long past his usual average. 

It was too inviting to just sink down into Dean's arms, but they climbed out of the shower, hearing Superman whining on the other side of the bathroom door. Quickly, Seth dried his hair, dipping into some of the available green tea conditioning products.

Sexually satisfied and clean, they sat on the couch with large mugs of coffee, curled up in blankets on the living room couch. The grandfather clock ticked in the corner and the downstairs heater kicked on loudly, giving the house a sort of steady hum. Seth and Dean sat, partially cuddling, watching the tree lights dim and fade into different colors, making the wrapping paper on the gifts shine bright.

A little after nine, the family returned. The children came running through the doors like wild bulls, racing for the tree and tearing off their jackets.

"How was it?" Seth asked as Roman came in, dressed formally. 

"Church," He shrugged. "Good I guess."

"Nia, did you want to give Uncle Afa a hand quick?" Lisa could be heard from the back porch. "This front step is always shaking, Grandma has a hard time with it-"

Grandma Tovale was an incredibly old woman whom required her son's assistance with getting up past the back steps and onto a walker as soon as she got inside. Jimmy, Jey, and Roman all cleared the way, making a path to the living room where she could sit in front of the tree. As usual, Seth and Dean stood, mostly useless, drinking from their mugs and smiling and greeting the family as they returned. As soon as everyone had a drink in their hand and a doughnut, they assembled around the tree to begin the gift exchange.

The children had all broken into their stockings early and were trading gift cards. Seth sat on the floor with a pillow and Dean brought them their own stockings.

"Oh wow." Seth's face lit up.

"Yeah, ours were on the back of the closet, not on the bannister." Dean pulled out a few rolled-up undershirts and a Macy's gift card. "Nice. They go all out with these."

"Really?" Seth pulled out one of his own, nearly losing his breath. Roman's family had given him 150 dollars credit.

Lisa insisted all of her children sit together on the couch for a photo by the tree. They all barely fit, but she seemed content. Milo kept poking his face in eagerly by their feet. 

"And we'll just do the charms now too then!" She said, setting her phone down. "Sika, did you grab them?"

Sika produced a few small black baggies from his pocket and Seth watched curiously as small, bracelets were handed to each of her children. 

"Every year-" Dean explained. "Or at least, I think, well, Lisa gives them all these little things for these bracelets she has for them."

"Roman has a  _ charm _ bracelet?" Seth exclaimed. Roman sighed.

"I don't WEAR it, it's a FAMILY thing," He insisted. Lisa sighed, watching as the children opened the baggies and showed everyone what they had received. 

Rosey and Vanessa each got a tiny cross, nodding to their mother with thanks before adding it to their already very full bracelets. Summer's was an eiffel tower.

"Because of your Paris trip in the spring!" Lisa explained.

"Yeah, thanks mom, this is great." 

Roman pulled out a tiny animal, so small in his hands it was difficult to see.

"A turtle." Sika nodded, looking seriously at his youngest son. "Just like your brother and sisters have."

Roman nodded, very quiet, looking to his parents with bright eyes. Seth didn't quite understand the significance. He looked to Dean for some sort of explanation, but he didn't seem to understand either.

They moved onto trading the mass of gifts under the tree and Seth was content to sip his coffee and watch, just glad that he was invited into the group. However, Roman moved to the floor to sit beside them and suddenly, Seth was being handed boxes and bags. 

"Welcome to the fam." Dean said wisely, smiling as he too had received some gifts. Seth looked at the labels on his presents, seeing most read FROM THE REIGNS FAMILY as well as a few that said SANTA.

There were far too many people to go one at a time, and so they all just busied themselves with making a huge mess and occasionally yelling or laughing as they unwrapped a particular gift. 

"New sweaters?" Dean asked, turning over a hoodie he'd just unwrapped that read REIGNS SHIPPING AND DISTRIBUTION in large block print. On the hood, AMBROSE was stitched in cursive writing.

"Our team wanted new ones, so we get an order together, make more personalized this year." Sika explained, setting down his own coffee to lean in. Seth had opened a similar hoodie, gazing at it fondly. Sika tugged at the sleeve, nodding. "Inside, very soft."

Roman also got a sweatshirt, and Lisa was quick to snap a photo of all three of them, posing with their new clothes. 

"You guys! What?" Seth opened up a second box and began to feel almost sick, seeing the Nike logo splashed across the top. Everyone laughed and Seth exhaled hard, blinking. His own family didn't dote on him this hard. It was a lot to take in.

"Merry Christmas!" Lisa beamed, pulling out her camera to take a picture of Seth unveiling a black pair of Metcon training shoes. 

"This is ridiculous, thank you so much." He sighed, looking to Roman curiously. He had been talking about getting new shoes and surely, his lover had taken the hint, passing the information off to his family. Roman winked at him and Seth shook his head, dismayed.

In addition to everything else, he got a small book of Paleo-Crossfitter recipes, and a wealth of warm, fuzzy, socks. For being away from home and out of his element, it was probably one of the best Christmas's he'd ever had.

"It's no problem!" Roman kept reminding him, as Seth endlessly babbled thanks, wringing his hands with the wrapping paper and feeling faint.

"Uce's family rules." Dean agreed, tugging one of his own gifts open. "Oh-"

"It's used- but it's still a new model-" Sika nodded, watching as Dean opened up a case, revealing an ipad. His eyes widened, shocked. "I use that one for work, but then I get another one."

"A tablet?" Dean laughed. "Someone's gonna have to show me how to use this..."

"Oh! Hey," Seth prodded him with his foot. "We can call your family on there! Like you wanted."

Roman got a swath of gifts from his siblings- a new phone case, chocolate covered nuts, and a nice bottle of wine. From his parents, he opened a box that contained a small circular, electronic.

"It's a device that links all your others, plus it can control your lights and thermostat if you set it up." Rosey explained, "I have two at my house, I make 'em order new toliet paper, and then the other one is like, my alarm clock."

Roman opened it bewildered, looking at the charging element and turning it on. A harsh voice spoke from the speaker, sounding like an older, british man.

"You can change the voice too, when you set it up."

"Yeah, don't let  _ that _ wake me up," Dean snorted. 

It took about three seconds for the words to sink in and Dean immediately went pale. Roman blinked and Seth looked around stupidly, half pretending he hadn't heard it. Luckily, Lisa was helping Tovale open up a box of snacks she'd received in her stocking.

Sika however, cleared his throat, staring at his son intently. Roman shrunk, looking to the sea of wrapping paper. Everything was suddenly cold and Seth had no idea what to do.

"Mom, sit down for a sec," Summer insisted. Seth couldn't tell if she'd heard what was said, but she seemed to sense something was amiss. "You need to open  _ your _ present."

Obviously feigning confusion, Lisa sat eagerly by her husband, wondering aloud what her children could have possibly gotten her. Seth stole a glance at Roman and he still  looked visibly shaken. Sika was still gazing toward him, carefully, but his eyes flicked away as Rosey handed Lisa an envelope.

She tore into it, commanding the attention of everyone in the room as she squealed, pulling open her's and Sika's gift.

"What is it?" Jordan asked his father, staring. 

Lisa burst into happy tears, showing a travel package with tickets inside. Sika, put a hand around his wife, rubbing her arm and kissing her on the shoulder.

"Oh, thank you so much everyone," She said, dabbing at her eyes. "Oh, it's going to be so exciting! We haven't been there in so long!"

"Merry Christmas," The children echoed. 

As soon as Lisa had pulled herself together, Nia stood up, blushing hard around her face. They stopped picking up wrapping paper for a moment and looked, watching her fumble with something in her hands. 

"This has been such a wonderful time, I really just want to properly thank all of you," She said, voice shaking slightly. "I'm still not sure if this is the best time, but I'm kinda freaking out right now so if you'll excuse me-"

Everyone stared and Asuka frowned, looking up to her girlfriend. Nia sank down to one knee and Lisa screamed. 

Nia said it in Japanese, but it was readily clear to everyone what was happening as soon as she squatted and pulled out a silver ring. Asuka clapped her hands over her mouth and immediately threw her hands around her lover, crying and hugging. All of the children  _ awwed _ and Devin held Vanessa, who was also tearing up. 

Seth was just completely thrown, unsure what to do other than smile and clap. It was surreal, watching the scene of a woman speaking in half Japanese and half English, crying and laughing as she slid the ring over her finger. With so much going on and everyone cheering the announcement, it seemed they could have dodged Dean's slip of the tongue. 

Dean himself still looked shaken and unsure, obviously apologetic, but unable to articulate it properly in the environment. 

Drinks were poured for congratulating the engagement and slowly everyone began to fan out. The children were all excited to play with their new toys, and Lisa had to begin the process of feeding everyone for dinner.

Seth and Dean looked to Roman, trying to talk, but before they had the opportunity to pull him aside, Sika jumped him.

"You go help with dinner," he grunted, "Ask your mother what you can do."

"He's  _ fucked _ ," Dean hissed under his breath, kneading his forehead angrily. "I'm a fuckin'  _ idiot _ …"

"It… it just happened…" Seth shook his head. "I don't think… it was quiet-"

Dean just made an inarticulate noise. Seth frowned, shifting out of the way so Trevor could make his way down the hall. 

"Let's… let's call our families." Seth suggested. "We can try to figure out your new ipad, yeah?"

For the better part of the afternoon, Seth and Dean hung out in the basement. They left the door open, so as not to seclude themselves rudely. Both men were both a little on edge and anxious, but Seth tried to distract Dean by showing him how his ipad worked and how to download applications. It wasn't simple, but Seth had his own ipad to show him side by side.

"I can't believe they gave me this, I don't know how to do none of this," Dean sighed.

"You can watch shows and stuff though, it's cool." Seth tapped the Skype program they had just downloaded. "Here- I'm gonna call my family."

"Do you want me to leave?" Dean asked, blinking. Seth thought for a moment. 

"It's fine. It's up to you." 

He confirmed over text that his parents were ready, then dialed. Dean didn't move, sitting next to Seth to look over his shoulder and see the screen. In the reflection of the glass, Seth smiled, noticing their matching sweatshirts. 

The receiver picked up and Seth's Mother and Step-dad were there. Brandon was leaning in as well, all sitting around the kitchen table. "Hey!" they all cheered, smiling at the screen. Seth smiled back, happy to see the familiar faces.

"Merry Christmas!" Seth said. "How's everyone doing?"

There was a pause and Seth frowned, watching his parents and brother all blink and freeze. The screen went black, and then, the call ended.

"That went well." Dean laughed. "Did it break?"

"I think- I dunno." Seth sighed, closing out of the call and texting his mother.

After a lot of back and forth technical support that made him want to tear his hair out. Seth just settled to call his mother over the phone and give her the details of his Christmas that way. Dean sat as his side, playing solitaire on his new device and sighing. 

"We could still try your mom if you wanted," Seth said, setting his phone aside after he'd finished talking. "I think it was my mom's skype that was the issue. Would you wanna do that?"

"Sure, we can try." Dean shrugged. "My sis was texting me earlier and they're together. They're probably around."

Dean confirmed with his sister over a message and Seth sat, letting Dean try to set it up himself, giving input whenever he paused on a screen, unsure.

"Did you want  _ me  _ in the call?" Seth asked, trying to be polite. Dean shrugged similarly, wrinkling his nose.

"I don't care," He muttered. "They don't care either. Not about gay stuff."

"Oh… nice."

The call dialed and picked up. Seth blinked, re-adjusting on the bed.  

On the screen was a woman that looked older than Dean with long, thin hair pulled back to the top of her head in a scrunchie. It was difficult to see everything, given they were looking at a pixelated display, but Seth thought she looked rough. She was heavier than Dean, with pale greying skin that hung off of her strangely, obviously low-income.

"Hey brother!" She waved, loose bracelets jingling around her wrists. Dean half smiled, leaning into ipad screen. 

"Hey girl, how you been?"

"I'm ok." Dean's sister shifted, straightening her hair in the reflection. "I worked this mornin' and me and ma were gonna go to the casino for a little bit, but she's sleeping right now."

"Oh… Ok." Dean nodded. "How was work?"

Seth felt strange, sitting in on the conversation, but it was interesting. Dean's sister was a CNA at a nursing home, and was rather pleased about making time and a half for working on a holiday. The background to the Skype call was bare and unadorned, except for a November calendar hanging limp on the wall.

"Crystal, this is Seth" Dean said, swinging his arm around Seth's shoulders. "He's one of my boyfriends."

"Hi Seth!" Crystal grinned back. "He's really cute Dean!"

"Why're you like, surprised?" Dean scoffed. "Are you still seeing... that one guy?"

"No… he was mean," Crystal sighed. "He called me today and I thought about going over, but then you texted me."

"Yeah, no mean guys." Dean picked at his finger. "So, I'm a piece of shit brother, but I'm still making your gift, so I'll send it to you when it's done."

"That's ok!" Crystal said. "What is it?"

Seth watched Dean's cheeks turn pink.

"I learned... how to make blankets... kinda like the ones grandma made…" 

"Like knitting? That's so cute!" Crystal smiled. "Oh Dean, that's so awwwesommmme!"

Seth chuckled. Crystal seemed sort of slow and spacey, but her enthusiasm for her brother was sweet. Dean just rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Hey-" 

Summer knocked on their door and both men turned. She smiled, waving. "Food was almost done, sorry if I was interrupting-"

"Oh no, it's cool." Dean nodded. "Crystal, you wanna give 'ma my regards?"

"Yeah! We're gonna go soon I think," She smiled, "Whenever she wakes up."

It sounded bleak, but Dean didn't pause for thought, waving to his sister before going to hang up the phone call. Seth rose, feeling jittery again as Summer waited at the door. She wore an inquisitive look, regarding both of them men carefully. 

"Ready for some holiday ham?"

Maybe he was being paranoid, but Seth thought Roman's family was looking at them strangely. They all said grace and food was passed around the huge dining room table, but Seth felt like he was being watched for longer than it took to pass mashed potatoes. 

Even the conversation seemed thin, that was at least, until wine went around a few times and everyone began discussing their gifts and plans for the New Year. 

Roman was unreadable, his lip set, avoiding the gaze of his lovers as Lisa talked animatedly at his side, telling everyone about the restaurants she planned to visit in Samoa during their vacation. Seth drank deeply from his glass, not bothering to relish the pinot noir. He wasn't sure when they were leaving the next day, but if things were going to be this stilted and awkward the whole night, he couldn't imagine that they'd stick around too long.

"That was amazing," Seth directed to Lisa at the end of the meal, nodding and pushing his empty plate forward. "Really delicious."

"Oh, it's no problem dear." Lisa waved, on cue, everyone else around the table muttered their thanks, agreeing. 

There was a mention of Coconut Cake to follow in an hour or so, while Sika made a fire in the living room. Seth wasn't sure if he wanted to try to pull Roman aside at this point, as he looked occupied with the dinner clean up. 

"Dean! You have to ride my hover board!" Tamar insisted as soon as they rose from the table. Dean cleared his throat, finishing off his wine and squinting.

"What?"

"My hover board!" 

"They make hover boards?" 

Against the better judgement of all the adults in the room, they started playing with the boy's hoverboard in the hallway. Once Tamar showed everyone how it was done, Dean, Jimmy, Jey and Milo all tried it, just barely remaining upright as they leaned their weight around. 

"Do you want me to hold your drink Uce?" Jimmy laughed, watching Jey mount the board with his wine glass, kicking the fringe of the carpet out of his way.

"Nah bro I got this," he snorted, taking a drink off his glass as he scooted along, managing to keep his arms aloft gracefully.

Seth peered into the kitchen, which was very full. Everyone was puttering around, claiming leftovers and trying to help Lisa clean up. Someone said something and everyone laughed, but Seth didn't hear it.

"I want to ride it to school." Tamar grinned, watching Jey dismount so he could hop on. "Julian brought his to class though and he got it taken away..."

"Aw shit, I mean-" Jimmy laughed. " _ Poop _ . I meant poop. Anyone want a beer?" 

The kitchen grew quiet and Seth frowned, distracted. He was pretty sure Roman was in there, and he was starting to feel anxious. There was too much clatter of tableware to hear much, but Sika was talking.

"Seth?"

"I'm fine," Seth muttered, checking his phone. "I think, I'm gunna go… pack…"

He wasn't worried about being anti-social anymore, everyone was too busy to notice if he slipped away. There wasn't really anything that he needed to pack- all of his things were still in his bag, and his gifts were kept in a neat little bundle by his bed. But Seth sat down, scratching at his chest, wondering if he couldn't just watch a little TV to calm his mind down. 

Unfortunately, the kitchen was right above his corner of the basement.

"Well, honey if you wanted to tell us something, we'd understand." Lisa's motherly tone came muffled and Seth winced, putting his face into his hands, heart pounding fast. "If this is about you being-"

"It's NOT about that mom, it's  _ really _ not. I swear, I just-"

"Well what is it? He got so upset when I brought it up earlier-"

"Can't I just say I don't want to talk about this right now? I don't get why we can't just leave this be! Like, if I'm  _ telling  _ you I don't want to talk about it, don't you think I have a good reason?"

"Don't raise your voice at your mother."

"I'm not!"

Seth felt ill. Roman's voice was panicked and upset and he could hear now that no one else was talking or shifting around. In other corners of the house, silence had fallen. All he wanted to do was pull a blanket over his head and try to deafen the noise completely, but Seth knew he couldn't. 

"Are you dating Seth then, or not?"

"I'm not answering that!"

Seth's heart skipped a beat and he stood up, cursing under his breath. If he left Roman all by himself upstairs, that was wrong, right? Even though there was nothing he could do?

Quickly, Seth jogged up the stairs, at a loss for what he was doing, but sure he couldn't hide from it. Devin and Vanessa stared at him from the entryway to the kitchen, watching silently. 

Dean followed in his wake, looking pale as a sheet and Seth stared back at him, hoping  _ someone  _ had a plan. Summer came to their sides, laying a hand on Dean's arm.

"Hey, guys, this isn't going well, I'd just-" She whispered. "You don't wanna go in there-"

"I know, but-" Seth's voice broke. Roman sniffed loudly and reflexively, Dean and Seth went to the doorway, looking in.

Sika was standing over Roman as he sat in a chair. His face was red and his eyes were wet, staring at his father, terrified. Sika looked steady and calm, but red-faced. The whole scene made Seth nauseous. 

"You live in the house we own." Sika said dangerously. "You are keeping other people there? You are telling us lies? You do not call us enough and you tell us one thing and say another- this is not what I teach you, what we expect of you."

Roman caught the gaze of his boyfriends in the door and he screwed up his face, burying his head in his hands. Seth felt his own eyes become wet, his arms trembling. Sika turned, looking over his shoulder and Seth and Dean stared back, pleadingly.

"Roman," Sika muttered. "Come into the garage-"

"Dad-"

"You hear me."

Roman rose and Lisa and Rosey backed up, letting him pass. There was silence until Roman moved out of the room, making his way to the garage, the door clicking shut behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more part to go! Then I'll probably be taking a break to give you guys time to catch up...


	76. Noel [Part: 5]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final part. Will Roman and the boys make it out ok? (Part 5 of 5)

The last big fight Seth remembered having with his family was when he was sixteen and working his lifeguard job at Pine Lake Summer Camp. He'd asked his mother if he could take one of her cars for the week because he wanted to take Marek to a concert in Minnesota that Friday. It had been a lot to ask- Seth hadn't ever traveled so far out of state before, but he bought the tickets ahead of time to guarantee a spot.

"No Seth," Holly, his mother had said firmly. "Brandon uses the car when you're at work and I don't know who you're staying with."

"Yes you do!" Seth whined, leaning on the dining room counter and pouting. "Liam and his friends have come over here a bunch of times! If I don't go, I'm going to be wasting a bunch of money 'cause I already paid for everything!"

"Well that's too bad!" Holly half laughed. "You didn't ask me earlier and you're not going!"

Livid, Seth went to his room and slammed his door, angrily instant messaging his boyfriend about how unfair and stupid it all was. The next day, he'd be leaving for camp and he'd been looking forward to the concert all month.

**my mom is such a fuckin bitch!!** Seth had typed angrily into his desktop computer, wiping his eyes.  **Fuck it brandon doesn't even leave th house. I'm just going 2 leave early and take it**

In a streak of defiance, Seth took the car at six in the morning. Heart beating fast, he turned his phone off and blared Underoath with all the windows down, racing on the rural roads. He'd almost gotten away with it, but his mother showed up on Friday after the camp session had ended. Seth was just planning to make his getaway, but his mother drove up the dirt road in her minivan and practically chased him across the field.

"I could have called the police on you! Stealing my car!" She grabbed his arm, red in the face and furious. "Give me your cell phone! You're not getting it back until school starts!"

"Mom!"

Seth cried hateful, angry tears as he sat in the back of his mother's minivan. Brandon drove the station wagon home, never more than a few cars behind them.

The fight was over ten years ago now, but it still felt vivid and raw in Seth's mind. He'd been a fool for acting out, and after a few weeks of tense silence and scowling glances, Holly and Seth's relationship had more or less gone back to normal. Maybe even better, as Holly seemed to understand that Seth just wanted to have more freedom and privileges. 

"If you can keep a 3.5 GPA this semester, I'll let you take a trip," Holly had said over dinner, the last Sunday before school started. Seth was griping about something, but he immediately lightened up, thinking hard of places he wanted to go. 

He had never been a problem child, and Holly and Bob had never wanted to limit him in any way. As Seth got older, they encouraged him to do whatever he wanted and take risks. College had been forced on him a little bit, but after trying and failing, they didn't continue to push the matter.

Watching Roman and his father fight was surreal to Seth, who couldn't imagine anything similar occurring in his own family. If either of his parents had tried to pull him aside and question his ability to make decisions, Seth would have just laughed it off and walked away. But then, he was out and away from home, emancipated from his family on a financial basis. The only thing that linked them now was his health insurance, and soon, that too would lapse.

As soon as Roman and Sika disappeared, Lisa looked completely disheartened, sinking down into a chair. Rosey offered her a drink and she just waved it off, heaving a sigh and dabbing at her eyes. 

Dean turned on his heel and walked away. It took a moment for Seth to gather himself, shaking his head, but he knew he didn't want to be alone. The noise from the garage of Sika's raised voice felt like needles under his skin. 

"Dean, where-" Seth followed his trail to the front of the house and out the door. Dean walked to the Jeep and Seth's felt weak. "Dean!"

"Fuck," Dean muttered, padding his pockets. "It's nothin' I just… I just wanted a smoke." He turned back. "Car's fuckin' locked."

"I got menthols," Jey offered, standing in the doorway. 

Jimmy, Jey, Seth and Dean all sat on the front step, smoking and trying to ignore the distant rumble of voices behind the garage doors. Seth didn't participate, but leaned on his knees, trying to steady his breath. Dean just looked exhausted.

"We all okay?" Summer asked, coming out the front door. "Who's got cigarettes? I want one."

Not but a moment after grabbing one from Jey's pack, Milo burst out the front door and she flicked it, not wanting her son to see her smoking.

"When are they going to be done? I wanted a coke from the fridge!" Milo pouted, coming to his mother's side.

"We'll see Mi, we might have to wait awhile. Why do you want a coke this late? Didn't you already have one?"

"Dad said I could," he muttered. 

"Well, why don't you go see dad about it. I think there is some in the big fridge, you might just have to dig for it."

Milo ran back inside, yelling to his brother "THERE MIGHT BE SOME." The boys giggled and stomped off.

Dean rubbed his forehead, looking properly exhausted.

"So, what _ is _ going on?" Summer asked, picking up the cigarette from the ground again. "I think everyone was curious but nobody wanted to ask anything."

Dean looked to Seth, and they both sighed, not really sure where to begin. It was obvious they couldn't hide anything anymore, but it seemed like there was a lot to tell.

"We're… polyamorous…" Seth said, squinting. "Do you…?"

"Oh,  _ yeah! _ " Summer's face opened up and she smiled, laughing lightly. "I went to a liberal arts college, I know."

"Yeah, well," Seth sighed. "We haven't even been… doing this for that long."

"Wait, so you're all dating each  _ other _ ?" Jimmy asked. "How that work?"

"Beats me man," Dean said darkly, taking a long pull of his cigarette. Seth licked his lips, jiggling his leg.

"Well, I moved down here," Seth started, trying his best not to ramble. "I started working at the same pool, at White Water, and I'd never dated two people or anything, but once I started hanging out with these guys, I think I knew I didn't want to just see one or the other..." He swallowed. "I hung out with them both individually, but we're all friends and stuff."

"Makes sense to me." Summer shrugged. "You didn't want to exclude anyone."

"Well, I love them  _ both _ ," Seth said. "It wasn't like I could pick."

"Yeah, and I'm living with Rome' right now 'cause my place got infested with bed bugs," Dean added. 

"Roman told me that." Summer nodded. "He just didn't tell Dad, which honestly, I think is why he's pissed."

Seth flinched, hearing the voices in the garage pitch up louder. Roman was crying, it was rough.

"Well shit man." Jey clapped Dean on the back. "Now you really are part of the family, huh?" 

"We'll see for how long…"

"Oh  _ shut up _ ," Summer sighed. Seth trembled. "You know just as well as us that this is just how we celebrate the holidays. I think Vanessa's just happy she gets a pass this year."

"No shit," Jey laughed. "She probably doesn't know what to do with all this time."

It was maddening to hear Roman's family joking so lightly about the matter while inside the garage he was being yelled at. Seth looked to Dean, trying to get some sort of assurance, but he looked remote and unreachable. Before he could stop it, hot tears were leaking down his face and Seth bit his lip hard, trying to pull himself together. 

"What? Oh, hey-"

"Oh, it's okay…" 

Summer put a hand around him, but Seth couldn't lean into her touch. Sitting upright and shaking as he let out a choked sob. Everything felt like dread. Roman's father would force them to break up and Dean wouldn't have his place to live. There was nothing they could do about it.

"It's okay," Summer repeated softly, rubbing his back. "Really… they're going to shout for a bit and then come out and drink a little and everything will be fine."

"I don't want… I don't-" Seth swallowed, sure that Dean was staring at him. He just screwed up his face more, unable to say anything.

"Why don't you give us a sec," Dean muttered, setting down his drink and his cigarette. "We'll come in inna bit."

"Okay," Summer nodded. "Let us know if you need anything..."

The three left and closed both sets of doors, leaving Dean and Seth alone in the light of the porch. The voices in the garage were starting to level out and become softer, but it didn't comfort him. Dean moved in closer, awkwardly pulling him into a hug and resting his head on top of his brown hair, rubbing his arms slowly.

"I'm scared," Seth choked, breathing Dean's scent of body wash deep into his lungs. "I don't want us to break up, I don't want this to happen."

"I don't want that either," Dean said softly, putting a hand in his hair and rubbing his scalp. "Summer is right though, this is just kinda part of being here."

"I  _ don't _ want to come back here then!" Seth half laughed.

"But you got new shoes."

"I don't care," Seth sniffed, wiping his eye. "I didn't think… I thought Roman would tell his parents about you living with him or something… I can't imagine how you feel."

"I don't think they're gonna make me move out," Dean said, shifting so he could more comfortably hold Seth. "They  _ do _ like me, I  _ am _ like family and so long as Uce tells 'em it was a matter of keeping me out of the cold, they'll probably be happy that he did it."

"Then why are they so mad?" Seth asked. "They don't care he's gay… they like us-"

"It's the whole not telling thing." Dean nodded. "Just like Summer said, they're mad he was hiding stuff and they want to be aware of everything that's happening in his life. You don't know-" Dean rubbed his eyes. "I live with him, and I've known him for longer. There's a reason Rome's like, the  _ mom _ , you know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Seth smiled.

"Yeah, like, he had a rough spot in college where he was drinking too much and failing his classes- really he was probably like, figuring out he was _ gay _ and shit. But when he wanted to move down to Orlando, his family was super worried. They didn't want him to do it. They thought he was going to fuck up really bad... His dad really only let him do it on the condition that he live in a house they owned." Dean picked his cigarette back up, blowing the smoke away from Seth. "And he's saving a ton of money 'cause he's only paying them a little bit of rent to live there, and he's supposed to be figuring out a better job and settling down."

"That's so…" Seth wiped his eyes. 

"It's weird as fuck, I know, but it's just Roman," Dean said, gesturing uselessly. "It's just what it is and he's accepted that. He tried doing it all with Dan and for a long time, his family was super happy! They were trying to push that so hard, so when Roman broke up with him, his Mom yelled at him basically as bad as his dad is now."

"That's horrible." 

"Yeah, I  _ KNOW _ ," Dean said loudly, looking to Seth seriously. "But you know what I mean? You just can't- It's different. Roman's life is just different than ours." Dean pointed to his chest. "Roman doesn't tell me that I'm wrong cause I like, don't have a big family and don't talk to them as much, like, he knows that my life is like, the  _ opposite _ of his. Instead of giving me shit for it, he just tries to help me a lot." Dean settled down, taking a sip of his drink. Seth looked down at Dean's lap. "Roman's annoying as all fuck most of the time and the other day- the other day at home, he tried to tell me which way the goddamn  _ toilet paper _ was supposed to go. Uce is nuts, but I wouldn't… I wouldn't try to  _ change _ him."

Seth didn't say anything, content to let Dean rub his head while he lay, thinking. Trying to put a relationship together, Seth hadn't thought about these sorts of things, the sets of expectations that were placed on each man. If anything, they had blatantly tried to ignore them, committing to an unconventional relationship. 

"Do you think…" Seth heaved a sigh, thinking. "Do you think that his family will let us keep dating him?"

"I dunno." Dean shrugged. Seth felt weak again, pulling trembling breaths as he held onto Dean's leg. 

"You gotta think, what the  _ point  _ of all this is." Dean sighed, laying the hand over Seth's head down. 

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, eyes wide.

"I mean, we can't all  _ marry _ each other." Dean shrugged. "We can't make our own kids."

"Since when did that matter to you?" Seth sat up, staring at Dean, scandalized.

"I mean, that's what Roman's parents are probably thinking," Dean amended, "You know I don't give a fuck about that stuff."

"Well, who's to say we can't just live and be happy?" Seth asked. "Why can't we just do what we want?"

"I dunno, why can't we?" Dean laughed. "Look, Uce has disappointed his parents a bunch and they still love him, so maybe we're overthinking this. But they do definitely want him to like, settle down and get all homey, yeah? I mean, he wants that too. We're like his kids."

"Don't say that, that's weird." Seth shook his head. "I know what you mean, but don't say it like that."

"Well,  _ you know what I mean _ ." Dean sighed, flicking his cigarette butt. 

The moon was full and the stars were shining bright. Seth exhaled, looking up at the cloudless sky, wondering exactly what he was supposed to do. If Roman had to call the relationship quits, they would just have to live with that. Though, Seth wondered if he would do so if he didn't have a better alternative than just being single. 

_ He would fight for us _ , Seth thought, hopefully, breathing in the salty air and leaning on his palm. Ants were crawling over the concrete and he watched them mindlessly.

_ But then, if it's his family, would he really have a choice? _

Dean laid on his back, putting his arms over his eyes and clearing his throat. Seth watched him breathe evenly, tapping his foot on the step. 

"I love you a lot Dean, no matter what," Seth said feebly, putting a hand on his knee and smoothing the denim. "I'd be a fuckin' wreck if you weren't here."

"Hey, same to you," Dean mumbled. Seth smiled and Dean sat up again, lips pursed.

"I've been thinkin' a lot lately," he said, looking to the dark street, matting his messy hair out of the way. "Like, what this is. 'Cause, I'm really… happy? I haven't really been this happy before when I'm with someone." 

"Yeah?" Seth said softly, watching Dean assemble his words.

"Mmhm… I just. I like having the both of you and aside from all this," he pointed to the garage, "this is really great. I like this family stuff and I want to…" 

Dean sniffed and Seth put a hand on his lower back, watching.

"I want to do this. A lot. I don't want this to be over either." A tear fell from his eyes and he heaved a shuddering sigh. "I feel like, I feel like I'm realizing a lot of things and it doesn't feel… hard in the same way it does before? Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, yeah," Seth whispered. "I wanna be here for you. I know Roman does too."

Everything was quiet except for the croaking and humming of bugs and lizards. The Christmas lights all over the front of the house shined bright, and Seth and Dean held each other, just breathing in and out. Seth was scared, but the touch was something between distraction and reassurance. They were okay, things weren't certain, but they never really were. They could hear talking inside the house and children playing outside in the back, but they didn't move.

Maybe twenty minutes to a half hour later, the front door swung open and Roman appeared. Summer, Jimmy and Jey were behind him, but as soon as Seth and Dean looked up, there was relief.

"I'm okayyyy," Roman said quietly. His face was red and his eyes were bloodshot and wet, but he was grinning. He sunk down and Dean and Seth grabbed at him, pulling him to the floor and into their arms. Roman giggled and they laughed, forcing him into their laps. 

"Rosey's got his moonshine out," Summer offered, smiling at her brother and his boyfriends. "Whenever you feel comfortable coming back in, you'll be fine. I think mom wanted to apologize to you two."

"We're good," Roman said, his voice wavering slightly. "I'll be in inna sec."

They were left alone again and Dean and Seth immediately hugged Roman tighter, unwilling to let go.

"It's fine," Roman grunted, rubbing at his eyes. 

"It didn't sound fine!" Seth scoffed. "You don't- you don't have to-"

"It's fine," Roman reiterated. "Dad… was mad that I didn't tell him, mad that I haven't been visiting or talking to the family much. I told him everything-" He paused, biting his lip. "He's not super happy about it, but I think that he'll come around."

"Nice." Dean rubbed Roman's chest. 

"We… talked a lot… about a lot of shit," Roman exhaled. Seth ran a hand through his hair. "I dunno. I kind of just want to get  _ really _ drunk and not think about it."

"That's okay," Seth laughed. "So long as you're okay." 

"Yeah, I'm okay," Roman nodded. "I'm so sorry you guys, I swear-"

"Hey, I'm sorry my dumb fuckin' mouth-"

"No." Roman shook his head, looking to Dean seriously. "It's me. I fucked up."

Both of them pet Roman for a liberal amount of time, making sure he was as alright as he assured them. It had been a difficult night for everyone, and Seth wanted to ask more questions, but knew that it could wait until later. They had a six hour drive home the next day, and a few days before he would have to leave for Davenport. So long as there wasn't any glaring issues they had to address, it could wait.

"We love you," Dean said firmly to Roman, laying a hand on his arm. "I'm glad we came, we love you a lot."

"Yeah. Me too." Seth nodded. "We do."

"Thanks guys," Roman said, pulling them down until they were all flush with the concrete. "I love you too, we'll figure this out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE:
> 
> I had a review that suggested I was writing Sika in a way that was borderline offensive, I.E. the way I was writing his accent was questionable. I'm sorry if anyone else has had that experience reading my writing and was put off by any of my characterizations. I'm NOT pacific islander and I don't have immigrants in my family, so I'm walking a blurry line when it comes to my ability to pull something like this off. 
> 
> THAT SAID, I do research for this fic quite a bit, and when I went back and listened to Sika speak in shoot interviews, I stand by my choice to make some of his verb tensing a touch 'off'.
> 
> I'm writing a lot of Roman's family based off of a close friend of mine who's parents immigrated to America and struggle with the language. I don't think I portrayed him to be less smart or able minded than any other character based on the way he speaks. I'm not trying to be political with my writing- it's just not my priority, but I don't believe any one way of speaking is truly 'correct'. Cesaro's English is different from Seth's. Dean's way of talking differs from Roman's. I didn't make Sika's english 'bad' to 'spice things up' and I didn't include Samoan words in with his english because I simply don't know how to pull that off. 
> 
> I'd invite anyone that wants to discuss this more to review or PM me. If you are Pacific Islander, an immigrant or a first generation american, I'd love to hear what you think. 
> 
> ///
> 
> The last part of the Christmas chapters! Updates will now continue as usual.  
> It's a lot of words and a lot to take in, can you believe I actually had more planned?  
> It's the beginning of a New Year in TTR, and theres still a whole lot of things that have yet to happen.  
> How will Roman's family problems shake out? Will Seth tell his family on New Years? What is Dean realizing about himself?
> 
> Most importantly, how will all of this affect Crispy?
> 
> Thanks so much for reviewing and reading! I love you all! Stay tuned next week! 
> 
> *Thanks Kenji for that beta*


	77. The Sign of Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys return home.

**TO THE RESCUE is now the highest rated fic in the Professional Wrestling & WWE tags! Holy hell! **

**Thank you so much to my readers, reviewers, lurkers. I'm glad you're enjoying it and I love writing for ya! Thanks for all the kudos <3**

* * *

 

Seth's head was leaning back and resting while his body jostled along. His knees shook, and occasionally as he felt a sort of bump.

_"A late bloomer and a slow starter…You’ve come a long way and you’ve much to learn."_

Soft hands closed over his and Seth shifted, smacking his tongue. He wasn't very comfortable.

_"Dishonesty and boredom...shame and distrust of oneself and one's emotions…"_

Seth looked up lazily, squinting in the dim light. The shakiness didn't stop, but the man before him seemed unaffected by the tremors. Holding daintily to Seth's hand, he continued to stroke and fondle it, staring coldly at him.

"You're that _guy_ ," Seth mumbled, straining to remember. _Long nails. Earrings. Brown hair._

"Of course, _Tyler_." He grinned. "Happy Holidays."

His vision strained and Seth attempted to blink, trying to find light. It felt as though the man was touching him on his legs as well, but as he looked down, Seth couldn't see anything to indicate as much. Even as the light flickered and the distant noise of rattling and talking hung in the background, Seth's eyes kept returning to the face in front of him.

"Focus, sweetheart," the man prodded. " _Think_."

"Dalton," Seth remembered, tugging slightly on his hand. Dalton cheered, holding on tight, and Seth's head lulled. He was really tired; he just wanted to go home.

"Remember! Remember!" Dalton's head rotated slightly and his expression grew more twisted. "Always listening until the end of the first word! Dropping out the moment you hear the last of the first syllable, gorgeous."

Seth screwed up his face, trying to stop his legs from moving around. Even though Dalton's voice was louder than the shaking, it sounded like it was coming through on a bad receiver.

"You might think I'm just reading you, but reading comes from _love_ darling. I never would have picked on you if I didn't want _love_."

"What're you _saying_?" Seth whispered. At first he'd thought he'd said it in his head, but Dalton immediately cackled, pinching his hand.

"Plain english then," Dalton said, annunciating his words annoyingly firm. "First comes love. Beauty and Freedom."

Seth felt his leg being tapped again and Dalton pinched his hand. Seth winced.

"Second is _pain_."

Dalton pinched harder, rolling his fingers around with great pressure. Seth still couldn't break the grip. Slowly, the feeling began to increase and he reached out a hand, feebly.

"Pain is pain and it comes in waves," Dalton snarled, his face contorting. "Pain is pain is pain is pain. It doesn't mean _anything_."

"I don't-" Seth whined, pulling harder at his hand. "I don't want-"

"Third-" Dalton said, his voice growing louder, drowning out the other noises. " _Loss_."

Seth's eyes snapped open and his hands shot up to his chest. He yelled, inarticulately, trying to bat away a man that wasn't there. In the driver's seat, Dean was looking at him, mildly amused. Roman muttered from the back, "You dreamin'?"

"Huh?" Seth blinked, rubbing his eyes. They were on the road back home. They'd left... a few hours earlier? He'd fallen asleep and had a strange dream. Dean laid a hand on his leg and Seth felt his left palm, where it had been tingling.

"You good?" Roman croaked. "Woke me up…"

"Sorry." Seth scratched his head, trying to remember what had roused him. Roman just grunted, turning over. He was taking up the whole back, spread out wide with his sweater covering up his face. After all the tumult of the previous night and the argument with Sika, Roman, Jimmy and Jey had all gotten fall-down drunk.

Lisa and Sika, though polite, were noticeably strained and awkward with Dean and Seth throughout breakfast, made worse by Roman throwing up for twenty minutes in the bathroom before they all left. Seth had just made the basement area they had used look as nice as possible while Dean put their things in the car.

It was a shame the trip had been so planned and tense. Watching the sun rise over the sleepy little streets made Seth want to actually see Pensacola. The beach would have been a nice distraction from all the family chaos. Now well on the road, they were sailing down the highway, heading south for home.

"I got bored, so I'm packin' a lip," Dean said, spitting into an empty plastic water bottle. Seth screwed up his face, disgusted.

"You _chew_?"

"When I'm bored, sure." Dean shrugged, setting the water bottle in between his thighs and driving lazily with one arm. "You good? Don't need to piss or nothin?"

"No, I'm fine." Seth sank lower in his seat. "I just fell asleep on my hand or something... it woke me up."

Orlando was still some 150 miles away, but Seth couldn't fall back asleep and the radio was off to spare Roman the noise. Every now and then, the wet noise of Dean spitting in the bottle made Seth grimace. He'd left his headphones sitting on his dresser at home.

It had certainly been a very memorable holiday. Seth had amassed such a haul of gifts that he was eager to be back home to make use of them. The new Nikes were a much better fit than the old beat up pair he'd been wearing to the box. They were almost the same as Cesaro's, but all black with a reflector color on the heel. Roman had remembered the shoe he wanted right down to the series. It was a great shoe for CrossFit training.

And then of course, there was the video game Sasha and Bayley had got him. Madden was his favorite lazy go-to game for weekend mornings. He'd heard great things about the new game and was excited to see all the updates they'd made.

But aside from the physical, Seth still felt like there was a raw wound in his chest, nagging at him every time he drew a full breath. Roman had yet to explain the night in much detail, quick to load up on drinks the moment that he'd gotten out of his father's reach. The fight, the confession, and then the strange cloud of amnesia afterword was so surreal to Seth that if it wasn't for Dean, he would have felt as though he was going crazy.

" _Now_ it feels like Christmas," Summer had laughed, trying to reassure him while Roman and his cousins shot gunned yet another beer in the kitchen, laughing and trying to punch each other in the dick. Trevor was getting the boys ready to leave. "It was wonderful to meet you!"

"Same to you." Seth nodded, accepting a hug. "Merry Christmas."

Privately, Seth was so relieved just to be on the way out, he'd almost forgotten his phone charger in the morning. He'd bounded back inside, just as the Jeep had started up, only to find Sika holding the little cord.

"Wouldn't want to forget that," he said, handing it over to Seth. "Make sure you drive safe."

"For sure." Seth nodded. "Thank you… so much…."

The fact remained that in a few days, Seth would be seeing his family again for the first time in months. It was the longest he'd ever been separated from them, and as much as he wanted to say it was fine and he'd handled it well- he wasn't sure how easy it would be to explain his current living situation after spending so much time away. Thinking back to when Seth had arrived in Orlando, a bundle of nerves and angry energy, so much had changed in his life that he didn't know what his mother would make of him.

For one, he was just physically different. CrossFit had turned him from a man of generally good shape, to one of great functional physique. Though outgrown some, he was still sporting the blonde streak in his hair and had shaved his body to compare to all of his preening and tanning Orlando counterparts.

It wasn't as though he was unrecognizable, but Seth was also much more confident and mindful now. He cringed, remembering old behaviors and immaturities that had dogged him until he'd been cast out and made to live by himself. Seth had a dog, more friends than he'd ever had at one time, and for once in his life, was really happy about where he'd found himself.

"What do you gotta do when you get home?" Dean asked, breaking him out of his train of thought. Seth blinked, drawing his attention from staring out of the window.

"Get Kevin," he muttered, sighing. "Probably pick up some groceries. My house is mostly empty, but then maybe I shouldn't cause I'm going again..."

"Mmm."

"What about you?"

"Sleep," Dean said longingly. "Sleep till work tomorrow."

"I can drive if you want," Seth offered. "Nap perked me up some."

"It's fine, I'll be-" Dean squinted, groaning. " _Fuck_ , I gotta go the pharmacy. I forgot."

"Lame," Seth muttered, looking at his phone. It was a little after two. "What do you have to pick up?"

"Fuckin' Adderall. I don't even want to take it anymore. The shit is so expensive." Dean spit again and closed the bottle, chucking it out the window. "I've been thinking about quitting it. I could save over a hundred a month if I stopped using it. Plus I just feel like, it's kind of a _crutch_."

"That's the stuff for ADD right?" Seth thought hard. "You're sure you don't… need it?"

"I dunno, but I don't think so." Dean shrugged. "It's weird, and I take other meds to sleep an' offset the fuckin' stuff. I've done so much coke before that I dunno if my body really feels it that much."

Seth didn't really know what to say, having no real experience with medications. He'd never had to take any before on a regular basis, and always thought society as a whole was pretty over medicated. Watching Dean wiggle his leg and tap the steering wheel monotonously, Seth wondered if it might be worth trying.

"Well, do what you want I guess," Seth said. "I don't know much about it, but I guess it couldn't hurt to try."

"Yeah, the doc wants me to go in an' review my dosage anyway. Might just save myself some time and not bother," Dean laughed, merging into the left-most lane. "Whatever."

They grew silent again, the last stretch of the trip seemed deafeningly quiet. Even as topics of conversation came up in Seth's head, he kept his mouth shut. More than anything, he wanted to just be home, in his own surroundings. With Roman asleep, they wouldn't be able to have a worthwhile discussion about anything important.

The way Dean was sitting, folded over in his seat and staring at the road, Seth was sure he was done talking seriously for awhile.

By the time they reached Roman's house, Seth's ass had fallen asleep and he was eager to be done sitting. If he wasn't so anxious without his dog, Seth would have called the Wyatt's and told them to keep Kevin until tomorrow, another short drive felt like torture.

"Work tomorrow?" Dean asked as Seth pulled his roller bag out of the back. He nodded quickly.

"Yup, back to the usual eight to noon." Seth stood up to his full height, watching Roman grumble and come out from the back seat. "I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah, when were you leaving again?" Dean accepted his hug, patting him on the back.

"The thirtieth. Gunna come back on New Year’s Day, so it won't be long."

"We'll do dinner some night," Roman mumbled, butting in to press Seth up against his chest. "You weren't bringing Kevin, were you? We can watch 'im."

"Oh, yeah," Seth sighed. "I'm scared he's gonna forget I own him…"

" _Nah_ , you've seen him any time you come home." Roman smiled. "He loves you."

Roman wasn't wrong of course. Seth made the drive south to the Wyatts, quickly trying to finish a chicken sandwich he'd purchased through a drive thru. No sooner had he walked through the front door than a cacophony of yappy barks rang out and all the other dogs began howling and barking, causing a commotion.

"You hush now! Hush!" An enormous man with hair pulled back in a ponytail tried to disperse the barking, holding tight to a dog at his chest. Seth's heart beat fast, watching the giant pull Kevin from a baby bjorn on his chest, handing the dog off to the man at the front named Luke.

"We just cleaned 'em so we didn't wan' 'im runnin' around on the floor," Luke explained, passing off the paperwork to Seth as Kevin whined and squirmed. Even from a distance, Seth could smell fragrant dog shampoo wafting off of his fur. He cracked a grin, his heart melting at the sight of his pet wearing a tiny black bow on his head.

"Got all his things." A ginger haired man came from the back with a crate containing all of Kevin's toys. "He was a real treat, he loved playin' with all the dogs."

"That's so good to hear! Oh-" Seth stretched out his hands longingly. "Can I hold him?"

The ginger man, Erick, obliged to help carry Kevin's things to the car as Seth was seemingly unable to put his dog down for even a few moments. Even after leaving and thanking the men for so lovingly caring for his pet, he was unable to move for several minutes, sitting in his parked car and trying to calm the squirming ball of fur in his hands.

"I know! I know!" Seth giggled as Kevin shook eagerly, licking his beard and whining. "I missed you so much too!"

Reunited, and feeling substantially better, they made their way home. Seth still couldn't quite bring himself to blast music and sing along to any guttural, hardcore tracks off his Spotify queue. It was a lot to hope that all his relationship drama would nicely knit itself together before he left for Davenport. Roman and Dean probably couldn't tell him anything terribly assuring. With something like this, where the opinions of so many people were involved, it would likely be a matter of patience.

Seth was so emotionally drained anyway that thinking about it just made his head hurt.

Arriving home, he cheered to himself, so happy to be back in the little circle of palm trees around his apartment building. He held Kevin in the crook of his chest and tried to pull everything into his arms for one trip, loading up the roller bag with Kevin's food and blanket. Rather unfortunately, the elevator was out of order again, so he climbed the stairs, already thinking hard about how he was going to order a big pizza and start playing his new Madden game before catching up on sleep.

Just as he was reaching the top of the stairs on the second floor, his bag caught on the railing and he fumbled, nearly crashing down. He swore under his breath, trying to lean back against the wall, but not before landing funny on the inside of his foot. His knee twinged and he swore again, trying to get a better grip on his belongings.

"Sorry bud," Seth seethed to Kevin, who was whining from being slightly squished against his chest. He tested his knee carefully and it wobbled slightly, but he was able to make it up the rest of the stairs.

_Awesome, great_ , Seth thought, rummaging for his keys and entering his dark apartment again. His leg had just started feeling better after having a little time off from working out, but now it was probably going to nag him again. He felt like he was back in Swim Team in high school, dealing with the same crappy ACL strain.

Despite it all, he didn't want it to ruin his evening. Seth set down all of his things and poked at his joint while Kevin ran around the house happily. He was used to these occasional little missteps. If Seth had actually _fallen_ down the stairs, he could have been in real trouble. But work tomorrow couldn't be avoided either way, so he grabbed his leg brace from his gym bag and put a ziploc bag of ice together as he called for food. Unpacking could happen tomorrow. Really he just needed to repack his bag, so it didn't feel very important.

"I gotta train you to fetch me things," Seth grunted to Kevin, finally settling down with his leg elevated and a blanket thrown over his body to keep him from feeling the chill of the icepack. The Madden menu loaded up and he sighed happily, prepared to grind through some of the game play.

Just as he was about to begin, Kevin barked as Seth's phone buzzed from the kitchen countertop. Seth made an inarticulate snarling noise, tossing off the blanket and hobbling to the other room to grab his device. He knew he needed it for his food order, but the notification had just been a text from Roman.

**Shopping rn did you want burgers or brats for dinner before u leave**

**…** Seth typed, thinking to himself. He grinned, leaning on the wall. **...Both?**

**Thats what I thought lol** Roman responded. Dean contributed a blurry picture of a baby crying in someone else's cart, then a picture of a bag of sweet potato fries.

**Yes to all of those things** Seth replied. He made his way back to the couch, easing down onto it and smiling, eyes half lidded. Roman had seemed so apologetic about throwing them into his family situation, but if they were sinking back into their usual ways of showing love, things couldn't be too messy.

**Feelin better?** He sent, turning the camera on his raised leg and snapping a photo and typing out a string of crying emojis **i almost fell down the stairs**

**Yeah** Roman replied **oh no!!!**

**Shitt** Dean added, snapping a picture of a bunch of Ben and Jerry's ice cream from inside their cart **u like this right**

**Not Empowermint that one s gross**

Seth kept texting them until his food arrived. Roman worried over Seth's knee and asked him if he'd ever seen a specialist while Dean was the photojournalist, snapping photos of their purchases until they were checking out. Even with the Madden menu music serenading him, he nearly forgot his new game was ready and waiting.

**My foods here so im gonna eat** Seth signed off, **love u guys thank u for getting me food**

**Always bbe** Roman replied **well see u tomorrow**

**lov u bye** Dean messaged back. Seth sat up, limping to the door. Despite a shaky knee, an empty bank account and a very emotional Christmas, he still felt very thankful. _Blessed_ wasn't a term he liked to entertain, but he did feel privileged.

"16.70 is the total," The older delivery man said, pulling out the pizza box as Seth held open the door, cash in hand.

"Hey thanks," he muttered, trading off the money for the food. "Take care."

Seth shut the door and went to the kitchen and grabbed a plate. He opened the box and grinned at the sight of his supreme pizza. His face immediately lighting up.

" _Yessss_ ," he whispered.

Life was complicated, but digging into warm food from the comfort of his couch, Seth had the sneaking suspicion he could handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little spot of normalcy after a series of tense situations.
> 
> Thanks Kenjideath for the beta <3


	78. Boundary Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Cesaro! The end of the year always means a lot of loose ends. Is Jimmy Jacobs one of them?

"It's your birthday?!"

"On  _ Wednesday _ ," Cesaro said, waving his hand. Seth looked at him, slightly exasperated. The man had just bought him coffee  _ again _ and was so nonchalant, Seth was enjoying feigning dramatic aggravation.

"I'm leaving that day! Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"You bought me a Christmas gift already! I am used to my birthday being lumped in with the holidays, I don't care. Besides," he pulled his whistle over his head, getting ready, "I was not going to do anything except for the Box gave me the day to program my own workout!"

"Oh, well-" Seth leaned into his right knee, feeling it wobble. He hadn't been feeling a lot of pain, but there was definitely some sort of instability going on under the skin. "Happy Birthday in advance…"

The two were scheduled to work in P-Pool that morning and if it wasn't for his knee, Seth would be practically bouncing for joy. As predicted, everyone seemed to have forgotten the office incident with AJ after the busy holiday. White Water was still covered in Christmas decorations, the break room overflowing with leftovers and cookies. But everyone was relaxed, probably partially hungover and tired. Even the patrons were in a sort of stupor, swimming slowly and floating around, unconcerned.

The prospect of the year ending didn't really matter much to Seth, he was past trying to come up with stupid new year's resolutions. But while he was gone in Pensacola, his mailbox had filled up with mail regarding the date. Turning the key in his mailbox, a bundle of papers had immediately fallen out and he’d had to stoop awkwardly to fetch them from the ground.

Three pieces of old mail for the previous tenant, grocery coupons and a postcard advertising a discount oil change all went into the little recycling bin in the entryway, but Seth had stopped when he saw that one of the mail scraps was from the company that ran the building.

**Sigmund Partners LLC**

December 23rd, 

_ On behalf of Sigmund Partners LLC, we would like to wish you a happy holidays!  _

**Tenant: SETH ROLLINS unit 308**

_ As of December 23rd, your lease is  _ **_MONTH-TO-MONTH._ ** _ We may contact you soon about re-signing your lease, as well as regarding additional fees for the new calendar year. _

 

Seth had grumbled, recycling the notice as well. The last thing he needed was to pay extra rent, when he still wasn’t sure how quickly he’d be able to pay off his credit card from Kevin’s boarding stay at the Wyatt’s.

There had also been a notice from his health insurance, warning him that he would need to pick up an individual plan soon, as he wouldn’t be covered by his parents’ plan for much longer. 

A few advertisements for tax filing were next, and Seth was about to toss the whole stack in the trash, but at the bottom, he’d found a single small red envelope with careful cursive writing. He’d stopped, unable to read it at first because he wasn’t wearing his contacts. Moving the paper closer to his face, he’d softened immediately. The letter was addressed from his Grandfather’s farm.  

It was just a simple card. The front had an old-timey illustration of a sleigh ride through the snow in the countryside. Seth had opened it, smiling as he tried to read his grandfather's careful cursive.

_ Hoping to see you soon, miss seeing you.  _

_ Grandpa Don _

"Aww." Seth had grinned, immediately forgetting the rest of his postage notices. He’d turned the card over, wondering if there might be something else, but there wasn't. He hadn't seen his Grandfather in so long now- he felt rotten about not sending any sort of card or gift for Christmas. Since his grandmother had passed away, Seth knew that the farm was a lot more lonely and quiet than it had been when he was growing up. 

There would surely be time for them to meet again over his short trip though. Seth had tacked the card to his refrigerator, next to the one Hunter and Stephanie had given him at the holiday party.

"How is your knee doing?" Cesaro asked, pulling him out of his daydream. Seth grunted, wiggling the limb casually.

"Could be better, but it's fine. I iced it last night." He took a pull from his water bottle, watching a grandmother and her grandson, paddling around the shallows. "Should be fine for some squats."

"I was going to program a very knee-friendly day if you would like to come." Cesaro wiggled his eyebrow. "Muscle ups."

"Ohhh-" Seth's face lit up. "Yes please."

"-And thrusters."

"What? No!" 

"A handstand walk then."

The two bantered back and forth, building the basis of what the Cesaro WOD would consist of. Seth was eager to throw out all the chest and arm workouts he could remember while Lifeguarding. But Cesaro used his personal training know-how to be considerate of the other members of the class, well aware of the reality of doing so much high intensity work on just a few body parts.

"You can always scale, remember," Cesaro mentioned, watching Seth wrinkle his nose at the mention of wall balls. "Double unders."

"I can do those." Seth shrugged. "It's your birthday man, don't mind me. I'll do whatever."

They paused to swim test a few older girls that had been dropped off by their parents and Seth paced around the pool, scanning carefully. As it got later into the day, more and more families were arriving for open swim, eager to do something with their time off. Cesaro took to the deep end, watching the diving well, while Seth mingled around the shallows, smiling to folks as they came in. Rather unexpectedly, Holly and her mother arrived, both wearing swim suits and holding onto a few barbie dolls.

"Holly! Mister Seth is here!"

"Hey Holly!"

Holly looked up, immediately grinning wide and waving her dolls around. Seth nodded, keeping a third eye on his section.

"Doing some swimming?" he asked Mrs. Shippley. "That's awesome!"

"Yes, well, we thought we would still try since we have so much time," she said happily, patting her daughter's back. "We thought we might try jumping in today. I wanted to try to get her into group classes, since she's been doing so good."

"I don't want  _ other _ people," Holly hummed, holding onto the railing to the ramp and waving her feet around. "Only two people."

"It's more fun with more people though," Seth encouraged, twirling his whistle around his finger. "I have a lot of fun with you Holly, but I think if we had more kids we could do more fun stuff. It's kinda hard to play games with just one other person, yeah?"

"Nooooo," she chirped, splashing at the water. "Me and mom are playing Barbie."

Holly clearly still favored sitting on the ramp in waist deep water, especially with her mother, who didn't have the heart to push her very far. Seth watched, pacing around the perimeter of the shallows, as Holly set her dolls in the pool and talked and laughed with them. It took a long time, but eventually she consented to kicking around on a noodle and blowing bubbles with her nose.

"We'll figure it out soon, when we sign up for classes," Mrs. Shippley laughed nervously, watching Holly walk up the ramp, trying to pull the straps of her goggles out of her hair. 

"Whatever works." Seth shrugged. "I don't mind hangin' out with her."

They talked about the holidays as long as Holly could stand, shivering in her towel. Eventually, Seth waved them off, watching Mrs. Shippley grab their bags and exit into the locker room. He swapped places with Cesaro, finishing off his coffee and wiggling his knee in his brace for the rest of his shift.

"How's your leg?"

Dean was thumping his clipboard and hovering a reasonable distance away. Seth grinned, nodding to Charlotte as she came in, pulling off her purse.

"It's okay," Seth said, patting his brace. "Going to go workout with Cesaro in a sec here."

"You  _ sure _ ?" Dean blinked, looking to his leg hesitantly. "What are you even training for?"

"I'm not… training for anything…" Seth raised an eyebrow. "I  _ like  _ doing it."

"No problem..." Dean muttered. "Tomorrow we're doin' dinner and all. When does your flight leave?"

"Pretty early, like eight or something."

"Cool, well," Dean lowered his voice slightly, eyes flicking around to make sure nobody was listening in that shouldn't. "Me or Rome'll drive you to the airport- just bring everything to dinner, yeah? All your dog's stuff…"

"Oh, okay." Seth blushed. "T-thanks." 

“Things are going well with you and the boys?” Cesaro asked as soon as they’d gotten into his car and were pulling out of the parking lot. Seth smiled into his lap, letting go of a sigh.

“I think so, the holidays were bumpy,” he explained, leaning back in his seat and watching the neighborhood whiz past. “Roman’s family didn’t know about the whole… deal. So it kind of came out by accident and now I think they’re pissed at him.”

“But you are all okay?” Cesaro said, looking to him sincerely. “Sorry if I am prying.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Seth shrugged, pulling up his pant leg. “They got me Metcons, it can’t be too bad, right?”

The class for that day was comparatively small but it was all regulars that knew Cesaro well. As soon as he came in, they all smiled and wished him a happy birthday, waving while they stretched.

“How do they all know and I didn’t?” Seth grouched, pulling off his sweatshirt and tying his hair up higher. Cesaro just shrugged playfully.

As they had discussed, the WOD was programmed by Cesaro to favor Seth’s knees. They spent some time jogging around the building for a light warm up, but other than a few wall balls, everything was focused above the belt. 

It was a lot of fun. Seth had only been able to do muscle ups as part of a WOD a few times, as the Box only ever programmed kipping pull ups. The AMRAP was difficult, and immediately, his arms were seizing up a little, but Seth persevered, competing with Cesaro for time. 

He had to stop a few times, steeling himself to do the handstand walk properly, but as usual he finished strong and was a sweating mess at the end. His chest, back and arms were throbbing hard, but his knee felt light and painless.

“Happy birthday,” Seth rasped weakly from the floor, mopping the sweat off his brows and enjoying the heady buzz of his heart racing. 

“Pretty fun.” Cesaro nodded, rolling his shoulder experimentally. “No pain?”

“Only good pain.”

They lazed around for a minute, sitting on the floor and drinking water. There wasn’t another class for another hour, so they weren’t being rushed. Seth’s mind wandered, staring at the ceiling, thinking about how he’d have to pack.

"Oh, and Cesaro, did you see the notice we put on the calendar?" Ian, the head trainer called to them, waving some papers. "There's going to be a few triathlons in the spring!"

"I think I saw something like that… yes…" Cesaro wiped the sweat off his hands, looking at a single sheet. Seth's ears perked up and he crawled over, his interest piqued. 

"There's one that's at the end of February, but I wasn't sure if that was maybe a little too soon," Ian mumbled, leaning over. "You both are swimmers though, right?"

"Yup," Seth mumbled, looking down the sheet. There were several events around the general Orlando area, all consisting of swimming, biking and running. 

"One of my clients was talking about doing this too." Cesaro grinned, his eyes shifting over to Seth. "TJ said he might do one of these with me, you interested?"

"Absolutely, yeah." Seth nodded, panting slightly. The graphic at the top of the sheet showed a biker sliding down a hill. "Maybe Dean would too! I should ask him."

They stopped for some food and coffee after the workout and Seth graciously picked up the tab to wish his friend a happy birthday. Really, Seth was just glad his card went through, as he was still waiting on his paycheck on Friday. Well worn from working out and full of food and coffee, he was really only fit to manically scroll through his phone, lying on his back in bed with his feet draped over the side. 

He didn't log onto Facebook as much as he used to, but Seth was a little anxious to find that the whole of Roman's family had eagerly tried to friend him. Lisa, Summer, Vanessa, Jimmy and Jey had all sent requests, filling up his notifications. Without much to lose, Seth accepted them, watching his timeline fill up with new content.

The Christmas photos had been received it seemed, as Lisa had made an album containing them and saw fit to tag everyone as thoroughly as possible. Morbidly interested, Seth found the rather strained and awkward snap of himself, Roman, and Dean, all looking forced and stiff. 

Dean didn't have a Facebook, and Roman's was about as populated as Seth's. Seth spent some time snooping around on it anyway. Most of Roman’s family was connected, as well as a few random others that looked like high school friends. Maggie Shippley had liked his profile picture, many years old.

In between the barrage of content from the Reigns family, Seth's Iowa friends showed up on his wall as well, celebrating the holidays in the same familiar spots. Brandon had taken a picture at an ice skating rink with a girl Seth didn't recognize, and Jimmy had changed his profile picture to himself, eloquently telling a Christmas tree to go fuck itself.

Seth giggled to himself, liking the photo. 

In almost every other photo on his new feed, there appeared to be snow, in heaps by the road side and falling fresh over every lawn. Folks were posing with their trees, coffee, new gifts, anything seasonal.

Checking the temperatures, Seth realized he had nothing in Orlando that would really insulate him for chilly days where the high was only twenty-five. He looked through his closet, setting his phone down and pulling out a fleecy Cubs sweatshirt he'd gotten in Chicago. He'd have to ask his mom to bring him a jacket to the airport.

His phone buzzed from the bed and he strolled over again, setting down the sweater and peering at the screen. He'd hoped that it would be from Dean or Roman, but it was actually Jimmy Jacobs.

**R YOU IN TOWN???**

**Soon** Seth smirked, easily imagining his former manager's enthusiastic face.  **Flying out day after tomorrow**

**Theres a show on NYE!** he replied quickly, the little grey messaging symbol moving manically, a long link appeared in the conversation  **BUY A TICKET!!!!**

Seth sighed, laying back down on the bed. He really did want to see Jimmy and go to some sweaty hardcore show- but even ten or twenty bucks was a lot to ask. He'd just have to wait and see what was possible. There was a good chance his mother was going to slip him some Christmas money, but he didn't want to assume anything.

**Ill look into it** Seth typed out, scratching his nose  **I dont have any other plans that night so I wanna**

A string of heart emojis poured into his inbox and Seth wrinkled his nose. It had been a while since they'd talked, so his friend knew near to nothing about his relationship status. As soon as Seth had known he was leaving Davenport for Orlando, they'd had no issue screwing around and fucking each other just to blow off steam. 

By nature Jimmy was just a flirt. Seth didn’t really mind, but it would probably mandate some enforcement of boundaries. His friend wasn't anything close to what Seth would call 'boyfriend material,' but Seth wondered if he was ever allowed to play the field… When they'd all gone to get tested at the clinic, it had sort of meant that they weren't  _ supposed  _ to screw around, right? 

Some clarity would be nice. Even if he didn't really want to fuck Jimmy, he should probably be aware.

Seth rose, walking to his living room and opening up the door to his balcony. He leaned down, resting his arms on the railing and looking out onto the courtyard. It was fairly warm, a little humid even. Kevin hopped down to investigate, sniffing.

There wasn't really a good way to ask his boyfriends about the possibility of outside sex without sounding mischievous. Seth didn't want to make them feel uneasy, like he was ever going to betray them or cheat outside of… whatever they'd agreed upon. He knew full well that forgiveness didn't work in place of permission for these sorts of things, but upon some introspection, Seth didn't think he needed to worry much. He could handle himself. He wasn't in some loveless relationship any more.

"Oh, hey-" Seth sighed, watching Kevin dip his legs and start peeing in the middle of the balcony. The wood began to soak, but Seth just rolled his eyes, sure he wouldn't be able to clean the mess up with any real success.

He sighed, bopping Kevin’s tail with his foot to usher him inside. It was all a lot to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. Sort of a hodgepodge. Next time the boys will have their dinner and Seth will be on his way.


	79. Trading Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the last night in Orlando and Seth wants answers. Poor coping strategies and moments of secrecy abound! Love takes work, but three pairs of hands makes for a lighter load. 
> 
> Warnings for problem drinking and spanking

After one last day of life guarding, Seth set about cleaning his apartment and re-packing his bags for Davenport. He'd been nibbling on the little remains of his food in the house, unwilling to grocery shop, and by the last day he'd completely run out of toilet paper.

The worst thing about putting all of his things in a bag was the realization that he'd completely neglected to get gifts for his family, and was so incredibly poor, it was an impossible situation. Seth's chest tightened, seeing the card from his Grandpa taped up to his fridge, knowing he had nothing to give.

The only thing that helped was digging into the big Christmas bag full of presents he'd received from Roman's family. The Macy's gift card was still at the bottom, untouched. Seth frowned, letting off a sad little sigh and pulling the card from slip of paper that read  _ TO SETH _ . He didn't really need the money for clothes, his mom and dad could make better use of it. 

For Brandon, he was sure he'd be made to endure some time at the local comic shop where his brother spent most of his time fawning over books and figurines. Seth could probably pick up something there to cover for a gift. As for his Grandfather, Seth wasn't very sure, but the man had only sent him a card. If Seth could return the favor, it would be appreciated. Donald Rollins was a very frugal guy, and had never wanted for much more than the company of his family anyway.

After packing up and grabbing his dog, Seth strolled down the stairs humming. The elevator was still out of order, but he was unbothered, eager and excited to be around his boyfriends and a warm meal. Kevin was excited and confused at being shifted into the car again with all of Seth's things, but calmed down after a few minutes.

It was another humid evening and the clouds had begun to gather thick in the sky like it might rain. A warm wind was pushing the trees around and Christmas lights that weren't snugly fixed moved in the breeze. Seth made sure all of his windows were rolled up, parking in Roman's driveway as directed, on the other side of the Jeep. As soon as he opened the door and slid out onto the pavement, he could smell food grilling.

"Hey babe," Roman said warmly, walking away from the grill as Seth came in through the back gate. Roman had a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other, but they hugged awkwardly anyway before Seth set Kevin down on the ground. 

"Smells so good," Seth noted, uncovering the grill and nodding at the rows of burgers, brats and a thick bundle of tin foil. "I'm being spoiled."

"Yessir." Roman fumbled for a moment, chuckling as he nearly dropped the apron he was tying tighter around his waist. "You can load your stuff up 'n the Jeep if you want. Unless you just wanted to leave it for tomorrow morning."

"Oh… yeah sure," Seth muttered, watching Roman crush a beer can and crack into another one. "Dean still at work?"

"He's 'nside I think." Roman shrugged. "Tired."

Seth thought it was a little weird that the men weren't gravitating around each other like usual, but he supposed sharing living spaces meant they’d need some moments of quiet distance. Kevin stayed outside, content to sniff around the garden while Seth decided to track through the dark house, heading towards the front door to transfer his things. 

"Hey." He smiled, hearing the television on in the living room as he rounded the corner. Dean was laying on the couch, watching television without any lights on, knitting something small. 

"Hey," Dean muttered, sitting up. Seth bent down and planted a kiss on his head. "Wha's up?"

"Just… got all my stuff packed up." Seth smirked, patting his car keys in his pocket. "Food looks great."

"Mmm, yeah." Dean yawned, opening his eyes wide and blinking. "I'm fuckin' starving. I forgot to eat lunch." 

"Cool, well." Seth nodded to the front. "I'll be… right back…"

There was a weird sort of awkward energy floating around and Seth wasn't really sure what was going on. Worry consumed him as he moved his things. He supposed he  _ was _ leaving, he had no idea what Roman and Dean were planning for New Year's Eve, but Seth would be missing out on that moment with them. After such a busy Christmas, the last few days had been fairly low key- Seth had had to plan for his trip and they'd all been thrown right back into working at White Water. A few passing, safe, work conversations and some texting had been all they'd engaged in. Nothing serious.

_ But then, it doesn't mean they don't have a lot on their minds too _ , Seth thought, slamming the trunk of the car and feeling a twist of stress curling in his chest.  _ Was I dumb for not thinking about that? _

After re-entering the house, Seth found that Dean had left his knitting laying on the couch with the television playing. The screen door was cracked open again and Seth could smell cigarettes. 

The recycling in the kitchen was also full of beer cans. Seth heaved a sigh.

_ Yeah... I'm dumb... _

"It was unlocked right?" Roman asked loudly, seeing Seth in the kitchen through the screen door. He grinned, just a little rosy faced. "There's some snacks 'n the counter! I made margarita mix too, but that's in the fridge."

Seth just settled for a cup of water, plopping down next to Dean at the deck table, trying to think of what to say. Dean was just drinking red bull and smoking, hoodie pulled up over his head, wearing sunglasses.

"How're we all… doing?" Seth asked stupidly, immediately bringing his cup to his mouth, as though trying to stuff his words into it.

"'M fine," Roman said, beginning to dish up the patties and brats on another plate. "Back home, back to the grind."

"Yeah?" Seth said, his brow lowering at Dean's noncommittal nod. "We never really… at least, I  _ didn't  _ get to talk-"

"You don't gotta worry about it, really." Roman waved his hand. "My family's… not really gonna get  _ off _ my case about all this, but it's my deal. I feel bad 'nuff that you both had to deal with all that shit."

"Well, what are they saying?" Seth sat up, looking almost pleadingly to Roman. "I'm not gonna be  _ upset  _ or anything, I just want to know what's going on."

Roman paused, taking a moment to look at Seth before licking his lips carefully. He sighed, drinking from his can before gesturing to the kitchen. 

"Lemme… lemme grab all the dinner stuff, then we can eat and talk..." 

He disappeared inside the house and could be heard rummaging around in the refrigerator. Seth sank slightly in his chair, deflated.

"His parents have been texting and callin' a lot," Dean muttered, not looking up from his own phone. "Surprised they haven't tried to call me." 

"Is it bad?" Seth asked quietly, not wishing to be overheard. Dean just sighed, shrugging. 

It was hard not to feel defeated with Dean being so suddenly remote.

Once they had all sat down, Roman began stacking up his burgers and brats with condiments, passing the cheese and lettuce tray around in addition to a huge bowl of chips. Seth watched Kevin and Crispy shuffling around, his mind burning with questions. He didn't want to be an instigator, but after being witness to such a huge blowout, he thought he deserved  _ some _ explanation. Roman had had a few days to relax and decompress, wasn't that enough time?

"So…" Roman began, munching on chips. "I want to  _ apologize _ , to start." He looked at Dean and Seth, rubbing his hands together. "It was shitty of me to dangle a vacation over your noses and just like... tell you to follow my lead… without knowing what the lead was."

Seth nodded. Dean put out his cigarette and drank from his own can.

"So, I'm sorry for that," he continued. "But, I don't want you guys to worry about my family or what they think. I'm not goin' to… back out of this just because they have questions about it. Part of me movin' down here was to do my own thing and live the way I want, so even if, down the line they want to make ultimatums about shit or tell me I can't live in this house-" He rolled his eyes. "But, yeah, I don't think… they're gonna be all like  _ that _ …"

"But what did your dad talk to you about?" Seth asked. "What did you tell him?" 

Roman blinked, growing redder in the face, but Seth remained steadfast. He wasn't going to just accept things and move on. He wanted some context for Roman's assumptions.

"He… was upset that I didn't tell him about Dean living with me, number  _ one _ ," Roman said. "Number two... he was mad that I was only visiting for holidays and I wasn't calling home enough, basically just called me an ungrateful ass-" He counted off on his fingers, heaving a breath. "And then, he thought it was just selfish and ridiculous of me not to just pick one of you and be serious."

Seth felt like the air had been sucked out of his chest. He looked to Dean, floored by how cool and unfazed he appeared, more so than ever.

"That…" Seth tried, frowning. "That doesn't scare you?"

Roman set down his burger, eyes wide.

"It's  _ stressing _ me out, yeah, if that's what you're asking." He shrugged. "I told him, I told him FIRST-" His voice wavered, slightly too loud. "I brought Dean in because I loved him and that his living situation wasn't stable at all. The whole bed bug shit was fuckin' obvious and I told him that he should feel rotten if his son didn't care enough to help his friend. Dean helps me around the house and pays for groceries." He took another swallow of his drink, wetting his lips. "And I told him that it's hard for someone in my position at White Water to get loads of time off t'just drive for six hours to go to… fuckin'.... school plays and birthday parties and… football games… I send money and I send cards and crap like that... sometimes I need  _ reminders  _ to do that… but it's not like I don't care!" 

Roman blinked, thinking hard.

"And secondly, my love life is my own business, not his or mom's or any of my siblings, just mine. I went through all this same horse shit when I told ‘em I was gay and I had to convince them I wasn't messed up and just 'cause I'm gay and it's legal now- doesn't mean I'm gonna get married just like everyone else!"

"You mean third," Dean grunted. "That's three things."

"Right! Well," Roman muttered. "...You get it."

"Okay…" Seth nodded, looking to his lap. "And, he was at least cool with those answers?"

"Cool enough to let it drop for a few hours," Roman said, flustered. "They're intent though, they wanna know about all my shit and they wanna ask really weird questions that I don't have the answers to." 

Dean unfolded his legs, sighing.

"And if I DON'T have the answers, they assume, I'm lying… so…" Roman growled, polishing off his can. "It's just… a lot."

"I'm sorry," Seth said lamely. "It sounds awful. Makes me… makes me wonder what the fuck I'm supposed to tell my own family, you know…" He ran a hand through his beard, feeling slightly sick. "They aren't nearly as… well… like  _ that _ . But I don't know if they'll know what to make of this, so I just don't know what to tell them."

No one said anything for a moment and Seth exhaled. His heart was racing, but it felt good to have some idea of what Roman had thrown on the table. The food was delicious, but it was difficult to chew, sitting and stewing on the endless possibilities that were laid out before them. Roman looked slightly lost, his fingers twiddling around an empty can and a dirty napkin. Dean continued to sit mutely, unreachable.

"I… I was hanging out with Cesaro… earlier," Seth mumbled, coughing slightly. "There's this ironman competition thing, like a triathlon coming up? I think I wanna do it." He nodded to Dean. "But there's a biking part... it goes swimming, biking and then running. I thought, well, I dunno… maybe you might wanna do it too." 

Dean didn't move and Seth bit his tongue, feeling incredibly stupid.

"Or… I dunno, just help me train for it? I figure,  _ well _ , it's not going to be like mountain biking, but- actually, I really _ don't _ know what it is. It _could_ be mountain biking...." 

He trailed off, shoulders sagging as Dean just nodded. 

"Uce, you forgot the fries."

"Oh fuck-" Roman leapt up, uncovering the grill and cursing at the smoking tin foil. Seth watched as he quickly tried to transfer the wrapping over while Dean continued to sit, almost  _ smugly _ low in his chair.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked quietly, restraining himself from laying a hand on Dean's leg. Dean's mouth curled, but he didn't seem to withdraw, pulling a hand up to tug his hood down so he could mat his hair, anxiously.

"I'm good, just tired," he mumbled, watching Roman ease the tinfoil apart. 

"The ones in the middle 'r okay," Roman said. 

"I want 'em."

Seth waited patiently, accepting more food while Dean doused his fries in ketchup. Seth thought it was weird how slack he looked, his usual static twitching noticeably absent. Without any impulse to share, Dean just continued to sit, eating slowly, his sunglasses shielding him from any unwanted gazes. 

"How's your iPad?" Seth tried.

"I haven't used it much." 

"Oh…"

"You made some squares for that blanket, right?" Roman tried, nodding to Dean. "You should make a hat for Crispy!"

"I need different needles for that."

Seth frowned, chancing a glance to Roman, flummoxed. However, Roman was busy eating, looking relatively unperturbed. 

_This can't be how they are when I'm not here_ , Seth thought, beginning to feel upset. _What the fuck?_

And then, Seth remembered and his eyes widened. 

"Your meds-" he muttered. Mouth full of food, he quickly swallowed. "Did you end up, going off? Like you said?"

Dean bit his lips. 

Roman raised an eyebrow and Seth's lips sagged.

_ Ah... _

"M'yeah." Dean nodded, deliberately ignoring Roman's gaze. "I uh, I had two more than I thought, so I just took those… but I didn't… get it refilled."

"Of what? Which ones?" Roman asked quickly, leaning in and looking at Dean meaningfully. "What-"

"My Addy," Dean muttered, speaking slowly. "So… I'm kinda tired… that's all."

Seth felt vindicated, sure in his assumption that the medication was the cause of Dean's demeanor. Though, he wondered if Dean might have been wrong in his belief that he should  _ halt _ his dosage altogether- if he was going to be so remote and moody without medication, perhaps it was better to be  _ on _ the Adderall. 

"When was the last time you took it?" Roman asked, shocked. "You didn't… you didn't see a doctor or anything, did you?"

"Nah… I just took the last pill on... the 27th... " Dean shrugged, sighing. "It's fine… I looked it up online and I'm probably just gonna be tired for a bit… but then I'll balance out again."

"Dean-" Roman laughed nervously. "Dean…  _ Dean-o _ … You have to see a doctor before you just,  _ jump off  _ your meds."

"I'm gonna do-" Dean sank lower in his chair. "Whatever I wanna do here? Considering it's my shit to take care of… You didn' even notice anything, so..."

"I just thought-" Roman's voice turned firm. "Look, I'm not tryin' to tell you what to do."

"Yeah you are," Dean said. Seth shook his head, disbelieving.

"Guys," he said, "Are we… are we okay here? Honestly." He swallowed, staring each man in the face seriously. "This is a lot for me to take in right now."

Nobody moved or spoke, even Kevin and Cripsy seemed oddly quiet. For a moment, the noise of the trees and the wind died away and the charcoals and the grill fell into the background. The air was tense.

Dean stood up, but then exhaled, sitting back down again. He pulled off his sunglasses and put them on the table, running his hands over his face. Roman's eyes looked wet, but he didn't say anything. Seth felt strangely grounded, confident in the knowledge that he was the most sober and chemically stable of the three. 

"Christmas… really freaked me out," Seth admitted, looking to Dean. "We talked about that, yeah? The night of, while… it was all going down." He blinked, looking over to Roman. "I… don't want to leave tomorrow and feel like, like I'm leaving you two on weird terms, or like, with things unsaid, you know what I mean?" 

He set his hands on the table, rolling his lips together. 

"I dunno if that's a lot to ask, maybe it is, I don't think everything needs to be  _ perfect _ or anything. I don't expect that. But… I don't live here… So if there's something I need to know, you have to tell me, okay?" Seth looked down at his lap again, trying to calm his frantically beating heart. "I can't… I don't want it be like I'm not really of any help… 'cause I'm not here, or you think I can't deal with what's going on-"

"It ain't like that." Dean shook his head.

"Oh, babe." Roman leaned in, grabbing him and pulling him into a hug. "No, he's right, it's not like that."

"Well." Seth heaved a breath, trying his damndest not to cry. "Can we cut the bullshit here? Are we good?"

"I'll be okay," Dean said softly, rubbing his nose. "I feel weird right now… but I think it's just the meds... I dunno." He leaned into the table, sitting up. "I know Uce knows what's best. About everything else." 

"It's a lot…" Roman agreed, kissing Seth on the cheek overzealously, smelling like charcoal and beer. "Honestly, I don't really want to think about it much. Just… just because It scares me."

"And that's fine," Seth agreed, shrugging. "It's scaring me too, I just wanna make sure I know what's up is all."

Roman went to the kitchen and grabbed another beer, dabbing at his eyes. Seth looked to Dean, who just shrugged.

"Last one," Roman stated shakily, cracking it open and sitting back down. "Sorry… I probably look like a fuckin' wreck."

Seth frowned slightly, but didn't really know what to say. He remembered what Dean had said about Roman drinking too much in college, but didn't really know what to make of it. He'd never had any reason to believe Roman had a drinking problem, so he just assumed it was a sort of sloppy coping mechanism. 

Witnessing the fallout of Christmas, Seth thought it might even be some sort of learned behavior.

"I love you," Seth supplied, looking seriously to Roman with wide brown eyes. "It's okay." 

Roman nodded, his face screwing up slightly. He cleared his throat, running wide fingers over his eyes and laughing nervously.

"Make-up- _ sex _ ," Dean chanted quietly, bringing his hands to the table to bang them on the surface. " _ Make-up-sex _ ."

They all laughed hard, looking between each other and giggling stupidly until they were all wiping their eyes and groaning, glancing around awkwardly as though they'd smelled a fart. The tension seemed to dissipate though, replaced with a sort of exhausted energy. Roman redid his bun, pulling his hair back tight. 

"Okay, well." Seth cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't want to be dramatic or anything. I'm just... impatient I guess."

"It's fine," Dean said, picking at a fry on his plate.

"It needed to be said," Roman assured him. "I'm sorry babe. I didn't want it to be like we were… excludin' you… or something. I just didn't want your last day here to be weird."

"I'm only gonna be gone for like, two days," Seth chuckled. "The fact that I got all this food and stuff is more than I was expecting."

They finished the meal in much higher spirits. Dean was still quiet and withdrawn, but he wasn't nearly as moody. As they wrapped up, sitting together comfortably satiated, Roman began to pick up and Seth extended his hand to Dean.

"Have you ever done this before? Just  _ stopped _ taking drugs?" he asked. As soon as he finished speaking, he blushed, backtracking. "I mean-"

"Not… like this." Dean took his hand with a few fingers, squeezing his palm. "It's not that bad, I just… I'm not pounding back like, super caffeine and prescription  _ meth _ , so it's a bit of a come down. If I was still living like I used to, I woulda kept getting the pills and start selling them individually. The ones I got… are really strong…"

"Well, I dunno," Seth laughed nervously. "It probably would have been smart to  _ tell _ Roman at least, right? That way if you had a bad reaction…"

Dean shrugged and Seth pursed his lips. He didn't want to stumble headway into an argument of any sort, but Dean honestly looked too tired to be combative. His features were sullen and grey, eyes lazy and half lidded. All of Seth's instincts to grab him or hug him- to make him physically feel his love- were fighting with what he knew of Dean. Even when they were in the middle of fucking, touching or petting each other in ways that were meant to be comforting, it seemed as though Dean was never calmed, clamming up at possible touch.

Intimacy was difficult, Seth understood that, but he wished they could do more than hold hands. 

The thought of Jimmy crossed his mind, but Seth shoved it down. Too much was going on to be throwing more strange questions into the mix. He knew now, deep down, he didn't want to do anything to complicate his situation. Messing around with other people just wasn't an option.

"Did you say makeup sex to be funny? Or…" Seth grinned, wiggling his eyebrows and talking loudly so Roman could hear inside. Dean took a deep breath, squinting slightly. Seth tried to sound like he was joking, even though he was serious. He didn't want to put pressure on Dean if it was physically impossible for him to be aroused.

However, Roman leaned on the sliding door frame, a daring look in his eyes. He peered at them slyly, swinging back and forth.

"I dunno who's sluttier right now." Dean snorted, pointing between them. "I'm a little scared to find out."

Makeup sex wasn't _quite_ the right term, as they'd never really been angry at each other so much as they were upset at their situation. 'Blowing off steam' was maybe more appropriate. Dean was noticeably perkier, strutting into the house behind Roman and laying a hand on his backside while Seth felt his own dick perking up in his pants. It felt like ages since he'd messed around with Dean in the shower, and a few solo sessions since hadn't been nearly adequate. 

That said, Seth felt out of his element, watching Roman flop down onto the bed first, tearing off his clothes in a tipsy flurry.

"Guys, I know you'rent all kinky fucks like me-" Roman blustered, turning over and dipping his hands into his wicker basket to rummage around, "buttttt-"

Dean and Seth paused, watching as Roman pulled out a fold of leather with a black handle. At first, Seth wasn't sure what it could be, unadorned and unassuming as it was, but Roman lightly tapped it against his hand, indicating a striking tool. Cooly, he threw it up into the air and Seth caught it, heart racing.

"Sick," Dean snorted. "Rough times? That means you're suckin' me first."

Both men sloughed off their clothes, eager and aroused in the dull lamplight. Seth had gotten down to his underwear, quickly as usual, but was completely out of his element. The way things were going, it looked like Roman was going to get fucked and he was supposed to muster up some resolve to spank him. 

Which, strictly speaking, Seth wasn't  _ against _ , but it wasn't something he was familiar with.

"How-" Seth adjusted, lightly tapping Roman on the bottom. "Where and how hard do I…?"

"The _butt_ ," Dean said stupidly, giving his thick cock a pump before he moved Roman's head down to give him a lick. Roman whipped his hair out of the way, giving his hips a little wiggle.

"You're not gonna hurt me babe," he grunted, widening his knees. "Hard, but not  _ mean _ ."

With as much love as he could muster, Seth traced the line that the slapper would arch in the air carefully. He opened his stance, his dick thickening up in his boxer briefs as he observed the large curve of Roman's bottom, quivering with anticipation. Dean watched lazily, humming as Roman's mouth worked.

A crack rent the air and immediately, Seth felt horrid and apologetic- but he realized, withdrawing the tool, that it was intended to be loud. Roman's ass bore a line of redness, but he hummed appreciatively, continuing to suck away wetly.

Swallowing, Seth laid another strike, his arms shaking from the way his lover seemed to freeze and clench, sagging, and then bucking up for another shot. 

It was strange and Seth definitely felt like he was doing it wrong. After watching Roman be so emotionally bombarded over dinner, he wondered if maybe he should go easy- but the man seemed to require it.

"Go a lil' harder," Dean suggested, nodding. "When he gets like this… well... " He moaned, pressing Roman's head deeper, tugging on his hair. "... Need's a  _ strong  _ hand..."

Experimentally, Seth went faster, rather enjoying the playful bounce he got to witness from such a perfect vantage point. Roman had a really gorgeous ass, it wasn't firm and taut from squats, but it was big and round and it made him want to stick his face in it. Seth moaned along with Roman on a particularly loud hit, and he tugged his dick out, feeling his own backside burn from looking at the warm redness forming across Roman's right cheek. He licked his lips, giving his cock a tug and feeling a sort of longing.

"Shit. Uce…" Dean slurred, his leg trembling. Roman popped off his dick and groaned loudly as Seth collided with him. Without a cock stuffed up his mouth, he panted hard, his knees shaking. 

"I… I wanna…" Seth tried, his hands slack around the slapper, hypnotized by Roman's abused ass. "Someone… do me…"

With Roman wholly compromised, Dean was the only one up to the task, but he seemed sheepish, extricating himself from the bed, cock still incredibly hard.

"I'm shit at this stuff," Dean muttered. "Uce wanted to get me to choke him the other day-"

"This is easssssy-" Roman sang softly, wincing slightly to lay on his back, easing his bottom slowly down onto the sheets. "Seth… c'mere, lay… lay here…" 

Seth came down to hover over Roman and was immediately pulled into a sweaty, beer soaked kiss. The way Roman's eyelids were fluttering, his body radiating intense heat, Seth was slightly taken aback, but he pressed his firm cock against his stomach, breathing hard.

"You guys are such fuckin' whores, damn." Dean sighed happily, squeezing his dick. "Fuck, Seth, turn a little- yeah-"

In his periphery, he could just make out Dean grinning, raising the slapper like a bat and twirling the end. Seth whimpered slightly. 

" _ Sweet _ Dean," Roman said softly. "I only wan' him to bite me a  _ lil'  _ bit."

The first few moments were nerve wracking as Seth wasn't sure when the strike was coming. He was distracted, kissing Roman sloppily as his back shivered, waiting. He was just about to turn, breaking the kiss to peek, when he felt the impact and his heart jumped.

There wasn't much pain, but rather, a sort of concentrated burn on his backside. Roman's hands crept up around his cheeks, pressing against his skull and pulling him closer.

Again and again Dean worked and Seth whined, screwing up his face slightly, hearing his lover readjust and stroke his dick. Seth had to bury down, pressing his mouth firmly against Roman's warm mouth to distract himself from the pain. His hair was falling out of his bun, hands were holding his face hard enough to feel sweaty and overwhelming, but with his eyes tight shut, Seth took the blows.

"Mmm, your ass's mad at me..." Dean chuckled, coming closer to butt his stiff cock up against his backside. " _ Fuck _ ."

Seth spluttered, seething as Dean pressed his warm body up against his sore bottom, feeling a boiling burn setting in. Roman kissed him up and down before finding a spot on his neck and sucking, it was all such a jumble of sensation and body heat that Seth felt some difficulty finding air.

"Whoaaaa," he giggled, opening his eyes again and feeling like he'd done a somersault. Roman laughed as well, rosy face staring back and him, eyes glimmering. 

"Feelin it'?" Roman tickled his beard. 

"Yeahhh," Seth hummed, his eyes fluttering and his mouth falling open as Dean teased his rim, sliding a wet thumb around. Everything felt slowed and trancelike and Seth was sure his mouth was going to be rubbed raw from kissing so extensively. He could feel Roman's huge cock pressing up against his leg while Dean warmed up his bottom, but the pain was fading away fast. 

They were all sort of out of it, dazed and sweaty. Seth hadn't thought getting spanked would have taken so much out of him, but he was sweating like he'd run a mile.

"Anyone alive down there?" Dean muttered, pressing two fingers up inside Seth with relative ease. "If you guys are done being sluts I figured we could  _ fuck _ ."

They laughed drunkenly, wiping at their mouths and blinking hard. Seth wanted to feel stuffed up on Dean's dick, but was so comfortable laying on top of Roman, he felt conflicted.

"I need a dick," Roman sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Can we... make that happen?"

"You gotta get up ya lazy ass." Dean snickered. "Unless- oh _fuck_ -"

Dean stood, withdrawing to clap his hands together in the air. Seth made a nasally whining noise as his ass lost the attention it was receiving.

"Okay, I'm a g _ enius _ ," Dean grunted. "Seth, you fuck Uce, and I'll fuck  _ you _ ." 

" _ Ohhhh _ ."

Roman hiked his legs up playfully, securing Seth around the middle. Seth blinked, confused.

"It'll be like the little ball things," Dean said, coming in to break up Roman's clutch on Seth's middle and turn him over so he was also on his knees. "You  _ know _ , the little balls on the strings that go forever."

"I have absolutely no idea-" Seth laughed. "What the  _ fuck _ are you talking about?"

"Like them desk toys." Roman nodded. "Yeah, I get what ya mean. They're like… physics… toys."

"A Newton's Cradle?" Seth snorted, at a loss for how Roman had figured out what Dean had meant from  _ those little ball things _ . He had little time to laugh however, as Dean was rummaging through Roman's bedside drawer, pulling out his bottle of lube and making his way back over to his pile of boyfriends on the bed. 

"I don't even-" Roman grunted. "Just putt'id in me,"

"Calm down babe," Dean said, dumping the liquid over his cock. "This is gonna be a lot."

Adjusting so everyone was not only comfortable but in a good position to fuck was difficult. Roman had to slope his huge back down so Seth could fold over it properly, and Dean needed them close to the edge of the bed so he could stand. Really, it was sort of surreal, watching Roman made to be so small, but Seth was practically vibrating with excitement.

The last person he'd really  _ fucked _ , really stuck his dick in, was Jimmy. It was weird to think about, since he'd had sex with Dean and Roman so many times, but he was always being split  open on a dick. Seth had no issue sticking his cock up another man's ass, he'd done it plenty of times in his lifetime. But since he'd moved to Orlando, he'd become such a consistent bottom that he had to remember exactly how to move his hips to generate a good response.

Though, with Dean on top of him, he didn't quite have much of a choice. Seth slid into Roman slowly, taking a moment to give the man an adjustment period, since the warm-up had been nonexistent. Roman sighed, groaning into the pillow.

"Nice, nice," Dean breathed, and immediately stuck himself up into Seth, making him shudder. In all of about ten seconds, he was sliding back and forth, his knees bent to tap righteously against Seth's ass in a series of little slaps. The burning from the spanking returned slightly, but it was only a ripple in a wave of sensations.

Seth choked, bracing himself to collapse over Roman, barely able to create his own force as Dean beat against him, the pressure tickling him perfectly before making his cock nudge Roman's ass. Like some kind of mobius strip, the pleasure didn't cease or peak, but rather continued through and through, at both ends.

Unable to find a starting point, Seth just whined and mewled, melting over Roman's back and hoping his dick might start pistoning properly. Roman groaned and Dean eagerly began to beat faster, sure that Seth wasn't able to generate his own force. 

Roman's fist was knotted up in the blankets, pulling hard as he let out inarticulate moans, much higher pitched than usual. His whole back was shining with sweat and Seth slipped all over it. Chancing a glance down, his ass contracted hard, watching his cock disappear in the loving embrace of Roman's bottom.

Dean hissed, feeling Seth clutch hard to his dick, grabbing tight to his thighs and smacking hard. Peering over his shoulder, Seth bit his lip, seeing Dean coming undone, mouth open, practically drooling at the scene.

It was a wonder he didn't just blow his load in moments, but the barrage was so intense it took Seth several tries, winding himself up, concentrating and trying to remember to breathe as his dick leaked and Dean swatted at his sore backside. Tears ran down his face as he gasped, coming unwound and shooting furiously into Roman's ass. 

He wasn't conscious of exactly what happened next or who came second, his whole axis seemed to tilt, his vision blurring and sharpening as Dean continued to beat into him, yelling at the squeezing of his hips. 

Seth closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was being emptied. He gasped, shivering as he felt Dean withdraw and a ropey bit of come sliding down his leg. Roman was trembling underneath him, turning over and trying to free himself.

"Seth?"

"Mmah'm here," he panted, rolling onto his back, eyes wide and staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, Dean floated above him, disheveled, but at least standing.

Oddly cold, they spent an hour in the bed, sweaty and shivering, trying to cover each other in their sexual aftershock. Roman muttered some sentences filled with BDSM terms, trying to explain away the sensations, but Seth couldn't understand it. Not much was penetrating his head, his mind completely formless as he lay blinking in the dim light.

When the clock read 8:30, they rose, tearing the sheets off the bed to rinse off in the shower. Being large men, they had to take turns, but they rotated between brushing their teeth and taking a piss. Roman offered Seth leave-in conditioner and he matted it in his hair, still stupefied.

"When's your flight again?" Roman asked, tossing new sheets onto the bed. Seth scratched at his neck, thinking, before he remembered the time that was on the boarding pass he'd printed earlier that day.

"Eight… o' five." He sighed, tying back his hair. He blinked a few times, standing stupidly until Dean came shuffling in, wearing just a pair of sweatpants. "I'm so fuckin' beat…"

One last time before he left, Seth snuggled into bed with his boyfriends, numb, warm and exhausted. Kevin hopped up as soon as they opened the door and sat by their feet, wiggling around as the blankets moved and they adjusted themselves. Roman lay in the middle and Dean obliged to snuggle into his armpit, laying a hand on his belly. Seth mirrored him, and they met eyes over their lover's chest, already half asleep. However, Roman put hands on both of their backs, clapping them hard.

"Thank you, both of you," Roman said softly. "I needed that… real bad…"

"S'all good." Dean yawned. Seth hummed.

"But seriously though," he continued. "Thanks for… being patient with me and going along with this. I wouldn't be putting up with my parent's shit if I didn't think this was a good idea."

Dean didn't say anything, his eyes already drooping. Seth smiled as he watched his mouth slowly open, determined to drool over Roman's chest.

"I's okay," Seth muttered, looking up to his lover's face. "Just wanna… make sure you're okay too…"

Roman kissed his forehead, rubbing the small of his back carefully.

"We're gonna miss you loads." Roman sighed. "Even if it's jus' a few days. Don't know what we'd do without you, lil' Uce."

Seth buried his whole head in Roman's armpit, trying to hide his smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, Bottom Roman. It's like a seasonal delight. 
> 
> If you're following me on tumblr, than you got a special preview of this chapter last week! If not, go follow me! If you want though, I post pretty sporadic garbage other than that. 
> 
> If you liked what you read, let me know! Seth's off to Davenport next week. Stay tuned.


	80. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orlando to Davenport. What's new with the family?

Morning came so quickly that it was jarring, being woken up by Roman’s new all-in-one device, chirping soundly. Seth sat up fast, blinking hard in the darkness and flinching at the sores on his bottom. 

Roman growled, turning over and flipping a long length of hair out of his face before muttering the voice command to turn off the device. 

Dean didn’t say anything, curled up with all the blankets, covering his head as the lights came on, daring anyone to bother him. 

“I’ll drive,” Roman muttered, blearily rising and stumbling across the hall to the bathroom. Seth followed, feeling like a broken wind up toy, tottering blindly through the half light.

Glancing in the mirror, he groaned. Roman had sucked hickeys all the way around his neck and even gotten one right under his chin. Trying to be smart, Seth combed his hair out, throwing in more product so he could wear it down and try to hide some of the damage. Roman himself was pulling down the band of his underwear and putting lotion on his backside.

“You ‘n have some too,” he croaked. “Sittin’ on a plane all day.”

Foregoing coffee and food, Seth dressed and brought Kevin up to his face, letting him lick his beard and whine sweetly.

“‘M see you buddy,” Seth sighed. “Couple days…”

Before he put his shoes on, he walked back into the bedroom, leaning down and patting Dean’s back. Dean shifted, exposing his face, but he looked grumpy and annoyed.

“Me too,” Seth chuckled, kissing Dean on the cheek. “‘M text you, hope you feel okay...”

Dean made a kissing noise with his lips and retreated back under the sheets, and Seth followed Roman out the front door.

They didn’t say much during the ride to the airport, but there really wasn’t anything to discuss. Both were exhausted and had participated in such raw vulnerability the night before, it was awkward. Seth hadn’t ever seen Roman so open and exposed, and he wondered if his boyfriend would be snapping back to his usual, confident self anytime soon. The family business was obviously wearing him down, but Seth didn’t know if there would yet be an end in sight.

“What terminal are you?” 

“One.”

The pulled up to the roadside drop off just as the sun was beginning to rise. Seth kept going through his list in his head, trying to remember if he packed everything. He’d locked his apartment. He’d grabbed his phone charger. Everything was right. 

“I love you,” Roman said. He came out to help with the bags and pulled Seth into a big hug, putting aside any worries about appearing gay in public. Seth sunk into the embrace, trying to relish the moment for future pondering. They were both very warm, wearing the fuzzy hoodies they’d gotten for Christmas. 

“I love you too,” Seth muttered, accepting a kiss on the mouth. “I’ll try to text some or call or something… Let me know if Dean’s…”

“I’ll hold it down, don’t worry.” Roman half smiled, rubbing his arm. “Go have fun with your family. Be safe.”

And just like that, he was gone.

Seth stepped inside the airport, rolling his bag through the automatic doors. He hadn’t been there for several months, but was immediately flooded with memories of arriving in Orlando for the first time. Five months ago, he’d come to Florida with a couple of bags containing his clothes, his swim suits and lifeguard gear, a single plate, a set of utensils, and his water bottle. A tiny moving van had met him at his apartment with his bed and a few other choice things, but that had been it. 

He remembered crying the night before, tearing up when he arrived at the airport, and crying on the floor of his new apartment when he’d gotten his keys. Never in his life, since he’d broken up with Marek, had he felt so unsure and scared. For whatever reason, he didn’t think he’d even get the job at White Water, so Seth was terrified he’d have to tell his parents he was bussing tables or working at a gas station for money instead.

Now, standing in the security line for Delta Airlines, he had to crack a grin. He'd reinvented his life from the ground up and hadn’t even realized it. 

“Shoes, coats, jewelry, wallets, cellphones and hats-” The TSA agent barked as Seth pocketed his boarding pass, coming to the X-Ray. He pulled off his hoodie and came forward, catching his reflection in the shiny paneling of the full body scanner.

“Arms above your head, legs apart.”

He’d put on ten pounds of muscle and dyed his hair. He used to shave his beard down very thin, but had taken to letting it get a little longer and fuller, at least for the winter. Seth swept his hair to the side, trying not to blush as the older lady working the scanner sighed, gesturing with her blue gloves and clearly admiring the curve of his ass. 

He pulled his sweatshirt back over his head quickly once he was through, trying to figure out where his shoes had gone. Flying never really stressed him out, but airports always did.

A short walk, a shuttle ride to the G gates and a very long line at Starbucks put Seth right on time to arrive at his boarding area. He stood, waiting with the other passengers and clutching his bag, staring around the general area. The attendants at the desk were standing and joking while the plane was being prepared for boarding. Seth could clearly see some tourists returning home in the crowd waiting at the gate. The very distinct midwestern, corn-fed Iowa look was clear in the bodies and styling of most of the passengers, with a couple armed service members dotted here and there in the crowd.

His phone buzzed and Seth juggled his coffee and his scone, pulling out his device. His mother’s contact info was lighting up the screen, calling him.

“Mm’ello?” Seth answered, setting his drink on top of his bag. “I’m at my gate.”

“Yayyyyy!” she cheered. “Brandon’s gassing up the car right now! I put your big snowboard jacket in there too, so you’ll have something warm.”

“Oh good, thanks.”

“We’re so excited to see you again honey, it’s been so long. I just wanted to make sure you were… getting in okay and all…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Seth sighed. “Looks good on my end. Plane has two wings and all.”

She snorted and Seth couldn’t help smiling. Even now, standing in line to go, it was hard to believe he’d be home that night for dinner. Iowa seemed like it was on a completely different planet. In a few hours, he’d be seeing snow again, out of the jungle and back among the fields and the water towers. 

“We’re now boarding our preferred members as well as passengers with special accommodations for Delta flight nineteen-eight-nine-five-twelve-four, with service to Des Moines-”

“Oh, I’m boarding now I guess,” Seth said quickly, straightening up and patting his boarding pass in his pocket. “I love ya ma, I’ll let you know when I land.”

“Love you too sweetheart, we’ll see you soon.”

Seth didn’t actually board until the last zone was called, but he wanted to finish his coffee and his snack. Boarding, finding his seat and stuffing his bag away in the overhead compartment, Seth actually was all alone, the only one across seats A, B and C. When the attendant came back after completing the safety demonstration, she eyed him carefully, but Seth just looked out the window. He didn’t really care much for the palm trees dotting the landscape, swaying in the breeze, but mentally, he said goodbye to them, in some weird, invented ritual of respect. 

The flight was smooth and after they ascended to ten thousand feet, skipping over the cloudy atmosphere, Seth kicked up his feet and took a little nap. He didn’t care much for the in-flight movie or the hospitality, but knew that he would like to feel a little more rested before being stuck with his brother in a car for two and a half hours. Seth thought that next time he might just reimburse his parents to fly him directly to Davenport, just to save himself some time. Chafing against the fabric of his pants, his ass cheeks felt red and hot. Next time, he’d  _ also _ make sure to be smart and not agree to a bunch of lashings right before a travel day.

Seth watched, tingling with excitement as the plane began to dip and the vast flat prairie opened up beneath him. His face was practically glued to the window, staring as the farms and fields grew larger and the capital city came into clearer view on the horizon. The seat belt light came on and Seth set his hands in his lap, sitting patiently as he descended.

As soon as the plane touched down, Seth sighed the usual breath of relief of an infrequent flyer and checked his phone, which was returning to service. A few hours ago, Roman had sent a message to the group chat, wishing him safe travels. 

**Im like 20 min out** Brandon’s text came through, then another  **Im here** and then, dated some five minutes ago.  **Im not here anymore I got bored so I got Culvers tell me when ur here**

**Just landed** he replied, rising to stand in the aisle.

Seth hadn’t checked a bag, so he really just had to shuffle down to the curbside pick up area with his carry on. 

_ ‘The local time is 10:38 AM,’  _ a voice sang over the airport alert intercom as Seth boarded a moving walkway. Coming onto a long stretch of open space with a glass ceiling, Seth could see the cloudy, cold sky overhead. Everything seemed darker, much less illuminated and shiny in the way that everything in Florida was. The people all looked unassuming, modest and simple, their faces pale and smiling. At the corner of a food court, an enormous old woman was stooped over an electronic cart, extending a chubby hand full of dollar bills to her equally rotund children while she listed off her food order.

_ Yes _ , Seth thought, grinning to himself.  _ I’m home _ . 

He made his way to the outside, following signs for ground transportation while texting Brandon his location. As soon as he got to the automatic door, the barren chill hit him and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, expelling a breath to the open air in a smoking cloud.

Everyone else had a thick jacket on, and for a moment, Seth thought of just turning back inside to wait on the other side of the glass. However, he tutted, pulling up his hood and glaring around for Brandon’s car. He was  _ from _ Iowa, and according to his phone, it was a whole twenty two degrees outside. Twenty-two degrees wasn’t _ that  _ cold.

Fifteen minutes later though, Seth was shivering hard, angrily cursing his brother with every fiber of his being for driving stupid circles around the airport. Messages of  **Does it matter what terminal it is** and  **Some guy thought i was an uber lol** filling up his inbox.

**Ground transportation** Seth typed with numb fingers, craning his neck around the corner anxiously. Eventually, the old station wagon crept up and stopped just a few feet past where Seth was standing. Brandon rolled the windows down on the passenger’s side, his hawkish brow narrowed.

“I’m right here you idiot.”

“Oh!”

Brandon clambered out the car, wearing a thick wool hat and a peacoat. Seth sighed, extending his hands and accepting a hug.

“Where’s that jacket at?” Seth asked.

“Half a year and that’s all ya got to say to me?” Brandon scoffed with mock hurt. “ _ And  _ three hours driving?”

Brandon wasn’t related to Seth by blood, but they bore a striking resemblance to one another. Both men had dark brown eyes and heavy brows with thick beards. Brandon’s nose was thinner, but pointier, and Seth’s eyes were brighter, with longer lashes. Standing at about equal height, when they both wore their hair similarly, they were often confused for twins. 

At least, they used to be.

“Whaaaaaaat,” Seth muttered, eyes wide as Brandon turned to shut the car door, revealing a great emptiness at the back of his head. Brandon grinned, pulling up his hat and revealing a new, shorn style.

“Yeah, took off a bunch and donated it,” he said whipping his short hair back and forth. “For the  _ ladieeees _ .”

"Damn." Seth blinked, eagerly pulling his giant coat from the backseat and tugging it over him. "I want Culvers, I'm starving. Haven't had a Butterburger for like, a  _ year _ ."

Some drive thru in hand, hurtling eastbound on the highway for home, Brandon was his usual goofy self. Though the two weren't particularly close, Seth enjoyed hearing about his life and what he was up to. His brother worked as a receptionist at an industrial auto parts store across the river in Moline, and made pretty good money. After having a bad break up with a girl a few years back, Brandon had been living with their parents and spent most of his money on his gaming hobby. Everyone in the family thought he was a little childish and eccentric, but he was pretty harmless. Seth had gotten a little weary of him, living at home after he'd broken up with Marek, but only because his brother was louder and more extroverted than he was.

Surprisingly though, Brandon actually looked to be getting into similar shape, appearing a little more defined and lean than Seth had remembered. He'd even started tweezing his eyebrows, which was a big change.

"I got a girlfriend that really likes doing Kendo," Brandon explained, smiling deviously. "She does cosplay, right? Where they go and dress up at conventions. So she's been taking me to some of her classes and I really like it. I got a pass and so I can go pretty much any day if I want just to train and then on the weekends, there are actual classes where you learn skills and stuff." He stole some fries out of Seth's bag, wiggling his leg eagerly. "Her name is Carolyn and we might actually be getting a place in Moline cause her brother is a landlord, so he said he would give her a good rate on a townhome."

"What?" Seth shook his head, mind racing at all the new information. "Are you serious? How long have you known her?"

"I've known her for awhile, but we've only been dating a bit." Brandon shrugged. "She's really cool though, if you wanna come with me to Ace tomorrow, you could probably meet her."

"What's Kendo though?" Seth asked, trying to steer the conversation away from berating Brandon for his impulsive life choices. At the end of the day, he really didn't give a shit what his brother did, but he just wanted him to be happy. 

"It's Japanese sword stuff." Brandon nodded. "Really cool."

Seth doubted it, but let Brandon go on about his hobby at length. Iowa wasn't much to drive through, but he loved looking out the window and seeing all the billboards and businesses that had been around since he was a kid, covered in a small layer of ice and snow. Horses and cows were out in the fields, banding together for warmth. Every now and then, the sun would poke out behind a cloud and everything would be a little brighter.

"Next year, I'm going to try to go to more of those tournaments too. Carolyn has been to a few and they're really fun," Brandon said, turning up the heat on the column. "What about you though? Florida!"

"Florida," Seth agreed, still shivering slightly. "It's… it's been a wild ride..."

When they finally pulled up into Davenport, Seth was grinning from ear to ear. Everything was still lit up for the holidays and the small streets were the same as he'd always remembered them. The Mississippi River was gray and cold, the bridge to Rock Island jutting from the ground and arching high over the landscape. There weren't many people out, cold as it was, but a few people were walking their dogs on the trails by the river. 

"Mom's got the day off, and Dad was supposed to be getting off early or something," Brandon muttered, turning to pull onto the street headed in the direction of their house. "I think she was making a roast or something?"

"Yessss." Seth sighed, sitting back contentedly in his seat and smiling as they passed by their old elementary school. "I miss this place. Orlando's cool, but it's nothing like home."

"At least it's warm." Brandon shrugged. "Fuck, it only just got back up above like  _ ten degrees _ ."

"Everything's a mall down in Orlando though," Seth noted. "It's weird to explain."

They pulled up in the driveway behind Seth's mother's car and he couldn't help laughing, getting out of the car and stretching wide. His body was a little sore from being so cramped up and immobile all day. Even though it was so cold outside, he swore he could smell something vaguely homey about the air.

"I'm HOME!" Seth said dramatically, beating Brandon to the door with his roller bag. Stanley, his mother's little white Havanese immediately ran to the door, barking excitedly as Seth stooped to pet him. 

"Seth!"

Holly, his mother came forward, eyes shining slightly to pull him into a big hug. Seth hugged her back eagerly, restraining himself from lifting her slightly off her toes. 

"Oh! We missed you! Look at you!" She kissed him on the cheek. "You're so… tan!"

"Am I?" He laughed. "I mean, it makes sense..."

The house was about the same as Seth had remembered it. His mother's wicker and dried flowers competing for space with his step-father's football treasures. The house was very warm and Seth could smell food wafting from the kitchen. In the living room, the Christmas tree was still erected, bathing the room with warm light. He and Brandon kicked off their shoes and set them in the mud room while Stanley wagged his tail happily. 

"Your bedroom's all set up and good to go, so make yourself at home sweetheart," Holly instructed, beaming eagerly. "How was the flight? I thought it was a little weird, for whatever reason it was cheaper to fly into Des Moines instead of O'Hare, but then, I figured Chicago traffic is best to avoid anyway…"

"Yeah, no, it was fine," Seth said, not bothering to climb the stairs to set his things down just yet. He came into the kitchen and got a glass of water, pulling down his favored Bears pint glass. He sat carefully, trying not to agitate his scuffed up bottom as he sat in his usual spot at the kitchen table.

"I told Grandpa you were coming and told him I'd ask you when you could come down," she added, shutting the oven and leaning on the counter. "Did you want anything?"

"Oh, no I'll be good for a sec," Seth said, unable to stop grinning. "Yeah, I mean… Jimmy had mentioned something about… hanging out. But I wanna see Grandpa. I don't really care about New Year’s."

"Yeah, and I think he just wanted to do something in the morning, he's not a night owl." She shook her head. "You can take the car if you want, I put a bunch of gas in it. I'm not working tomorrow or the next day."

Brandon came to join them and they sat, talking mostly about what was going on around town and things that had changed since Seth was gone. Apparently the Freight Market was trying to expand its grounds and the city was battling with a group that wanted to install a skatepark in the downtown area. Seth picked up Stanley and settled him on his lap, accepting a beer from his mother and some pita chips with hummus.

"Are we all here now?" Bob came in the back door after pulling into the garage. He stomped his boots on the mat, trying to rid them of snow and water. "Hey there kid!"

"Hey dad." Seth put Stanley down and clapped his step-father on the back. "Good to see ya."

"You too, wow!" Bob laughed, pointing at Seth and staring at his mother. "You didn't tell me he got all hulked out!"

"Well he's been doing that cross training!" Holly laughed. Seth just blushed, very well aware at how tight his pants were fitting nowadays. 

"I have a friend that's a personal trainer," he admitted. "It's a lot of fun actually, I was just looking into doing a triathlon…"

It was a little surreal how everything was so unchanged in the family dynamic. Bob kissed Holly on the cheek and went to go change out of his work clothes while Brandon fiddled with his phone at the kitchen table, piping in when he had something to say. Holly went on and on about her work concerns and Seth listened, smiling as Marshmallow the cat came in and sat in the middle of the floor, staring at him wisely.

By the time they'd all sat down around the dining room table, Seth's mind was awash with memories of living in the house. When he was very small, he'd actually lived on the farm with his mother and Grandpa, but for all of his memorable childhood, Seth had lived under the same roof. He'd built science projects and made bread and cookies around the same table with his mother, and his and Brandon's heights were marked on the doorway leading to the basement. Seth recalled countless times he'd skipped out on doing the dishes in the sink to slink downstairs and play video games, and his step-father called him back up under the pretense of talking about swimming.

"You tired? You're so quiet!" Holly noted, passing Seth the serving tray of meat. "We want to hear all about Christmas and Orlando and everything."

"Yeah, nah I'm fine." Seth shook his head and sank back in his chair. His family watched him carefully and he blushed, picking up a piece of meat to put on his plate. "It's all… it's been really good. I'm really glad I ended up following through with it all."

"Oh!" Holly said, eyes wide. She clearly hadn't been expecting such a summation of his thoughts, but grinned. "That's great dear. I mean, you seemed driven to do it... " She took a sip from her glass. "I'm glad it wasn't a huge bust!"

"Yeah," Seth laughed, mind turning quickly, trying to think of what to say. "It's been awesome really, I've been doing great, been makin' lots of friends at work and I've been able to actually see a lot of the state." He accepted a bowl of mixed vegetables from Brandon. "It seems like White Water actually takes a lot of folks in from different areas, like my personal trainer friend- Cesaro, he's from Switzerland. There's a couple other folks from different countries too, but he's sorta using the pool as this jumping off point to build a PT practice."

"So he got you into the cross training then?" Bob nodded.

"Cross _F_ _ it _ , but yeah," he corrected. "It was really cool, he just invited me as soon as we met. The membership is pricey, but I've gotten to learn how to do a lot of olympic lifts and stuff like that.  _ Super  _ cool. We ran a 5k in like… September or something." 

"He's not the one you spent Christmas with then, was he?" Holly asked curiously. "Because you went out of town for that… out of Orlando, right?"

"Oh, yeah… no." Seth swallowed, thinking hard. "No that was my other friend. My friend Roman and his family…"

Holly's eyes lingered over him for a few moments and Seth sighed. She knew  _ something _ was up, but probably couldn't quite place it. Bob didn't seem to notice, but rather, put his hand over Brandon's as he was texting on his phone, indicating he should observe better manners.

"Yeah, but, I had a really good holidays overall I'd say," Seth said, trying to curve his mother's attention span. "My friends Sasha and Bayley got me the new Madden game. I meant to bring it over, but I honestly haven't had that much time to really dig into it yet..."

"Well there are some things under the tree for you too," his mother said sweetly. "And you got the treats I made?"

"Oh yeah. Those were great."

They continued to chat and finished their food, sitting at the table with drinks long past the time they were done eating. For Seth, it felt amazing. Not only was he around the people he loved, but he could tell he was impressing them thoroughly. When Jimmy had told him about the opportunity to move and he'd presented it as a possible option, his parent's had their reservations. Seth would be using all of his savings to uproot and move somewhere he'd never been- it was, in a lot of ways, immature and dangerous. But after discussing his options, they respected his decision.  

"We'd miss you a lot," Holly had said, laying a hand on his shoulder as he'd sat at the kitchen room table, brooding. _"But if it's what you want dear…"_

To be able to come home and carry that confidence was wonderful. But, of course, Seth couldn't congratulate himself too soon.

"This photo is so funny," Brandon said, holding up his phone and displaying a picture from Facebook. "The one you were talking about, mom?"

Holly turned from doing the dishes. Bob was just about to get up and retreat to the den, but Seth's eyes flashed, seeing the picture that was taken of him, Dean and Roman at Christmas time. 

"Oh…. yes…" Holly was blushing, obviously embarrassed by Brandon's words. Bob hovered awkwardly, wondering what exactly to do with himself as Brandon continued to chuckle, opening his pinched fingers against the glass to zoom in on their awkward faces. 

"I was… well…" Holly continued, laughing nervously. "I thought that was very sweet that your friend's family had brought you to do those photographs."

Bob went to the refrigerator, grunting to move out of his wife's way to grab another beer. He looked at Seth over her shoulder knowingly, offering him a bottle, but Seth shook his head, blushing hard. 

His parent's were too polite to  _ really _ say anything, but the way they were looking was the same way they seemed to twitch any time Seth's sexuality came up. It had angered him relentlessly during his teen years, causing a lot of tension in the lead up to his first time leaving home. To Bob and Holly, being gay wasn't necessarily  _ wrong _ , but it was definitely different, something that was talked about just  _ slightly  _ quieter. Seth wasn't angry about it anymore, but he definitely avoided discussing it, lest he just make himself upset.

Which was why he was tentative to bring the concept of Polyamory into the mix, but Seth sighed, scratching his beard and looking at the table. It was going to come up eventually.

"Yeah, it was actually really cool of them to do that," Seth said softly, plucking the phone out of Brandon's hands sharply and holding it up to show his mother. 

"This guy," he pointed, "That's Roman, so it was his family I was with in Pensacola. And then this guy," he quickly moved over his own sheepish face in the portrait between the men. "That's Dean."

Seth's heart raced fast, and his fingers trembled as his mother took Brandon's phone, peering at it carefully. 

"They're two of my best friends in Orlando and for awhile, we were all sort of seeing each other at once. It was really awkward." He swallowed, voice wavering. "But... we all sort of came together and decided we wanted to… date each other… it's kind of weird… yeah... But other people do it too! So… they're… _ both _ my boyfriends…"

The silence in the room was deafening and Seth didn't dare look at any of the members in his family too quickly. He could feel his mother staring at him, and didn't really sense any anger or frustration, but it was definitely a lot for them to hear all at once.

Though, Seth thought nothing could be worse than when he'd come out to his family initially. There had been a lot of screaming and crying on both ends, but not for any lack of love. 

Seth had been a very emotional teenager, and had spent most of his high school pining after Marek and running himself ragged thinking about what it would mean to be gay. After his mother had found a very ambiguous note that Seth had intended to give to his would-be boyfriend, she'd confronted him, worried he might be taking drugs or suffering unnecessary mental anguish.

"You don't care about me at all!" Seth had screamed, sobbing against the back of his door as his mother tried to turn the handle, desperately attempting to get in. 

"Seth Rollins! Don't you take that tone with me!" she'd shrieked, crying herself. "Why are you acting like this? This isn't the son that I know!"

"Y-you don't know me!" Seth had cried, melodramatic as ever. "Y-you d-don't know how I feel! You don't care! Y-you don't know what this pain feels like!"

"Seth," Holly had tried, twenty minutes later, jiggling the handle. "Seth, if you're hurting yourself… if you're doing illegal-"

"It's not that!" Seth screamed, punching his wall and breaking into fresh tears, shrieking. Even then, he'd known he was acting horribly to his mother, but he'd just been so confused and exasperated, he didn't know what to do. "You don't pay attention to me! You don't know!"

It wasn't until Bob had threatened to pull the door off it's hinges that Seth had climbed out onto the roof and sat until his step-father raised a ladder and came to sit with him. After about a half hour, he convinced him to come down.

"Your mother cares about you a lot," he said, staring out at the sky. "I do too, and I know Brandon does, even though he's a little strange about showing it. You know we're not going to stop loving you, so why don't you come down and talk to us, okay?"

Exhausted and starving, Seth agreed to come down the ladder, meeting his mother in the yard and accepting a hug.

"'M gay," Seth had choked into her shoulder. "I don't like girls mom, I'm gay."

"We love you," she'd said immediately, kissing his forehead. Seth still got chills thinking about it. "We love you, it's  _ fine _ ."

Now, Seth just swallowed hard, peering curiously up into his mother's face. She was squinting slightly, trying to put what he was saying together. Clearly she hadn't anticipated this option.

"We haven't… we've been dating for a little over a month now, it's really new," he continued, trying to keep his voice strong. "I know it's weird, I dunno if I'd be doing something like this if it wasn't for them, but it's been really great thus far and both of them have helped me a lot."

"So how does that  _ work _ ?" Bob said, sitting back in his chair and looking to Seth with the same sort of perplexed energy. "Seems complicated. You don't think anybody'll get jealous?"

"N-no," Seth said, exhaling hard and leaning into the table. Holly set the phone down, handing it back to Brandon. "It's hard to describe, I think, maybe sometimes I feel insecure, but then I just remind myself that's my own problem... None of us have ever been in a relationship like this before, so we're kind of… learning how to do it."

"Do you know other people that are-" Holly faltered, clearly at a loss for the right words. "...Doing this?"

"Not really." Seth shrugged. "I read about it on the internet. It's like I said, I dunno if it would work the same way with anyone else." 

He scratched his nose, really unaware of how to explain it other than to just get into it. Stanley came trotting back into the room and put his paw on Seth's leg. He hoisted the dog into his lap again and began to pet him as Holly sat back down in her chair, mystified.

"I got to know Dean first. He's one of the swimming teachers at White Water and he taught me how to do lessons. Then a little later on, I became friends with Roman because he was already pretty good friends with Dean. But we were all sort of… hanging out a lot and getting close and around Thanksgiving I found out about Polyamory, which is like, dating more than one person." Seth's mouth twitched, skirting over as much of the awkwardness that he could. "Dean was kind of hesitant at first, he's pretty eccentric- I think some people don't like him because they think he's weird or mean or something, but he just doesn't really care about what people think. He used to live in Ohio and had a kind of hard start to life, but he's a really sweet guy and…" Seth blushed, "... for Christmas, he knit me this really nice scarf."

Bob and Holly nodded and Brandon blinked, looking out of place with all the raw emotion flying in the air. Seth laughed, rubbing his hands and imagining his boyfriend's face as he went through describing him. In his own head, he could hear Dean cheering for himself, being exuberant and obnoxious, probably clapping Seth on the back.

"Roman's like, the sweetest guy you could ever meet," Seth explained, nodding to his mother especially. "He just got out of a long term relationship too, so he… he gave me a lot of really great advice and made me feel a lot better about opening up to people again, uh…" Seth sighed, trying not to tear up. "Yeah, well, anyways, he's got a really big family and he's really  _ loving _ … He's always making us nice dinners and yeah… well… he invited us to go to Christmas with him."

He finished awkwardly, picking at the spot on his neck where Roman had marked him up, hoping that his beard was satisfactory camouflage. Holly sighed, nodding and cleared her throat, thinking hard. 

"Do you think it'll  _ last _ ?" she asked, her voice almost squeaking. "Is this something that… is it just for fun? Or are you boys really serious?"

"I… I'm not really sure," Seth settled, "I think we're probably more serious than not, but we don't- There isn't really an  _ end-game _ , honestly. But then, I don't think anyone knows, you know? I think we have our good intentions. I really do love them, if that's what you mean."

Seth's heart was still beating up a storm, but his family didn't really offer much in the way of excitement or annoyance. Holly looked to Bob, who just shrugged lamely. Brandon was biting his nails and staring at the table.

"Well, so long as you're happy I guess," Bob said, raising his bottle and nodding to his step-son. "That's what matters."

"Y-yeah," Seth laughed, some ten tons of weight being pried off his chest. "T-thanks guys… whooo…"

"We aren't  _ mad _ ." Holly chuckled, standing up to rub his shoulder. "I was just talking to Bob and Brandon about it because I saw the photo on Facebook." She continued to rub his shoulder. "I remember seeing- the blonde one-"

"Dean."

"Yes, Dean, I remember seeing him when we tried to call you at Christmas, so… well… I just wondered… I didn't want to  _ pressure _ you in any way sweetheart, I just wonder is all…"

"N-no, no it's fine." Seth rubbed his face, still laughing nervously. "I'm sorry, I would have told you earlier too. Roman told his family though and they weren't super excited about it, so… yeah… I just…"

"Well, no pressure," Holly reiterated. "You take your time and you do what you gotta do."

Seth was reminded yet again that his family was amazing. Holly hugged him, just for good measure and Bob clapped him on the back as they shuffled into the living room to exchange a few gifts. Brandon, awkward as he was, mumbled a sort of jumbled congratulations, half apologetic for dragging it out. He’d known that he wouldn’t be made to endure the sort of abuse that Roman had been subjected to, but Seth had still been afraid. 

It wasn’t a big, happy celebration of his new love, but just the fact that his family trusted his judgement, even after his life had taken such a crazy set of turns, warmed him down to his fingertips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just your average Midwestern family! 
> 
> I feel personally icky writing a Seth with a wobbly knee and then watching him tear his MCL again. The soul aches. 
> 
> Next time: the trip to the farm! Family secrets revealed! Major plot points established! Oh whoa whaaa
> 
> Thanks to Kenjideath for the beta <3


	81. Next Generation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth wades through a myriad of responsibilities. Family ties run deeper than we sometimes think.

"So… what's the difference between a copay and a deductible?"

"Deductibles are for specific claims, your copay is your copay."

Seth sat at the kitchen table, blinking sleepily over the stack of papers his parents had procured for him. Roused earlier than he'd liked to have been, his mother insisted that they sort out his health insurance before he and Brandon left for their grandfather's farm. He wished he knew all of the vocabulary for this sort of thing, he  _ was  _ an adult. 

"Okay, but… how much do I need to  _ pay _ ?" Seth yawned, rubbing his face. Bob sighed, leaning in and pointing down a row of itemizations.

"Depends on the plan you want to pick," he said sternly. "You'd start here, and then depending on your coverage, you'd add these up. These other numbers- these are just... contingent upon hypotheticals. Most of 'em, unless you're going over a thousand bucks, you'll go  _ out _ of pocket. Then these percentages-" Bob traced a line down another paper and Seth squinted. "Are for totaling up the amount you'd be assisted with, on the insurer's end."

Seth grunted, taking a big sip of coffee and pulling the paper closer to his face to see. He doubted he'd be able to make headway of the forms even if he was a little more alert. Holly was doing the breakfast dishes and humming along to the radio, while Stanley was chewing on a rawhide by the back door.

The news of his two-boyfriend situation had blown over so smoothly that Seth wondered if he hadn't dreamt up explaining it to his family. He'd sat around the Christmas tree and his parents had given him a warm Bears beanie and thick, fleecy sweatpants, and he felt completely overwhelmed by the gracious love he was a part of. When he went to hug Bob and Holly goodnight, Seth held them a little longer than he normally would have, past able to explain how appreciative he was.

But, of course, they were  _ still  _ his parents. Annoyingly concerned over his well being.

"I don't think I can pay  _ any _ of this," Seth said seriously, sinking in his chair and groaning. "Not like… with my job…" He set the papers down, scratching his forehead. "Even the cheapest plan is still like, way too much money for me to think about."

"Well, you can't just  _ not  _ be insured," Bob said sternly.

"That's what we've been paying since you've been on  _ our  _ plan," his mom piped up from the sink.

"Yeah! And I know..." Seth grunted, sitting up. "It's not like I don't think I  _ need _ it, but maybe I need to… get different coverage or something, I dunno."

"Well, we need to get you started ASAP," Holly said, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "There's the whole tax penalty thing, but if you get hit by a car or something-"

"I know!" Seth snapped, turning in his chair. "I'm getting older, I'm not a baby. My freakin' knee's all buggy lately. I don't want to  _ not _ be able to see a doc if I have to."

"What's wrong with your knee?" she asked, her forehead tightening, her features seemed to lengthen, going into full mom-alert. He exhaled hard, trying desperately to avoid a bullshit argument. 

"Hey, dad." Brandon trotted into the kitchen, his fingers pointing to Bob. "Can I borrow your snowmobiling jacket? I think I lost mine and I wanted to mess around with Grandpa's Yamaha today."

"What do you mean you  _ lost _ yours?"

Bob got up to look in the basement with Brandon and Seth used the opportunity to steal another cup of coffee from the carafe, blinking hard. Holly regarded him carefully, her arms crossed.

"You never used to drink so much coffee," she observed, watching him empty the container. "Is everything okay with your leg? Just the same strain as before?"

"Something like that," Seth sighed, tapping his knee covered by sweatpants. "Just annoyin' is all. I'm fine really, but I  _ know _ I need health insurance. Maybe just not… the ones you guys get through dad's job…"

"Doesn't White Water offer you any insurance?" Holly asked squinting. "I thought… with the new laws and all…"

"They probably do." Seth shrugged. He felt stupid. Somewhere in his apartment in Orlando, he had all this information in a folder, untouched and unread. But Seth had a feeling that even his own work insurance might be a little too pricey. Lifeguards weren't swimming in dough, and with the holidays and traveling wreaking havoc on his bank account, the corners of his mouth twitched. 

Seth didn't want to tell his mother he was poor after sounding so impressive the night before. He didn't want to sound as though he was asking for money, either. 

"I'll figure it out when I get home, okay?" he offered, looking to her seriously. "I'm not tryin' to put it off, but I'll look into what my job's got and maybe even the state." Holly frowned, but he continued. "I'll call you, yeah? If I have any issues filling it out? I'll let you know what I'm thinking."

It was a good enough answer to put aside all the tedious forms and disclaimers. Brandon remerged with his own jacket, apparently dusty and dingy from being left in a corner of a closet. With a full tank of gas, Seth elected to drive the car his mother had provided. 

"Brandon, can you ask Grandpa about next weekend?" Holly asked, seeing them off as they walked down the front walk, pulling their coats a little tighter in the cold. "We hadn't settled on a time for me to come over yet… he's bad about checking his phone."

"Sure sure!" Brandon chirped. Seth tied the scarf Dean had made him more securely to his neck and sunk into the driver's seat, putting the keys into the ignition. It was a sunny day, but very cold. Even with gloves on, his fingers had begun to chill down to the knuckle. 

Driving to Buffalo was scenic and relaxing, but Seth hadn't always enjoyed trekking out East to see his extended family. When he was a kid, he was always forced up early on Sunday to drive out to go to church and then brunch with his grandparents. Now emancipated from the activity, Seth enjoyed being able to pass by the familiar farms and little buildings that lined the long, narrow westbound road.

"After this, I thought we could go to Ace." Brandon nodded hopefully, turning up the radio station and humming along to the song. "Then you can get me  _ my  _ Christmas gift."

Seth sighed, turning the radio down again. Ace was the local comic and gaming store that Brandon frequented. After giving Bob and Holly the Macy's gift card the night before, his brother had whined for the rest of the evening, insisting on some sort of present. Seth was far too proud to explain to any of them he'd gotten the card from Roman's family and re-gifted it, and so he'd rolled his eyes and muttered some promise about making it up to him. 

"Not like you got  _ me _ anything," Seth said back. "I'll take you though, I dunno what I've got going on tonight. Don't you have any New Year's plans?"

"Me and Carolyn were going to go to a barcade in Moline," Brandon said, his smile curling smugly. "It's a pretty cool place and Jesse and Dylan were going to come too. They've got Mario Kart and Pinball… Cool stuff. If you wanted to come, it'll be no sweat!"

"Mm-maybe…" Seth adjusted his hand on the steering wheel. Jimmy was still bugging him to get a ticket to the gig that was going on that night in Davenport. Seth had been laying in his old bed, texting his boyfriends right before he was about to go to sleep when he'd gotten the message.

**In town yet??**

Seth had paused, flicking the message away to finish texting **_Love u both gnight_** to his group chat with Roman and Dean. After a few moments hesitation, Seth opened the message, choosing his words carefully.

**Yea but Im reallllllllllly poor so I dunno how smart it would be for me to go out tmorro**

**I got an extra ticket if u need it**

Then,

**I was thinkin of reselling it but if ur rly fucked for cash ill just give it 2 u**

**LATE XMAS GIFT**

Seth frowned, running a hand through his hair and staring at the familiar ceiling. He really didn't have much of anything better to do. His parents would probably talk about staying up and watching the usual New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square on TV, then sleepily walk to their bedroom at ten o'clock.

"I'll see," Seth settled, shooting Brandon a sideways glance and spitting out the same excuse. "I'm poor as hell right now. I don't got quarters to be throwing into pinball machines."

They pulled up to the farm, rolling up the long driveway to park in a cleared area by the tack shed. The snow had fallen thick across the field, obscuring some of the low fencing. A Yamaha snowmobile was covered by a tarp and Brandon went over to it eagerly, tossing the covering off. Seth got out and looked around, stuffing his hands inside his pockets. 

Everything was quiet in the way that winter usually was, but Seth felt a slight maudlin pain in his chest at the echoing caw of the crows in the trees. The fenced in corral and fields on both sides were completely empty and untouched, and the old water trough was full of ice and cracking at the bottom. If it wasn't for the thin trails of smoke coming from the chimney of the farmhouse, any passersby would probably assume the farm was abandoned. 

Around the time Seth was eight or nine, the farm was at it's height of functionality and he actually loved coming to visit because he got to play with all the animals. At that time, his grandfather owned a few dairy cows, and some horses and chickens, which grew Seth's enthusiasm for playing outside. Inside the farmhouse, hung on the wall in the dining room, were a few pictures of Seth as a toddler, sitting on his grandmother's lap as she tended to their fields on a tractor. 

Now, the plot wasn't so much a farm as it was just  _ land _ . Since Seth’s grandmother's passing, Donald Rollins had sold all of his animals and stopped growing corn and soy. Old and retired, he relied on Mick, his longtime assistant and maintenance man, who still came through on occasion to make sure everything was going alright. But other than that, Sammy the farm dog was his only real day-to-day companion.

Or, at least Seth thought. Sammy usually came bounding out the dog door to see them, even in the winter time. Seth frowned, looking over to Brandon.

"Too cold for Sammy you think?" he chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he walked to the back porch. Brandon turned his head, smile fading.

"Sammy died," he said bluntly. "Just before Thanksgiving."

"What?" Seth's shoulder's slumped, mouth hanging open. "How?!"

"She was like, twenty," Brandon laughed. "Did Mom not tell you?"

"No!"

"Well, it happened." Brandon shrugged. "Mom told me, she came down and didn't see Sammy at all. She said Grandpa said he found her out in the barn and was sorta hiding away, but I guess she was actually dead…" Brandon tilted his head as if to say  _ that's how it goes…  _ "He buried her in the field I think."

"Sammy…" Seth said sadly, looking around distressed. The back door opened before he could make it up the porch and his grandfather stood, jacket on, and a cup of coffee in his hands. 

"Seth! Kiddo!" 

"Grandpa, is Sammy  _ really _ gone?"

Don smiled sadly, slowly making his way down the icy steps and holding tight to the railing. When he reached the bottom he pulled Seth into a hug, squeezing him tight. 

"It's good to see you again…"

They went inside and Seth took off his shoes, watching his grandfather ease his way up the few steps that led into the kitchen. The house was fairly chilled and he noticed that the usual clutter and random pieces of farm equipment that surrounded the door looked as though they had been picked up. Other than his grandfather's work boots and slip on shoes, everything was clean and barren in comparison to a few years ago.

"It was a shame you didn't get to come down earlier, it was actually warmer then," Don sighed, trotting around the kitchen as Seth came into the room, rubbing his rosy cheeks. "Sammy would've been really stiff if she was still around… she had a really hard time of'it last winter…"

"It's just… it was  _ Sammy _ ," Seth said sadly, slumping down at the kitchen table. "But… how are you doing, Grandpa? Good?"

"Hangin' in there." Don smiled, laying a hand on the counter top and picking up his coffee mug to take a sip. "It's been a rough year, probably good that it's wrappin' up. Been sick so much the last few months… Been a little unfair to Mick, askin' him to do so much."

"That's no good." Seth frowned. It had been a little while now since he'd seen Don- even when he was living in Davenport, he only saw his grandfather a few times a month. His mom always bugged him to tag along for brunch, but when he was working at the community center, he was guarding most Sunday mornings. Don's hair was less silver and more white these days, his face lined and greying from age and working hard for so many years. The man was still sharp as ever, his eyes smiling and wise, but his fingers trembled slightly and his throat croaked to cough.

"Is there gas in the snowmobile?" Brandon cut in awkwardly, drumming his fingers on the table. "I was tryin' to take that out for a spin."

"Yeah, there should be." Don nodded, patting his pocket for his keys. He went to the miscellaneous drawer by the pantry and dug through it, tossing Brandon the keyfob. "Let me know how it runs- I'm serious about puttin' that thing in the paper for sale."

"I wanna buy it!" Brandon's brows knitted together. "Give me the friend's price!"

"We'll see kid, y'aint got no where to put it!" Don laughed. Brandon shrugged, hopping back down the step and scurrying outside.

"...New year though," Seth said, nodding to his grandfather as though Brandon hadn't interrupted them. "Maybe… you could get a new farm dog!"

Don just chuckled, offering Seth a cup of coffee before sitting down himself. Outside, they could hear Brandon fussing with the Yamaha, but everything else was muted and quiet.

"Nobody can replace ol' Samster," Don said quietly. "She had a good run, she was a good dog."

"No doubt," Seth said, "Well, I guess it'll be a nice change… not finding dead ticks around the house…"

"Gettin' too old to be chasing after dogs anyway." Don shrugged. "But tell me all about Orlando! You're lookin' like you've been doing real well!"

Seth smiled and cleared his throat, wondering where to begin. Since he'd come of age, he was never quite sure what to say to his grandfather- always slightly on edge about possibly offending an older set of sensibilities. But Don and his grandmother Sherry had been a large part of his childhood before Seth's mother remarried, and they'd always been very loving and supportive people. 

For the better part of an hour, Seth talked about moving out of state and the little differences between Iowa and Florida he hadn't anticipated. Hurricanes and humidity were only slightly more interesting than regular small talk, but Seth didn't really know what his grandfather wanted to hear. Discussing lifeguarding wasn't very exciting, but his love life was so impossibly complicated, Seth didn't know where to begin.

Don knew he was gay and had met Marek several times when they were together, but it had only been a topic of conversation once or twice when Seth was younger.

"You and your boyfriend gonna get matching tuxedos for prom?" Don had asked Seth once during a usual brunch outing after church. At eighteen years old, he'd been a little more confident about being gay, but the question still threw him off guard.

"That would be  _ adorable _ ," Sherry had agreed, nodding to Seth. "Have you thought about that?"

"N-no," Seth mumbled, picking at his bacon. "We're going… but we didn't talk about suits and stuff…"

A week before the prom, Sherry and Don actually drove the boys to the mall to look at suit rentals, determined to be supportive of the boys. Seth had just finished having a huge argument with his parents about how he didn't want to dress up at all and they ought to leave them alone, but Marek piped up with a reminder concerning the event.

"It says formal on this though," he said, showing Seth a piece of paper that had been distributed to the student body concerning the dance. "So… they probably aren't gonna let us wear drainpipes and t-shirts."

"This is so  _ bullshit _ ," Seth scoffed, slamming his door despite his parents rules about keeping it open when Marek over. He sunk down on the bed and leaned into his boyfriend awkwardly. "Do you even want to go to this thing? It's going to be so  _ stupid _ ."

"I want to go!" Marek said, voice pitching up. "I already told my family!"

And so Seth and Marek were at Men's Warehouse, being measured and fitted for three pieces with Seth's grandparents. Sherry and Marek were ecstatic, pulling down different styles and colors of vests while Seth sat, brooding.

"Seems like he wants it more than you do!" Don chuckled, easing down to sit on the bench. "That's being a good boyfriend though."

"The school's  _ forcing _ us," Seth griped. "I'd rather we just wear what we want, then you guys wouldn't have to pay for this."

"Oh, we  _ want _ to," Don assured him. "You didn't get all fancy for Junior Prom, so ya' gotta do this once in awhile. Plus it's your only chance, ya know?"

Marek emerged from the changing room wearing a pink cummerbund and vest. Seth's head perked up, grinning.

_ "That's a nice fit!" _

Don and Sherry had been more comfortable with Seth's sexuality than probably anyone else in his family, which, considering their ages, had been pretty remarkable. The portrait shots of their Senior Prom night hung on Don's fridge among the rest of the family's photos and Seth wasn't really sure what he was afraid of.

"It's not the Quad Cities, but I'm making a home there," he said finally, shrugging a little. Don nodded, setting down his mug and smiling wide.

"I'm just so proud of you Seth," he said. "I  _ mean _ it, you're a real good kid."

It was sincere and sweet and caught him off guard, but Seth blushed, grinning back.

"Thanks Grandpa," he said. "That means a lot."

"It's no real surprise, your mom did such a bang up job with you," Don continued, sitting back in his chair and staring fondly at his grandson. "I'm just so happy I been able to see you kids grow up and follow your goals. You gotta lot of guts moving away and trying to start from scratch, but I told your mom, I told her- she was freakin' out the same when you were leaving to work at that camp, right? It's just that you're growin' up and leaving home. Everyone's got to do it, and since you never left to go to college or nothin, it just made sense..."

"Oh!" Seth chuckled. "Well… yeah… thanks…"

"You think you wanna stay there for a long time?" Don asked, clearing his throat. Seth blinked, rolling his lips.

"I dunno, maybe?" he sighed. "It's a lot to think about. I feel like I should probably get a better job or something. It's more expensive living there than here…" Seth drew a finger down the wood grain of the table, feeling foolish. "Iowa is my home at the end of the day, I feel like once I settle down, I'd want to be here, but, you never know? Ya' know?"

"Of course." 

It was quiet for a moment and Seth peered around the kitchen, examining the old shelves and drawers, worn down from generations of family members. He didn't know how long a Rollins had lived there, but he did know his great-grandfather had put many additions on the house. The stove was an old gas model with pilot lights, and the sink was a porcelain basin with light water pressure. His grandfather still proudly talked about digging the well that serviced the property. 

"Well," Don said, coughing lightly into his elbow, "Lately, your Ma' and Mick have been helping me get the house cleaned out. We've been going through a lot of old junk from the barn, but even up 'n the attic and stuff." He coughed harder and Seth's mouth twitched. "Since your grandmother passed, it's been a lot of work keeping everything going around here, and… well… it was a hard time of course… Sherry had a lot of things, but nothin' that would have made up a good estate sale…"

"Yeah…" Seth muttered, not really sure what his grandfather was saying, but listening carefully anyway.

"Well, we got most of the barn cleaned up- it's probably going to need a lot of work, but the old junk that doesn't work anymore, we got to scrapping. Your mom didn't think we'd get much for it, but I told her-" Don grinned, nodding to Seth. "Well, in raw material at least, it went good."

"Oh... Good!"

"Plus your cousins have come by and grabbed a few of their things. I didn't really have much of your's or your Mom's things though, since you guys all took 'em when you moved into the house in Davenport, but… well…" Don sighed again, looking thoughtful. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things, about… the house and all."

Seth frowned, his eyes darting. Don looked at him seriously, rubbing his hands together.

"Your Mom, she thinks I ought to sell this place and maybe move to Davenport, but I don't want to do that," he said carefully. "I don't think I'm that out of it yet- and I know that if I was to be with her, I dunno if I'd know what to do with myself other than just sit around all day. But more importantly, I don't wanna just give this house and this land up-"

"No way." Seth shook his head. "You gotta stay here!"

"That's what I'm sayin'." Don smirked. "This house is our house, it's  _ been _ our house."

"For sure," Seth said, arms folded, "Do you need help or something? I bet you could get like… like a nurse out here, couldn't ya? You don't belong in a  _ home  _ or nothing." 

"Maybe." Don frowned. "I'm not against that, but…" He opened and closed his mouth, trying to find the right words. "It's more about… keeping our place. I know it's just a house… just land... "

"Screw that! I grew up here!" Seth laughed nervously. "Seriously though? You're not going to sell this place, are you?"

"I certainly don't want to. But… we have to live in reality... " Don laughed, but drank from his mug again, peering at Seth carefully. "I've been holdin' off on fixing this place up 'cause… I don't know how much longer I'll be able to stay here… and I don't know what should become of this place or if it really matters… in the grand scheme of everything."

Seth's eyes widened, but Don continued.

"What I'd like to do though, is leave this place to  _ you _ ," he said firmly. "You'd get… you'd get your inheritance an' with that, you could figure out what you'd want to do with this place. I figure... I figure it's the least I can do… all of you young people are in so much debt and can't even get a house it seems… but if you don't want that-"

"Grandpa, you're going to be here awhile longer!" Seth laughed nervously again, shaking his head. "You don't have to get all stressed out about this!"

"What's stressin' me out is  _ not _ thinkin' about it," Don said sincerely. Seth stopped laughing. "Your grandma died and we didn't have anything sorted out… it's been a big hassle. It might seem strange, but I feel like I'd sleep easier knowing that when I'm gone, you and your mother and Brandon aren't going to have to sort through too many things."

"Yeah… but…" Seth shook his head, feeling a little dizzy. "Well… it's just a lot to think about…. I think… I mean, of  _ course  _ I would take the house… but…"

A smile fluttered across Don's face, but Seth had no idea how he was supposed to say. 

"It's a lot to think about…"

"It is," Don agreed, and he stretched his hand out across the table, patting Seth's. "I don't want you to get anxious about it, but I just want you… to think. If you're happy down in Orlando and you like your job or you find a new one or what have you… I don't want to tear you away from that. You need to live your life and your own dream."

Seth nodded, rubbing his forehead.

"I just want to give you and your brother some choices, that's all. Your cousins too. I don't want to sound like I'm playing favorites or anything..." Don sighed, glancing out the window where Brandon had been running the snowmobile. "But I think part of me would… would feel a lot better about you bein' here, so… in case somethin' happens to your mother…"

"Well, that’s-" Seth choked, shaking his head. "Grandpa, you're  _ okay _ . Brandon's not an invalid."

They both laughed darkly and were quiet again. Seth didn't want to seem at all ungrateful for the possibility of inheriting the property, but the concept was just so ludicrous he couldn't wrap his brain around it. His grandmother had passed very quickly once she'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but Don, however old and a little slow, was managing alright. 

It was difficult seeing the place Seth was partially raised in become so changed and lifeless. He definitely hadn't expected this sort of conversation to pop up.

"I don't want you-" Don straightened in his chair and licked his lips, thinking. He looked at Seth and then looked away again, knitting his fingers together.

"What?"

"By me extending this to you-" Don began again. "I don't want you to feel limited or nothin' in what you make this place. So…" He cleared his throat hard. "So if you have someone you want to bring, I mean, I dunno if I've ever said it, but I don't care that you're gay-"

"Mmng-oh…" Seth mumbled. "Yeah, uh…"

"I never told you..." Don said, and Seth looked up, his heart beating fast. His grandfather had tears in his eyes. "But… I always wanted you to be  _ yourself _ … back when I was growin' up, we didn't talk about these things and  _ so _ …"

Don wiped his eyes, coughing again. Seth sat, awestruck. 

"Things are  _ better  _ now- better than I ever could have hoped for… thought possible for myself..." he settled, quickly grabbing a napkin from the napkin holder on the table and blowing his nose. "If you love someone, they're  _ family _ ."

Wordlessly, Seth rose to his feet, his knees shaking as he walked to where his grandfather sat and leaned in. The implications of the outburst shocked him- it was an impossible feeling, a sort of might that humbled him to his core. His own eyes were wet as his grandfather held him tight, breathing steadily, murmuring "I love you," into his ear.

" _ Grandpa _ ," Seth sniffed, "I love you too,"

"I'm sorry, it's a lot to… think about," Don muttered, dabbing at his eyes as they pulled apart. Seth blinked fast, trying to breathe in. "You just do what you need to do... don't worry about it, kid."

It was difficult to recover quickly from such an emotional moment and Seth sat, in a daze, his mind burning with a million questions that were too inappropriate to ask. Never in his life had he imagined his grandfather to be such a complicated individual with a lived history that was beyond his own comprehension. Don had simply been  _ Grandpa _ , with the farm and the chickens and horses. 

And to some extent, Seth had turned his nose up at that. Settling down and having a family was always something he thought he'd do, but only when he was too bored and old to think of anything else. Flighty and indecisive, he'd always imagined he was sort of exempt from that, because he was gay.

Whatever his grandfather was- whatever had transpired in his life, Seth's heart was overflowing with a newfound respect for the man.

Footsteps could be heard from the stairs and Brandon came in the front door, tracking snow up the top step.

"It ran out of gas in the field," he said, wiping his nose. "You don't think we can tow it in with the truck, can we?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good old family business.
> 
> Happy Valentines Day everyone! I hope you're all well. I'm very busy again! I wish I could update more, but I'm really working hard to finish my last semester of college. If you enjoyed this, let me know. There should be 1-2 more chapters of Iowa stuff before Seth returns to Orlando. 
> 
> Next chapter, New Years Eve! Will Seth go out with Jimmy? What are Dean and Roman doing in Orlando? Will Brandon ever not be weird?
> 
> <3


	82. Desperate Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth's New Years Eve celebrations. What are Roman and Dean doing?
> 
> This chapter has a song in it! If you want to listen while you read and get the FULL EFFECT: Copy in this link and start it when it makes sense. For an angsty pop punk song, it's actually pretty good!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Z3IQqKbdQ
> 
> Warnings for sexual coercion at the end!

Jimmy Jacobs was about a head shorter than Seth, but his personality and presence made him larger than life. When they had first met, Jimmy's casual makeup and accessorizing had immediately given them something to connect over, as Seth, at the tender age of eighteen, more or less assumed he was gay and looked up to him for it.

"I PREFER girls," Jimmy had scoffed, when Seth had caught him after lifeguard training and had tried to awkwardly introduce the possibility of some sort of alliance. Marek was the only other gay person Seth had known in his whole school, and since they were dating, he felt it didn't really count.

"So you're… bi?" Seth had mumbled, raising an eyebrow. He felt really stupid. Jimmy was a few years older, but was already living on his own and seemed much more mature.

"I'm PAN," he snapped. "I don't really  _ see _ gender, but guys are always really weird and rude, you know?"

Seth didn't  _ really _ know, but he did know that he and Jimmy loved the same music and knew all the best places around town to see shows. They were both angsty, eager, and quick to become friends. Jimmy gave Seth lots of life advice, and on more than one occasion, had told Seth he was going to 'steal' him away from Marek one day.

Nearly ten years had passed and Seth wasn't really sure Jimmy had changed much at all. He'd been promoted quite a few times and effectively ran the Davenport Community Center pool, but on the weekends, he was still getting shit wasted and going to grungy little hardcore shows around town. He complained a lot, was grouchy and negative about his job and the state of the world in general, but Seth didn't mind; it was just how Jimmy was.

But then, after such an emotional day of talking with his grandfather and waking up so early, Seth wondered if going out with his old friend was actually a good idea. 

"Brandon still at the shop?" Holly asked as Seth came in the front door and proceeded to walk up the stairs to go change and charge his phone. He'd left Brandon at the comic book store to hang out with his girlfriend. Seth paused, taking a few steps down and peering at his mother thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I was going to chill for a sec and then maybe go out to a show with Jimmy," he explained. "The farm was good… I talked to Grandpa for a little bit…"

"Yeah?" Holly said, licking her lips.

"We talked about… farm stuff…" Seth said, nodding. "I dunno… It was…"

The question burning on his tongue was something like  _ Mom, did Grandpa ever tell you he was gay? _ But Seth didn't have the courage to ask. It was so strange, so random, Seth had no idea how his mother would handle it. Holly set down her laundry basket and walked closer to the railing, looking serious.

"You don't need to worry about that right now, okay?" she offered, sticking her hand through the bannister railing and tapping his shoe. "Grandpa hasn't been doing very well, but we've been keeping an eye on him and I'm trying to see if he won't move up here. Nothing's final yet- I don't think he knows exactly what he wants even…"

"We can't sell the farm, Mom."

"We don't  _ want _ to," Holly sighed, "but we gotta do what we gotta do, okay?"

"Well… we don't have to do that." Seth shook his head, determined. "That place is too important to me to-"

" _ I  _ grew up there, you don't think I know?" she laughed. "You  _ barely _ did! I don't want to sell it off, but we're not farmers, Seth." 

"Well." He blushed, thinking quickly. "I… I could go back to school! I know there's places around here that do agriculture-"

"Look, sweetheart, don't worry about it, alright?" Holly chuckled, rubbing his foot. "We wouldn't do anything without telling you. There's a lot of things that could happen between now and… well.. when we  _ need _ to make those decisions, but nothing's going to be sorted tomorrow, it's the holidays anyway! You shouldn't be worrying about anything."

"Says you!" Seth smirked. "Miss  _ sign up for health insurance at 8 AM _ !" 

Holly sighed, rolling her eyes and picking up her laundry basket. Seth smiled wider.

"Go ahead and take the car tonight, just be safe of course," she grunted as she walked into the living room. "Wouldn't want you to get in a CAR ACCIDENT."

"Love ya mom!" Seth laughed, "Don't worry, I didn't want to do too much anyway!"

He plugged in his phone and sat down on his old bed, staring at the ceiling and thinking. It wasn't as though Seth thought he would really _ do  _ anything with Jimmy- he wasn't really attracted to him, but he was just tired. An ebbing feeling of loneliness began to creep over him as he could hear Bob watching ESPN downstairs, mumbling something to his wife. Dean and Roman hadn't texted him all day.

**Its cold here** Seth texted to their group conversation, having to scoot a little closer to the wall to make use of his phone  **u guys going out tonight?**

There wasn't much of a reply for nearly fifteen minutes and Seth felt as though he might nod off before Roman responded.

**nope its lowkey, how is iowa**

**Good!!!** Seth typed  **I told my family about us and they didnt even care!!! Tonight im going out with an old friend to a show**

**Nice :)**

Seth wondered if Dean was around, perhaps looking over Roman's shoulder and mumbling his own responses, too lazy to draw out his own phone. He could imagine them clearly, perhaps just getting off work, or sitting in Roman's living room, playing video games or watching TV.

**Miss u guys a lot** Seth responded  **do u think someone can pick me up tomorrow? I get in around 8**

But then, his phone began to ring and Seth frowned, glancing to the top of the screen. Jimmy was calling him. 

"Hey?" Seth pulled the receiver to his ear. "What's up?"

"You comin' tonight man? I was gonna sell that ticket to Trenty's girlfriend if you weren't gonna show."

"Let's say I'll come." Seth straightened up, sighing as he heard Jimmy whooping over the phone. "But I don't wanna go nuts, okay? I don't have a lot of cash to throw around."

"Don't worry about it! We can pregame at my place and just walk to the bar. Come over as soon as you want!"

"Okay," Seth chuckled. "I'll be over in a bit."

He got ready, tossing his phone back down on the bed and sliding into a well fitting black t-shirt he could wear under his sweater. His hair was fluffy and frizzy, so Seth just tied it back, not trying to look particularly attractive.

**Text me tomorrow and I'll grab ya** Roman had messaged back in the meantime. Seth grinned, feeling a little re-energized.

It was the last day of December and so much had changed since he'd celebrated his last New Year’s. Three hundred and sixty-five days ago, he and Marek had just stayed at home and ordered pizzas. Seth remembered because Marek had complained throughout the night about how they hadn't gone out, but when Seth had asked him what he'd wanted to do, Marek just blushed and couldn't come up with anything. They played video games until midnight and Marek insisted on a kiss.

"Hurry up! I gotta get up early! You know!" he whined, leaning in while Seth playfully jerked his head back, laughing.

"C'mon, it doesn't even matter!" Seth teased, snorting and laying back. He closed his eyes, expecting Marek to lean in and steal one off his lips, but when he opened them, his boyfriend had just gotten up and huffed into the other room, angrily. 

The clock read 12:02 and Seth had sighed, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do. Marek had always cared about those sorts of things more, was always quick to call him insensitive for not noticing. Seth had just thought he was a little whiny and obnoxious about it, but thinking back on it stung a little.

"I'm gonna go!" Seth called, coming to the lower landing of the stairs and sliding his shoes back on. "Happy New Year’s!"

"Happy New Year’s!" his parents called from the living room. "Be safe!"

He drove to Jimmy's house in a sort of quiet daze. For the first time in a long time, Seth felt quite proud of himself, thinking how much he'd changed and evolved over the course of the year. It was a funny thing to think about, since Jimmy himself had been the one to propose Seth could try working at an out-of-state facility. If it hadn't been for their friendship, Seth would probably still be single and floating around Davenport. 

He parked a little up the street under a small tree, putting the emergency break up as the streets were fairly icy. Seth grabbed his phone and texted Jimmy he was coming before walking carefully down the sidewalk to the little apartment building.

Jimmy had lived there as long as Seth had known him, though he often talked at length about needing to find a new place. It was an old building and none of the door buzzers worked, so it took Jimmy barreling down the carpeted stairs to let him into the building complex.

"DUDE!" he hollered, grabbing Seth around the neck and pulling him into a hug.

"What's up man?" Seth blushed and laughed, clapping his friend on the back. "You're not- going out like that?"

"What? Oh-" Jimmy spread his legs a little farther, emphasizing his fleecy Xbox pajama pants. "No man, I was still gettin' ready. But look at you!" He patted Seth's chest as though testing it's authenticity. "Florida turned you into a fuckin' hunk!"

Seth tried his best to shrug off the awkward compliment, climbing the stairs and following his friend to the second floor. His door had been left open, and Jimmy's tan colored cat had crept out, staring at them guiltily.

"ALFIE!" Jimmy yelled, pointing at his door. Seth laughed as the cat darted back inside.

The apartment was still the organized chaos that it always was and Seth smiled, looking around to the messy array of junk piled over the living room space. Boxes of band T-shirts were piled in the corner, likely left from some group that would assuredly 'be coming through again next month'. The kitchen table was full of food wrappers and plastic fast-food cups from previous meals, and every possible wall space was covered in posters, CD covers, and in some cases, stickers, effectively suffocating the room. Seth loved it.

"I ran out of beers, and I just have this shit-" Jimmy waved a glass skull around. "Want some crazy Rick Moranis alien vodka?" 

"I mean, sure, I guess," Seth laughed. "Not too much though. How's things?"

"How's  _ things _ ?" Jimmy joked, pouring a splash of Vodka from the skull into an old ninja turtles pint glass. "How are things? I dunno. Same shit different day. Girls won't fuck me 'cause I smell like a pool. My car is trying to kill itself this winter finally, it wasn't starting the other day 'cause it was so goddamn cold." He took a sip of his own drink, thinking. "Getting fatter and sadder everyday, how about you?"

"Uh." Seth blushed, following Jimmy to sit on the couch in front of his tiny TV, which was loitering on the Netflix menu. "Florida's good… I was just thinking about how great it was that you pointed me to White Water, it's going really well."

"Shit yeah!" Jimmy nodded. "That's awesome dude. Hunter's a solid guy."

"Yeah, he is." Seth drank from his glass, which was mostly Sunny D. "I'm uh… in a non-monogamous relationship..?"

Jimmy blinked and then grinned conspiratorially. If anyone was going to understand, Seth had hoped it would have been his friend. Jimmy laughed, looking to Seth with a sort of pleasant disbelief.

"Huh," Jimmy said, thinking. " _ Huh…  _ Didn't think ya had it in ya!"

"What do you mean?" Seth scoffed, folding his legs. 

"Nothin’, just that you're so uptight." Jimmy laughed, scrolling through his phone. "Plus after all that Marek shit, I thought polyamory would trip you out. No offense meant though, how's that?"

"It's fuckin' great! I love it!" Seth blurted. "I'm not  _ that _ uptight."

"This y'all?" Jimmy offered Seth his phone, showing the same awkward facebook photo Brandon had been laughing at the night before. Seth rolled his eyes, nodding as Jimmy cooed at the three men. "They're both studs too, of  _ course _ ."

It was getting easier to explain the dynamic of dating the two men, and Seth was just glad Jimmy wasn't asking any embarrassing questions. He knew he could trust his friend to be open minded and cool about it, but if anything, it just gave Jimmy a green light to complain about his own shortcomings with relationships.

"I was talking to this girl in a band the other day, but she just fuckin' ghosted me! Blew me off and didn't return any of my messages. Fuckin' unbelievable," he complained loudly from the other room, changing his pants. Seth sat, petting Alfie and looking at the tickets Jimmy had printed for the show. 

"That sucks man, online dating is really weird," Seth conceded. "I met this dude on grindr once- turned out to be a fuckin' meth head. He tried to get me to do a drug orgy with his friends and I had to escape from the hotel."

"See, why can't  _ I _ get pulled into the drug orgies!" Jimmy laughed, securing a studded belt around his waist. "I think if you looked at my pictures, you'd know I'd be down!"

"It was terrifying," Seth admitted. "I wouldn't recommend it."

"Yeah, well." Jimmy shrugged. "You ready?" 

Seth quickly finished his drink and put his coat and hat back on. It was getting chilly again outside and Jimmy pulled out a cigarette as they walked down the icy sidewalks, leading to the main road that was illuminated with string lights hung in the trees. The sky was peachy pink and purple, and quite a few people were out, walking dogs or making their way to their holiday celebrations. The club they were going to, The Riverside Lounge, was a pretty regular spot for most twenty-somethings looking for a good show. Though Seth and Jimmy usually frequented punk houses and garage shows when they were younger, Seth didn't particularly mind going to something that wasn't in the 'core' genres. 

Though, he was still sort of a purist at heart. The club was overflowing with normie types and Seth blinked, looking around the bar and the dance floor, staring.

"Who's playing tonight? Anyone I know?"

"Oh, a bunch of people," Jimmy said, handing him his ticket to be scanned. "I think every hour or so they were trying to have a different group on."

It was about 7:30 when Seth checked his phone, following Jimmy to the bar and cutting through the slowly forming crowd of people that were growing to watch the current group playing through a slow paced set. There were a few folks milling around that Seth thought he recognized- old faces from a long time ago, probably high school. A few women's gazes lingered on him and Jimmy noticeably pouted, shooting Seth a withering glance.

"Did you start  _ tanning _ ?" 

"No! It's all Florida sun." Seth smirked, drinking off his beer. "Sunshine and CrossFit does a body good."

"Egh."

The venue was dimly lit and for a good chunk of the night, Jimmy and Seth just sat in the corner, chatting about life and keeping to themselves while music and alcohol kept them talking fairly loudly. Sometimes a stranger would come by to steal a seat, but for the most part, Seth just drank and listened to his friend complain about the new Red Cross standards for lifeguarding and how nobody from their old group of friends would talk to him anymore.

"You went to WHITE PARTY?" Jimmy exclaimed loudly. "And you didn't tell me???"

"I don't think I  _ technically _ went," Seth laughed. "Me and Dean just went to Miami while it was going on. We didn't go to any of the official parties or anything. It was just cheap fun."

"Still dude! You should have told me!" Jimmy clinked his glass on the wooden table and looked to Seth imperiously. "You don't even text me that much  _ either _ ."

Seth just laughed, shrugging. "I'm busy! I dunno what to tell ya! I'm here now, ain't I?" He gestured towards the stage area where a new band was setting up. "Which group is this? I'll get ya a drink if ya want."

"Oh shit, this is that girl band that does grindcore covers of the Cha Cha Slide." Jimmy snorted, stumbling to get out of his chair. "It's actually pretty great."

Seth ordered another round of drinks, feeling pretty tipsy and light as he leaned on the bar. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he frowned slightly, seeing that he hadn't received any texts from Roman and Dean. It was creeping closer to midnight and Seth sighed, wondering if his boyfriends had to work the next day. He'd left on what he thought was decent terms- Dean had seemed really out of it after ditching his medication, and Roman had been really stressed out, but they'd  _ sort of  _ talked through it.

"Thanks," Seth said, nodding to the bartender as two Pabst's were pushed toward him. Jimmy was watching from the edge of the crowd as dance lines had started to work their way through the Cha Cha Slide, laughing and spilling their drinks. 

Even if things weren't right or simple, Seth thought he could figure it out. Part of him really wanted to call them that night around midnight, though he knew that there was a good chance they'd be asleep if they were working the next day. Plus, Seth's record for calling his boyfriends when he was drunk wasn't particularly great. 

"Some chicks were talkin' to me!" Jimmy said flustered. "But they were just trying to scout you!" 

"Huh?" Seth handed Jimmy his beer and followed his tanned, stubby finger as he pointed to a group of girls at the front of the line. "Well… good thing you're not trying to fuck chicks tonight, right?"

Jimmy blew a raspberry as he drank off of his beer and Seth rolled his eyes. Jimmy had stopped wearing makeup and taken out a few of his piercings, but his hair was still shoulder length and half blonde. Seth always looked up to him in a sense- had always deeply admired the fact that he did whatever the fuck he wanted and didn't care what anyone else thought. But the constant teasing and ragging on his appearance was starting to wear Seth thin.

Alcohol was the best cure for this, as the more Jimmy drank, the less he cared. He'd always been a sort of emotional drunk, a little clingy and flirty. But Seth wasn't sober either, so he didn't mind.

"Okay, last song," the female vocalist said into the mic, prompting boos and hissing. "You guys like the Wonder Years?"

Seth cheered loudly, not expecting to hear anything from one of his favorite bands that night. The guitarist began the familiar crooning riff, a song from one of their later albums, and his eyes brightened. The tune didn't quite carry the same energy, sung by a tiny black haired girl, standing still in the middle of the stage. It felt more like a ballad than a pop-punk song.

 

_ Tossed around like sea glass and you rounded out my edges. _

_ I'll feel better when the headaches go away. _

_ I got a scar across my forehead, turning purple in the cold _

_ From a night at Shore Memorial. _

_ I was 16 and afraid. _

_ Turned away, like I'm working baby face _

_ Out of Mid-South in the 80's. _

_ I kept a blade hidden in my wrist tape. _

 

"Which album is this off of?" Jimmy yelled, jerking Seth around the shoulder. Seth shook his head, trying to think.

"No closer… No closer to heaven…" He licked his lips. It was a quarter to midnight and he suddenly felt very cold.

 

_ I think I'm growing into someone you could trust. _

_ I want to shoulder the weight til my back breaks, _

_ I want to run until my lungs give up. _

_ If I could manage not to fuck this up. _

_ If I could manage not to fuck this up. _

_ I think enough is enough. _

 

He hadn't listened to the album in a while and when he had, he'd liked the song well enough. Seth had never gotten the chance to see The Wonder Years live, so he couldn't say how he would've reacted to a more accurate rendition of the song, but the voice of the woman and the guitar and drums blaring through the speakers felt almost spiritual.

 

_ Hidden in the tall grass in the naked light of day, _

_ I put my past-self in the ground. _

_ I've been dancing on the grave. _

_ I'm not the person that I was then, _

_ I'm tearing him away. _

_ I was bitter. I was careless. _

_ I was 19 and afraid _

 

_ But you deserved more from me. _

_ I don't know why I would say those things. _

_ But you deserved more from me and I'm trying every day. _

 

"This is good!" Jimmy yelled, bouncing around. Seth just stood, unable to speak, gaze fixated on the stage. By the time the chorus came around again, he actually choked.

 

_ I think I'm growing into someone you could trust. _

_ I want to shoulder the weight til my back breaks, _

_ I want to run til my lungs give up. _

_ If I could manage not to fuck this up. _

_ If I could manage not to fuck this up. _

_ I think enough is enough. _

 

And then, he was glad he was just a single soul in the crowd and (hopefully) nobody could see him wiping tears from his eyes, grasping his beer limply. The guitar began to chop and the vocalist smiled at Seth from the stage, nodding. 

 

_ You left me walking in circles. _

_ You were a shot in the dark. _

_ You were the baby teeth I buried. _

_ You were the sounds of distant cars. _

 

_ You left me walking in circles. _

_ You were a shot in the dark. _

_ You were the banner that says "No One" _

_ That I tattooed across my heart. _

 

_ You left me walking in circles. _

_ You were a shot in the dark. _

_ You're scattered like ashes across every song that I write. _

_ You're where the light pollution starts. _

 

_ I think I'm growing into someone you could trust. _

_ I want to shoulder the weight until my back breaks, _

_ I want to run until my lungs give up. _

_ If I could manage not to fuck this up. _

_ If I could manage not to fuck this up. _

_ Enough is enough. _

 

"I gotta piss," Seth coughed, leaving Jimmy on the spot and cutting his way to the bathroom. There was a single stall open for him to use and he threw himself into it, sitting down on the bowl and trying to steady himself. He was drunk enough to be vulnerable and the band- whoever they were- had just dropped a big emotional bomb on him.

Seth was happy, he was really happy and excited and he giggled, wiping tears from his face. It was probably just the fact it was New Year's Eve and everyone around him was feeling sentimental, but he hadn't expected it of himself.

Resigned to looking and feeling stupid, he tugged out his phone, calling Dean quickly. He sniffed, quickly wiping his nose with some toilet paper as the phone rang, but it went to voicemail.

Seth sighed, trying Roman. He tossed the paper between his legs into the bowl and wiped his forehead. He was sweaty and warm, probably looking like crap. Roman's voicemail message came over the line and Seth swore, hanging up the call.  _ Were they both really in bed right now? _

"Fuckkk itttt," Seth muttered, opening up their group conversation and beginning to type hurriedly. 

**Happy NYs I wish i was thre right now so i could kiss both of u** He hiccuped slightly, pushing hair out of his face.  **Im at a show righ now and i was just thinking about how much i missed both of u and how much i love u and how much excited i am to be with u guys this next year because i kno its probably goin to be the best year of my life. Im kinda drunk!! I know but i really dont care cause i love you guys and i cant wait to get back and see u**

He sent it, chuckling, before remembering:

**Ps i also love kevin pls pet him for me pls.**

With just a few minutes to midnight, Seth jerked up, hearing the familiar holiday tune blaring across the club as people began cheering and shouting. Seth got up, not bothering to wash his hands as he hadn't used the bathroom, he barrelled back toward the stage and caught eyes with Jimmy. 

"You almost missed it!" he screeched.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I know!"

Auld Lang Syne began and everyone began to sing along. Couples grew closer, holding each other, and a chorus of men in the back where booming along, raising their glasses. 

"I want a kiss!" Jimmy said, poking Seth in the side. "I wan' a fuckin' kiss."

"Cheek!" Seth blurted. "On the cheek!"

Jimmy's eyes narrowed but he moved his face closer, everyone in the bar began to count loudly, just slightly off the beat. Seth's heart raced as he drew in, intent to hit his target with a chaste kiss.

"3! 2! 1!"

Jimmy turned villainously at the last minute, grabbing Seth's face and planting a kiss on his lips. Seth just grunted, brows low as he drew back, looking to his friend with exasperation.

"There, ya got it. Ya happy?" 

"Happy New Year’s!" Jimmy grinned, patting Seth on the side. "I wanna do shots!"

"Like fuck I'm doin' shots! I'm tired man, let's close out," Seth insisted, checking his phone quickly. "I gotta do stuff tomorrow." 

"Ya got a travel day!" Jimmy slurred. "I'm gunna do a shot. If you're too chicken-"

Seth was fine being a chicken. He grabbed his card back from the bar and hissed, signing the receipt and handing it back to the employee. There was a lingering fear in the back of his mind that it might get declined, but he was safe for now. Jimmy quickly through back a shot of some clear liquid and grimaced, patting his coat pockets for his keys and his wallet.

"Aight, I'm good." 

"Cool, well, I'll need to chill for a bit before I drive if that's okay," Seth said, holding the door open for Jimmy to lead the way. "I'd eat if you wanted to get something." 

"I got… pizzas…" Jimmy muttered, stumbling as he slipped on the ice. Quickly, Seth caught him and they both laughed, trying to steady themselves.

"You good man?" Seth panted, matting his hair back and scratching his beard. 

"Yeah yeah, I'm good," Jimmy said, looking into Seth's face and grinning. "All good."

It was very cold and quiet as soon as they began the walk home. Seth pulled his coat in tighter, glad he was numb enough to not feel the real nip of the chill. He and Jimmy had done plenty of these walks before- mostly Seth had been the sober one, a steadfast straight edge kid through his teen years, but once he'd learned to drink, they'd taken some drunk walks. Jimmy ambled ahead, swearing as the wind kept putting a damper on his lighter as he tried to light his cigarette. Twice, Seth almost slipped himself, grunting and throwing his hands out in front of him expectantly.

"We can put a pizza 'n an' cuddle," Jimmy muttered, pulling out his keys and opening the front door. Seth frowned, blinking against the light. "I ain' had nobody over in forever," he continued, holding tight to the railing. "The touch of a woman… has evaded me…"

"I'mnot a lady," Seth mumbled, shivering as they walked up the stairs.

It was all the same though as Jimmy plopped down on the sofa next to Seth as soon as they'd taken off their coats. Seth exhaled hard, wishing Jimmy would give him a moment to himself. He checked his phone and Roman had texted back a very bare  **Love u too** in reply to his chunk of text. 

Something just felt  _ wrong _ , but Seth knew he wouldn't be able to really do anything until he got home.

"We c'n cuddle, right?" Jimmy whined, stretching out cold fingers and tracing the pockets on Seth's jeans. "Nothin' wrong with that."

"I'm hungry," Seth blurted, setting his phone face down on the table and staring at his friend. "Wasn't there… wasn't there food?"

"Mmmmaybe…."

"Jimmy-"

"We can order, aight? I need to shop. I got snacks if that'll hold ya over."

Seth sat under a blanket while the TV played old episodes of That 70s Show. Jimmy stuffed a box of White Cheddar Cheez-its in his hands and Seth didn't even feel bad depleting most of what was left. He was starting to sober up some, but he still didn't feel comfortable driving a car. Jimmy had made a new drink for himself and was half laying on Seth's side, eyes unfocused, watching the TV.

"Tonight was really fun," he said quietly. "I had fun." 

"I had fun too," Seth agreed, setting the box down and dusting off his hands. "Thanks a lot for inviting me out. It was either this'r goin' to hang out with my brother in Moline."

"Mmm."

He tried his phone again. It was a little after one now, and neither of his boyfriends had texted him again. His phone screen read JANUARY 1st, 17 DEGREES.

"I saw Marek the other day," Jimmy sniffed. "He cut his hair… I think he might even have a new boyfriend."

"That's nice."

Jimmy looked at him strangely, Seth raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Nothin'! You're just so… like... " Jimmy waved his hand in the air. Seth just shrugged.

"I'm dating two people, I think we can both say we're over each other." He sighed. "Last time I talked to him, he seemed okay."

"Yeah."

Jimmy's fingers were absentmindedly stroking Seth's thigh. He twitched, shifting his leg before shooting Jimmy a look.

"Just spoon me," Jimmy groaned, dipping his head against Seth's leg pleadingly. " _ Please _ , I just need a lil' love."

"I can, but  _ seriously _ dude." Seth readjusted, letting Jimmy slip in front of him. "Just… don't…"

The couch was really too small for them, but Seth had enough beer to make him feel sleepy and comfortable. Jimmy was smaller and warm, pressing his weight back against Seth and making him a little sweaty. The television droned on and Seth's eyes began to droop. A nap wasn't a bad idea really, it would help him sober up so he could get home faster. 

Seth wasn't sure how long he'd faded out, but he woke with all the lights and the television off. He could just smell the stale couch and Jimmy's soap and felt hands touching him over his shirt.

"Wha- JIMMY!"

"D'you still cheat on people?"

"Get your hands off me!"

Seth wormed his way out of the couch and rolled over the top, swearing as he collided with a huge trunk and several reams of printer paper that went crashing to the floor. A dog downstairs began barking and Seth held his knee, cursing.

"Okayyyyy… maybe that wasn't… like  _ cool _ …"

Jimmy leaned over the couch, squinting as he held onto a phone that was shining light right into Seth's eyes. Seth continued to massage his knee, which had caught the corner of the trunk, probably bruising his patella. 

"Fuck this shit, I'm leaving," Seth hissed as he was able to get back to his feet, holding onto the back of the dining room chair in front of him and making his way to his shoes.

"Are you… you don't have to-" Jimmy insisted. "Look man, I'm sorry-"

"Don't touch me!" Seth snapped. Jimmy recoiled slightly, the errant bright light of the phone went out and he turned on the overhead switch, looking morose. 

"Look, Seth, I'm sorry…" Jimmy apologized. "You're sure you're good though?"

"I'm fine, I was fine an hour ago." Seth grabbed his phone and pocketed it, heart racing. "Look dude, I get it, okay? But seriously…"

Seth wanted to just say  _ GROW UP  _ as loud as he could, but Jimmy's heartbroken, dejected face looked punishment enough. He clearly hadn't meant to be so intrusive, was just his usual drunk flirtatious self, but Seth was having none of it.

"Sorry," Jimmy said again. "Didn't mean to bother ya."

"Happy New Year’s Jimmy," Seth snapped. "I'll see you later." 

He shoved the door shut and was really hoping he'd grabbed all of his things. The last thing he wanted was to have to talk to Jimmy again tonight. He just wanted to go home and rest until things made sense. 

Seth was sure that he was sober enough to drive, but for a long moment he just stood in the hallway, rubbing his eyes. The fluorescent lights hummed loudly as the dog continued to bark, rooms away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of the year! Next chapter begins anew. But what of Roman and Dean? What's going on? Next week, everything will be revealed!


	83. Strangers Among Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return home. Same problems, new Year.

Waking late and nursing a small headache for most of the day, Seth was grouchy and quiet through his family brunch on New Year’s Day. It wasn't worth explaining to his parents that Jimmy had gotten handsy with him and his boyfriends weren't texting back. So instead, his parents just assumed he was hungover. Brandon certainly was, as Seth had actually beaten him home the night before, so the whole affair was rather quiet and forced. 

Really, Seth just wanted to sleep and be back in his own apartment with his dog. The trip had been nice, and Seth was glad he'd come, but it had given him so much to think about that it was tying his mind up in knots. 

"You can print your boarding pass on the computer in my study, I just need'a put a new ink cartridge in there," Bob offered, watching Seth pack his clothes back into his bag. 

"I can just bring it up on my phone, it's fine," he mumbled, pulling his arms through his hoodie sleeves and fixing his bun. 

"Everything okay?" Bob asked awkwardly, hovering in the door frame.

"Huh? Yeah… I'm fine. Just tired," Seth said, nodding fervently to his step dad. "Don't worry."

The ride back to the airport was simple enough- Brandon and Seth didn't say much of anything until they arrived in Des Moines and the sun was starting to set again. They pulled up to the drop off area in the station wagon and Brandon shuffled out to see his brother off.

"It was good seein' ya," he sighed, leaning into a hug. "Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for driving me," Seth added. "It was a good time."

He was flying back on American Airlines, and so he entered the checked bag line, pulling out his ID and looking at his phone carefully. It was a little after six PM, and neither Roman or Dean had thought to contact him all day. It stung a little.

The airport was very busy and Seth became more and more aggravated, shuffling to one side, and then back to the other, with assurances from a TSA agent that the southern checkpoint had no line. Shoes off, wallet and phone out, stalking through the body scanner in a T-shirt and sweatpants, Seth hurried to his gate, wondering what exactly his lovers were doing at that very moment.

He tried to call Dean and got no answer. 

Once he reached his gate and sat, watching the plane get rigged up and filled with luggage, he tried Roman, but it just went through to voicemail.

"Am I going crazy here?" Seth asked aloud quietly, typing out-  **At the IA airport now. You guys gonna pick me up when I land?**

Seth wished he could have slept, crammed between a older gentleman and an unaccompanied minor. He jiggled his leg and chewed some gum, trying not to look at his phone too much, thinking that, if he had to, he could just call a cab when he landed. But Seth would still have to go to Roman’s anyway to grab his dog. Surely they were alright? Nothing bad had happened to them, nothing life threatening that would stop them from being able to communicate? 

If one of them was hospitalized, the other would tell him, right? Seth's chest tightened, trying not to let his mind go into anxious directions uselessly. It seemed to take ages for his bag to end up on the turnstile claim, and he felt sweaty and fidgety, wondering what to do. 

He tried calling them again, wondering if his phone wasn't glitching the same way it had when the hurricane had passed over a few months ago. Desperate, Seth called Cesaro, just to test his phone's ability to make calls.

"Hey? Seth?"

"Hey!" Seth said, somewhat relieved, but mostly just filled with a different kind of dread. "Sorry, I… sort of... butt dialed you…"

"Oh, okay! Well, see you tomorrow I think? Are you still in Iowa?"

"No, I just got back. I thought my phone was broken… but it works…"

"Mm'okay," Cesaro said, somewhat unsure. "I'll catch you later."

"Yeah, yeah."

Seth reached the ground transportation area and stepped outside. He was back in warmth and humidity again, but the 73 degree temperature didn't make him feel any less nervous. For a little while, Seth sat thinking in the dark, wondering what the possibilities were that he would show up at Roman's and everything would be fine somehow.

The worst thing he could imagine was arriving and finding the house empty without any sort of indicator of where they'd gone. Seth just shook his head, feeling nauseous as he returned to his feet, walking to the designated curb for Uber and Lyft rides. There wasn't any use waiting around. He'd just have to go and see for himself.

"You have a fun trip?" a chipper, older white lady asked him, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. Seth just nodded, staring at his phone like it might combust. If Roman was going to miss him, driving to the airport, Seth surely wouldn't be sympathetic… at this point, he was starting to stir up some resentment. 

_ This was so stupid, what was going on? _

It was creeping up on midnight by the time Seth rolled up on the block and none of the lights were on. His heart was beating like it was going to burst from his chest and he heaved a breath, grabbing his roller bag out of the backseat. This sucked. He had work in the morning early. He was hungry and tired and as much as he wanted to just grab his dog and leave, he knew he couldn't do that.

Kevin came to bark at the door, immediately giving Seth some form of relief. He raised his hand, thinking to knock on the wood, but scoffed at the thought, just pushing it open. Roman never locked the front unless he was out, which logically meant he was home.

"Hey buddy." Seth stooped, needing some reassurance in the form of licks. Even in the half light, he could see Kevin's ears folding back and his tail wagging happily, overjoyed to see his owner. Seth picked him up and held him to his chest, rolling his bag inside and looking around.

The only light was coming from the living room television and Seth's heart sank as he saw the scene. Roman was curled up on the couch, hoodie pulled up tight to his frame, snoring loudly. The coffee table was littered with take out food, empty beer cans, and tissues while the television looped the Call of Duty homescreen, likely going for hours. 

Seth exhaled, glad that he could at least see his boyfriend, even if he looked to be troubled. Experimentally, Seth drew his shaking hand into his pocket and drew out his phone, calling Roman's number and listening. A buzzing was heard from the kitchen, and Seth followed it, eventually finding the device on the top of the fridge. 

He took a deep breath, trying to calmly assess the situation. There was anger and confusion there certainly- Roman had seemed apologetic and self aware when he had left, was his drinking really that out of control? Could Seth ever feel comfortable leaving again if things appeared to be so bad?

He walked quietly to the guest room and peeked in. The bed was made and there was no one there. But inside Roman's room, Dean was lying in bed, facing the opposite wall. Seth stood in the doorway cautiously, a sudden feeling of foreboding washing over him. Dean usually snored, but he wasn't doing so now. It seemed as though he was just laying alone in the darkness. 

"Dean?" Seth tried, taking a few steps in, but not making to turn on any lights. Kevin followed him, just a few steps away, watching. "Dean," Seth tried again, coming to the foot of the bed and lightly touching his leg over the blanket. 

Dean shifted slowly and Seth shivered, moving to come to his bedside and turn on the lamp so he could actually see. The moment he could make out his lover's eyes, his head wanted to explode, echoing  _ What the hell is happening? What's going on? Why are you like this? _

Dean looked detached, almost lifeless. He blinked slowly, then shut his eyes, recoiling as Seth turned on the light and sat.

"Hey," Seth said, voice trembling. "Can you talk to me right now?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"I just… got back…" Seth said lamely, rubbing the hand on Dean's leg and watching as Dean twitched. "I cabbed over… I was trying to get through to you guys, but…"

"I've been sleeping," Dean grunted bluntly. "I dunno what's going on."

"Dean," Seth said, his eyes widening, " _ babe _ …"

Dean sighed, exasperated, sitting up and running a hand over his face. He looked ill, grey and shaky. His hair was hanging to his face in greasy, sweaty strands and he smelled like he hadn't showered in a few days. His face looked thinner, almost gaunt, except for a thin beard that had crept up on him.

"I haven't… been feeling good," Dean admitted slowly, his words low and gravely. "So… I've… been sleeping…"

"Yeah?" Seth asked, trying to be patient. "Has… Uce been taking care of you?"

Dean snorted and Seth grit his teeth. Kevin hopped up on the bed and Dean offered the dog his hand.

"So… he hasn't?"

"He's tryin', I'm just…" Dean exhaled sharply rubbing his face. "Seth,  _ look _ , I feel like shit."

"I can tell, I know," Seth said, pulling his hand away from Dean's leg. "You hungry? I can make something, or run you a shower if you want."

Dean just grunted again, but Seth stood, returning to the doorway. 

"I'll talk to Uce, okay? Then I'll come back and help you out. Just… think about… what you want…"

Seth shifted, feeling really stupid. He couldn't imagine being able to pull the words out of Dean as he was now, but Roman looked and felt like a sleeping bear he didn't want to provoke. He was snoring so loudly, Seth wondered if he'd even stir if he tried to wake him, but when he re-entered the living room and shut off the TV, he steeled himself to make his move.

Gently shoving his shoulder and sitting on the floor by the couch, Seth moved the coffee table out of the way. Roman's face contorted, his eyes flickered and he groaned, turning over. 

"Roman," Seth tried, somewhat stern. Roman jerked, nearly falling off the couch.

"Seth? Babe-" Immediately, his eyes were wet and he slumped, heartbroken. "Oh… Seth…"

"It's okay," Seth said, unable to disguise a measure of agitation. He came closer, resting his head on the couch as Roman began to weep quietly, smelling like stale beer and chinese food. "Just… tell me what's up…"

"I… fell asleep…" Roman croaked. "I... "

"You slept  _ all _ day?" Seth asked. "C'mon man, really?" 

Roman began to sob and Seth rubbed his own face, annoyed. He didn't mean to be confrontational, but after a whole day of imagining horrible things and feeling raw and salty, he just wanted a straight answer. He stood up and pressed Roman's head to his belly, pulling him into a half hug. Roman just seemed to melt, unable to pull himself together until Seth stroked his shoulders and lowered his voice.

"What happened after I left? I don't wanna be mad, I'm just… frustrated…"

"I'm sorry…" Roman spluttered, burying his face in Seth's front and sniffing. "I just… I didn't want you to worry while you were gone-"

Seth laughed darkly and Roman tensed, but Seth shook his head and continued to rub his shoulders. After a few deep breaths and some swallows, he moved to blow his nose and wipe his face. 

"Here," Seth offered, knowing Roman well enough to know what would work. He sat down on the couch and extended his arms, gesturing for his lover to come to him. Roman sat and let out a trembling sigh, falling into Seth's arms and laying on his chest. 

"After you left... " Roman continued, "Dean was still feeling messed up… I was researching what going off Adderall does to you and it's… it's a lot… I tried talking to him about it, but he just got pissed off. He left for a bit and when he came back, he… just told me he didn't want to talk and to leave him alone."

Seth blinked, trying to imagine how awful it must have been. He toyed with Roman's hair, stroking his scalp mindlessly and nodding. Dean's side of the story would be… enlightening… if he ever got it…

"But then, my brother called me on New Year’s Eve." Roman sniffed, pressing a tissue to his face and shuddering. "He called me… he said he'd talked to my dad and he wanted to talk to me about being a better family member… like… like I wasn't…" 

Seth grimaced and his lover began to cry again, shaking in his arms.

"They're… they're just so  _ mad _ at me." He quaked, "I didn't… I don't know what to do… I just sat there and took it like a  _ bitch _ … I can't… there's nothing I can tell them that's ever going to make them accept me or be okay with me…"

"That's… not true," Seth supplied, hugging Roman tight. "Breathe man, it's okay."

"But it's not!" Roman cried. "I… I wanted… Seth… I'm sorry…"

"I'm here, right?" Seth sighed. "I'm here somehow. I'm just glad the house didn't blow up or nothin’." 

Kevin sniffed the edge of the couch and Roman blew his nose loudly, accidentally scaring the dog away. Seth didn't know if there was much he could say or do, but it was now well after midnight and he knew that the next day was going to be rough no matter what.

A shuffling was heard down the hall and Dean emerged, trotting out in a white tank top and a pair of briefs, looking a little like a zombie. They watched him shuffle to the footrest of the arm chair and sit, grabbing a blanket that had been tossed aside and placing it around his shoulders.

"Do you guys… work tomorrow?" Seth asked delicately. Both of them nodded, looking dejected. "When? What do you guys got?"

"I got lessons in the afternoon," Dean mumbled.

"I got… paperwork… and I teach bootcamp," Roman said against his shirt. 

Seth nodded, thinking carefully. He had to guard at eight with Sasha, but there really only ever was need for one guard with the ratios they had… Plus his afternoon was open, other than his usual CrossFit WOD.

"Okay, alright," Seth said, massaging Roman's arm. "Let's say, tomorrow I'll cover you guys at the pool…"

"You don't have to-"

"No," Seth laughed, pulling Roman's hair slightly and grinning at him. "Listen, 'aight? This place is a fuckin' mess and you need some time to fix it, okay? And you-" Seth pointed to Dean. "You're… you're freaking me out man."

Seth hoped he sounded more confident than he felt, as Dean just stared dully ahead, his brow slightly furrowed by Seth's words. 

"Did Uce upset you earlier or something?" Seth asked, "Can you… can we all like, get this figured out?"

"I already told you I don't feel good," Dean grumbled. "Can I deal with this myself? Cause I'm an adult?"

"You're not acting... like yourself," Seth said sternly. "We just wanna help, and… yeah… sorry if that seems like we're controlling you or whatever, but if you've been feeling like shit for days, why not let us?"

"Cause I'm not a child," Dean said, shoving his hair to the side.

"Dean, we  _ love _ you," Roman insisted, looking pleadingly across the room from the crook of Seth's arm. "It's hard for us… seeing you so… depressed and sick."

"Why don't you want to go to a doctor? Cause it's annoying?" Seth asked quickly, trying not to steer Dean into a guilt fest. "Expensive?"

"Both, I dunno!" Dean snapped. "I don't… I don't wanna go and have them put me on that shit again or tell me I'm stupid or any garbage I could just do myself!" He waved his hands. "It's not like I want to feel this way! It's not like I'm enjoying it!"

"How about… if you're still really weak and tired and low energy… tomorrow Roman can take you in, okay?" Seth tried. "Or you can take yourself, but you still should go if you're not feeling better, right?"

Roman stared, watching Dean carefully as he considered Seth words, trying to figure out if they were a trap of some sort. Seth's heart beat quickly, unable as ever to perfectly predict his lover. He averted his eyes as Dean gazed back. 

"If I don't go, are you going to keep  _ bothering _ me about it?" he asked, looking in particular to Roman. Seth could feel Roman heating up, his body tensing like he wanted to get up and possibly yell, but Seth put a hand on his wrist, rubbing it carefully.

"Dean… please... " Seth pleaded. "Do you have _ any _ sort of plan here?"

"So that's a  _ yes _ then. Just admit it," Dean said brazenly, sitting back and looking tense. Seth blinked, feeling a prickle of anger rolling around in his gut. He had no idea how his boyfriend could be speaking to them like this.

"Why are you coming out here then?" Seth asked. "If you’re just going to be bossed around?"

"Cause I  _ live  _ here?" Dean's voice squeaked, his eyes widening. "Cause… cause I'm in  _ this. _ " He gestured to Roman and Seth with a hint of disdain.

"If you were dating us or not, we'd still care about you, don't talk like that," Seth said firmly, holding onto Roman carefully. He really wanted to yell, tell Dean how frustrated he'd been while he was away and tell him he had his own bullshit to contend with. Jimmy, his parents, his health insurance and his grandfather's conversation were all raising his blood pressure. Seth didn't need anything else.

But it wouldn't be helpful, not like he really knew the right words anyway.

"Fine, I'll go," Dean snapped gruffly. "I don't need to be talked down to."

It was maddening, and Seth's heart plummeted as Dean got up and walked to the guest room, actually slamming the door behind him. Roman let out a raspy sigh, shuddering as tears spilled down his face. 

"I'll t-talk to him later," Seth said, trying to assure his other lover. "Let's… let's just… figure ourselves out."

His hands shook as he made his way to the kitchen, sure that his stomach was going to gnaw up his throat if he didn't eat soon. Really, he felt too anxious to have an appetite, but he couldn't think unless he ate something. Roman shifted around dumbly, picking up cans of Miller Lite and rubbing his face.

"Grilled cheese," Seth said, pulling bread slices out of the plastic and setting them on the counter. "Yeah?"

"Yeah…" Roman nodded, sitting at the kitchen island. "I think… I think I'll take a shower and then go to bed…" He sighed, paging through his phone and wiping his eyes again as he saw Seth's unreturned messages. "I'm sorry again… for what it's worth… I'll get my shit together tomorrow… if you're serious about covering me, but I think if I called in-"

"Really, it's no sweat," Seth interjected, slapping cheese on the bread and heating up the pan. "I get it… life happens sometimes... "

Seth made up a plate of a few sandwiches for Dean as well, as Roman wasn't sure the last time he'd eaten either. He knocked carefully, sure that the bedside lamp was on as he could see light under the door. 

"I'm just gonna put food… inside…" Seth stated loudly, cracking the door and quickly shutting it as soon as he'd put the plate down. "I don't want… Kevin… eating it."

Dean didn't say anything, but Seth wasn't really expecting him to. He had no idea what to do for his boyfriend if he didn't want to be talked to. Seth wanted to ask Roman more, just to see if he'd pestered Dean into some state of rage. But since the issue was the medication, Seth didn't want to upset his other lover anymore than he already was.

"Hungover?" he asked, watching Roman run his hands over his temples, eyes narrowed. "You could lay down in the bath if you wanted. I'll help."

"It's like… two AM." Roman grunted. "If I didn't stink like shit I wouldn't bother showering."

"I missed you," Seth said softly, dusting the crumbs off his fingers and getting up to pull Roman into a hug again. "I'll… help…"

Roman's tub was large to the point of decadent, and while it was rather absurd to think that he wasn't capable of washing himself, Seth offered to help. Still ashamed and quiet, Roman didn't really seem to care much, undressing quickly and putting the stopper in the tub. Seth smiled, realizing his boyfriend had been wearing the underwear he'd purchased him for Christmas. His hips hugged the material snug, just as inviting and flattering as Seth had imagined they'd be.

"Getting fuckin' fat," Roman sighed, scratching at his sides as he lowered himself into the tub, Seth frowned, edging closer to the rim and taking his own shirt off. "Holidays… Being a slob…"

"Come to the box with me sometime," Seth offered quietly, his hand examining the bottles of shampoo and body wash on the floor. "If it's bugging you."

Roman just made a noncommittal noise, sitting on his bottom with his knees up against his chest. Seth leaned in, unable to keep from grinning as he pulled Roman's bun apart, letting his hair fan out around his shoulders.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"'Bout what," Roman said, scratching his toe.

"Family… the whole phone thing." Seth shrugged, leaning on the tub. "Anything."

Roman sighed, and Seth watched him carefully. The noise of the tub filling was soothing and calm and he was finally starting to feel a little sleepier. He'd left his phone in the kitchen and Kevin was probably sitting on the couch, feeling more than at home. As soon as the water level was over Roman's thighs, he leaned in to stop the flow, leaving them in a sort of humming quiet.

"I just… get really overwhelmed whenever my dad is involved in my life," Roman thought aloud, his voice quiet, but made louder by the porcelain acoustics. "Plus.... this time of year is hard for me because late winter is when… when that case got settled."

"Case? Oh-" Seth frowned, then remembered, with a pained shiver, the Shippley family's drowned son. 

"Yeah…" Roman muttered, fidgeting with his beard. "So… my mom is usually the one that sticks up for me and sort of calms my dad down, but Rosey works with my dad, so those guys are always talking about what the family should be doing and this and that, they try to control  _ everything _ . And… I get it… I'm not… I'm not where I want to be."

Roman shifted, letting his legs stretch out to the other side of the tub. Seth blinked, nodding.

"I think for a long time, I could kinda shove it off like, nah man, I'm young, fuck it… I want to do what I want to do… but I can't really do that anymore," he continued. "Even if I feel happy with my life, I can't keep showing up to the holidays and keep looking like this idiot who doesn't care."

"You think you look like that?" Seth laughed. "You don't think you're being too hard on yourself?"

"Family's words, not mine." Roman leaned over the tub and snatched up the shampoo. Seth watched, at a loss for what to say as his lover went underwater, then surfaced, pouring hair product into his large square hand.

"Well, I feel like I had to reinvent everything after my breakup," Seth said, trying to steer Roman's thoughts out of darkness. "Like, I was never an adult  _ not _ in a relationship, I had to figure out how to be by myself. That was one thing, but I think if you piled on a fucking legal case and shit… I dunno how I would have managed." 

Roman didn't look at him, putting an awful lot of thought into his hair. Seth shifted.

"But you're like… doing good at work, yeah? Management and stuff? I'm sure me and Dean can find someway to impress your folks." Seth sighed, letting his fingers dip in the water. "Assuming we can all perk up and get our baselines sorted."

"I think Dean will go to the doctor," Roman said sincerely. "When we were talking… he was telling me how bad he felt. Like it felt like he was back in treatment or something, just really low and dark."

"I've never seen him like that," Seth said, anxiety making his skin tense. "Definitely weird."

"Me neither, but… it's just been a shitty time around here. Trying to take care of him when he doesn't want to be taken care of is one thing, but I think we'd all be boned if you weren't here."

"Hey, I do what I can." Seth smiled, waiting for Roman to rinse his hair before talking again. "I guess that's the nice thing about having two boyfriends? Between three people, somebody has to be okay? If family is sucking hard, then we can just help ourselves.”

Roman was reaching for the conditioner, but paused, looking up at Seth carefully.

“Here’s the thing though… my family is my family,” he said, matting a length of wet mane out of his face. “I think I’ve had my share of trying to pretend they aren’t a part of my life, but it’s been really childish of me to act like that.”

“Yeah… I know…” Seth backtracked. “I wouldn’t ever want to pull you away from them-” 

Roman fiddled with his tattoo, holding out his arm for Seth to see.

“It’s not just a bunch of designs that don’t mean anything.” He turned his wrist and between the thick, woven lines, Seth could see a tiny little turtle. “I finished this all when I was with Dan… I thought I was gonna marry that dude, so breaking up with him was like the hardest thing I’ve ever done. My parents guilted me on it- telling me he was like family and I couldn’t just abandon family, but I knew we were just both hurting so much, it wasn’t good.” He relaxed his arm and it dropped to his side again. Seth’s heart fluttered, he’d never heard Roman open up so freely. Distantly, he remembered the little turtle that Roman was given for a charm on Christmas Day. Seth supposed it had to be some symbol of unity in polynesian culture.

“But it’s not like, I still don’t regret that decision. Not like I want to be with him anymore or anything, but I do really miss feeling… confident, you know?” Roman continued. “Like I knew what my life was going to be and that... that sort of certainty.”

“Yeah,” Seth said stupidly, leaning in. Roman smiled. “But still, even when you think you know, you never really do, right?”

By the time they finished, the night was nearly over and Seth’s exhaustion beat his nerves to put him to sleep. Even though they were all in the house together again, no man shared a bed. Dean was still holed up in the guest room and Roman plopped down on his own mattress, slightly surprised when Seth didn’t join him.

“I’d just end up waking you, I gotta go in a few hours,” Seth chuckled. “Nah, the couch is fine.”

“There’s extra guard shirts in the closet,” Roman offered, quick to accept a hug goodnight. “Thank you… seriously… I dunno-”

“It’s fine,” Seth assured him.

“Tomorrow we’ll get it all sorted out,” Roman mumbled, looking at the clock. “Well, today... actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little arguments. Little bubble bath. Seth is actually a good boyfriend and has his shit together? What's happening???
> 
> Thanks for bearing with me through the Iowa chapters, I know it's not as exciting, sticking the main character with essentially a handful of OC's. But the holidays are OVER and so now things will be more typical in the established AU sense. 
> 
> Next week: Seth pulls out all the stops to cover for his boyfriends. Does he have the mental capacity to make everything work? Is Dean okay? Can Roman pull it together? 
> 
> Review! Bookmark! Subscribe!


	84. Lifeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth works hard for his boys. Sasha and Cesaro are great friends.

"So how do you feel about all of it?"

Seth's hands trembled slightly, mostly due to all the coffee he'd slammed in an effort to be as awake as possible for his shift. Sasha was sitting in the guard stand, floored by everything he'd relayed to her about his New Year's trip and the subsequent confusion of arriving home and finding both of his boyfriends in distress. 

"Don't tell  _ anyone _ ." Seth yawned. "But this morning… well… when I left. Dean was  _ crying _ . He's really out of it."

Sasha frowned, still keeping her focus on the swimmers in front of them, but her gaze shifted momentarily to look at Seth sympathetically.

"He said that because he was so apathetic and tired, he just had stopped taking his other meds too, like the ones that help him with anxiety or something," Seth continued, recalling the conversation they’d had that morning. He'd been quickly grazing over his chin with Roman's beard trimmer when Dean had wandered by to stand listlessly in the bathroom doorway, watching him.

"Hey," Seth had said, his voice choked slightly from sleep. Immediately, Dean had screwed up has face and actually sobbed. 

"I'm-m s-s-sorry-" he cried, staring at the floor. "I d-din't mean to yell and I- I'm s-sorry-"

Seth had never seen Dean so completely broken and it was a particularly alarming thing to witness. Nothing about him felt correct. There was no life or bounce to him, his body seemed hunched and pale, and the sort of cocky confidence that always played over his face was entirely absent. Sure that he was going to be slightly late for work anyway, Seth just pulled Dean into a hug, rubbing his shoulders. 

"I dunno if you can see a doc today, but I think they can help, yeah?" Seth suggested, running his hands through Dean's hair the way he liked. "Me and Uce are bad at this."

Dean just nodded and allowed himself to be guided into Roman's room where the larger man was still sleeping and snoring loud. Seth woke him lightly, and Dean sank into bed next to him, sobbing again as he apologized to Roman.

"I love you both, okay?" Seth said, managing an awkwardly executed three way hug. "I'll be back tonight. Just… do what you gotta do to get back on track, yeah?"

"Okay, but I asked how _ you _ were," Sasha repeated. "All of that family stuff and that thing with your friend happening, are you gonna be okay?"

"I'm fine." Seth shrugged, feeling his heart race uncomfortably from caffeine. "It's… it's a lot, It's not fun. I would have rather not started my year like this, but I think it kinda comes with the territory, if you will. They've stuck up for me when I've been a big emotional mess of a human being, why wouldn't I do that for them?"

"Yeah, but…" Sasha adjusted the strap on her tube. "You don't think Roman's an alcoholic or anything, do you?"

"Not… not like  _ that, _ " Seth said waving to one of the regular swimmers as they came down the deck. "I think he just sort of leans on it when he's stressed out."

"Time for sober January." Sasha grinned. "Well, hey, it seems like you're doing the right thing. I just think I'd be freaking out if I had two boyfriends who were both on the fritz."

It was good to be back at work where everything was straight forward to the point of being boring. Sasha agreed to take off her tube at nine and run Roman's bootcamp class, but as the lap swimmer ratio stayed high, she began to wonder if it might be smart to call in a second guard. Seth didn't want to raise any eyebrows, guarding too many swimmers at once, but he also didn't want the embarrassment of his co-workers asking him about Roman.

"I have to go, I got plans." Dolph frowned, watching Sasha pull out the boombox, setting it up on the bench at the far side of the pool. "But hey! I wonder if Finn's busy?"

"Can he guard yet?" Seth asked, shooting Dolph a sideways glance as some of the regulars in the class began to file in. 

"He's starting back up again soon, I wasn't sure when," Dolph said, grabbing the walkie talkie and putting his mouth to the receiver. "Hey Finn?"

"Yeah?" Finn's voice crackled back.

"Yeah, we got a lot of folks in the lap pool right now, if Seth gets over ratio, could you could hop in?"

"Oh! Yeah, that should be okay. I was jus' taking down tha Christmas lights!" Finn said. Seth grabbed the walkie from Dolph, who nodded, making his way to the office. 

"I'll let you know, thanks Finn," Seth mumbled.

"No problem, Seff."

The headcounts stayed consistently around twenty-two or so, and Seth never ended up needing to call down any assistance, but it was nice to know that they were easily able to cover the hole that Roman had left in his absence. The students of the class were noticeably unenthused with Sasha as a teacher, but followed along, whispering among themselves what they thought of the minute differences in the class structure. Seth smiled, drinking from his water bottle and pacing around the pool. Despite  _ not  _ being a hunky, long haired Samoan man, Sasha was a great instructor. 

"Bicycle kick!" Sasha cheered, holding up her arms for a three count. The swimmers shifted, coming out of an underwater jumping jack set to begin traveling across the pool. 

Around noon, Becky and Alexa came in to relieve them, and Seth immediately went to his phone, intent to check up on his boyfriends to see how they were spending their day. He didn't expect Dean to be able to meet with a doctor right away, but he thought dismally about what he might have to do if he came home and found Roman drunk again. Sasha's suspicions about some latent addiction issues weren't unfounded, but Seth was hopeful that his boyfriend would be more communicative about his issues.

Luckily, that seemed to be the case.

**Taking Dean into a wellness clinic** Roman had messaged him only an hour or so after Seth had left.  **Think he can maybe get a referral if he can't get seen right away.** Then around eleven-  **We got in! :)**

Dean had sent his own version of events and Seth's heart fluttered. He plopped down at the break room table, unable to stop his face from heating up with happiness.

**I got some drugs** Dean said simply, showing a blurry photo of a prescription bottle  **Love u thank u for helping**

**I love u!** Seth sent back  **Glad everything got figured out so quick!** Cesaro came into the break room and grinned, happy to see his friend again for the first time in the new year.

"Hey my man!" He clapped Seth on the back, throwing down a large box of cookies n' cream Quest bars. "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you too!" Seth chirped, unable to stop looking at his phone for long. Roman appeared to be typing something in their group conversation.

"You just get done?" Cesaro asked. "I was in P-pool, but I was going to go workout, would you like to come?"

"God, I want to," Seth moaned, feeling vaguely weak and wobbly after so many days away from the Box. "I'm actually covering for Roman AND Dean today though. I was just going to take a break before I do some paperwork stuff. You don't wanna go later tonight?"

"I… maybe could…" Cesaro frowned. "They are sick?"

"No… no… it's a long story..." Seth sighed. Roman finished typing-

**Were running some errands and will make a nice meal tonight. You dont have to do any office stuff for me, AJ will be all crabby about it so I can just finish it later this week :)**

"Oh!" Seth smirked. "Fuck it, let's go workout!"

Apparently Cesaro's New Year's had been similarly hectic. He and Neville had gone out to a bar to celebrate, and a woman named Laura had glued herself to his side sometime around midnight, tipsy and easy to woo. Seth was eager to congratulate him on getting a New Year's lay.

"It was…" Cesaro laughed. "It will not happen again, I felt bad about leaving Neville, but he seemed to not care very much."

"Still though! I'm surprised you aren't raking in females constantly with the way you look," Seth complimented. Both of them blushed, just slightly bashful, but soon enough Seth went into his whole account of his trip and the subsequent boyfriend trouble he'd dealt with. The day was rather humid and the sky was grey as they parked in their usual spot. As they got out of the car, Seth yawned widely, shaking his head.

"Do you think you will move back to Iowa then?" Cesaro pondered, grabbing his bag from the back. "That is very generous of your grandfather."

"Yeah… well…" Seth sighed. "It's tricky, I definitely don't want to get rid of that property, but I definitely don't know what I'd do with it. Besides," he said, squinting in the sun, "it's… gross to think about. My grandpa is fine right now. I don't think I'll buy a house  _ here _ or anything, but I don't think I need to think about it at the moment, you know?"

"Yes, of course." 

The WOD was a series of hanging power cleans with burpee box jumps, and Seth felt relieved to be back in his happy place. They warmed up with some double unders, and despite his general exhaustion, Seth hummed as he grabbed a jump rope and began to bounce on the balls of his feet. It had been a while since he worked out, and his chest cramped slightly as he drew breath, but he huffed and doubled his efforts.

Really, everything would have been great if he hadn't done the box jumps. Just two reps in, Seth whined, feeling the familiar wobbling in his right knee. He'd hoped after taking a little break, his tendons might have healed up and sorted themselves out. But then, Seth never bothered to give his legs the stretch they needed before putting his body through the CrossFit wringer. He stumbled slightly, looking over to where Cesaro was hopping away from his box and plummeting down into a burpee. Seth grit his teeth, standing up to full height and jumping to the top of his box.

He finished last, which wasn't really the worst thing in the world, but it did make him feel a little dismal about having to return to work and cover Dean's private lessons. It was completely understandable, considering he'd taken some time off, but as the trainer shut off the music, he felt weird hearing how loud he was breathing.

"Good job Seth!" Ian, the trainer cheered. Seth rolled his eyes, slumping to sit down on top of his box, gasping for breath after finishing his last burpee. His whole body was burning, but his legs were numb from all the bursts of movement.

"When did you have to get back?" Cesaro asked, tossing him his water. 

"T-three… yeah…" Seth panted, guzzling from his bottle and mopping his sweaty face. "Least… I'm just… gettin' in the pool…" 

Cesaro didn't mind hanging around for a moment for Seth to catch his breath, making himself look busy by investigating some locally sourced pre-workout drinks. Wiping his sweaty hands on his shorts, Seth checked his phone, happy to see more messages in his inbox.

He was unable to stifle a choked noise, seeing a picture of Kevin outside, settled on the porch mat that sat by the screen door. His eyes were winking and small, obviously pleased.

**House is gettin clean** Dean had texted about an hour ago. There was a second picture of Dean wearing sunglasses, sitting at the glass table and smoking a cigarette. Crispy was standing on the table, looking flustered and pecking at a ball of yarn.

Seth didn't have much to say in response, but sent along several heart emojis. Checking the group chat, Roman had added his own updates as well.

**I made myself a doctors appointment for this weekend also**

**I talked to my mom on the phone for a bit n we had a good conversation. I think a lot of the fam drama over NYE was because Rosey was drunk too and my mom was pissed off about what he said. She wants to come visit at the end of the month and i think it will be good**

**She says she feels bad about xmas and says it was good to meet u and thinks ur really sweet.**

**Good!!!** Seth replied, shaking his head as a drop of sweat fell on his screen display. He thought to take a photo, turning on his camera, but he looked like such a mess he actually laughed.

"Selfie time?" Cesaro asked, walking over and sipping from a recovery drink. Seth made a nasally noise, setting his phone down on the box and wiping his nose.

"Nah, nah…" he sniffed. "I'm good… we can bounce outta here."

The car ride was quiet, but mostly just because Seth was so tired and sucked into his phone. Dean sent a few pictures along of Crispy and Seth grinned to himself, leaning back far in his seat and feeling a rolling, calming relief wash over him as he refreshed the conversation again and again. Cesaro, out of habit, pulled into the starbucks drive thru, looking to Seth curiously while he continued to smile stupidly.

"So, things are better now?" He asked, taking a sip of his water bottle and tapping the steering wheel. Seth shrugged, sitting up a little straighter. He probably should get some more coffee, but he wasn't sure how much good it would do him.

"Gettin' there," he said. "Dean went to the doctor and Roman's talked to his family again. Seems like they're making the most of the time I was able to give them."

"That's good," Cesaro nodded. "When you called me… at the airport, I was worried. You sounded not-okay."

"Yeah, no, I… probably wasn't, but I think it's all figuring itself out now." Seth licked his lips. He really shouldn't be purchasing coffees at that moment. His bank account was still dangerously low.

"Do you think... you will talk to Dean?" Cesaro asked awkwardly. "I do not mean to sound weird, except, it is a sort of… not an okay thing to do… to go off your medication when you are in a relationship like that. And he lives with Roman… but then he did not tell Roman?" Cesaro's brow furrowed, but he didn't look at Seth, poking his wallet instead. "How do you feel about that?"

"Not… great," Seth blinked. "But… he's Dean. It's a hard thing to convince him of, that we actually care about him and we don't want to just bother him."

"If I were you, I would be concerned I think." Cesaro said, waving his hands. "Maybe I am wrong, but… you must wonder, right? What if he does something very wrong, but then does not tell you? Dean is not a bad guy, but what if he… I dunno…" 

"What?" Seth laughed. "You mean other drugs or something?"

"No, well, not just that," Cesaro blushed, pulling the car forward. "I'm being absurd…"   


"I wanna hear it!" Seth set down his phone, giving his friend his full attention. "I know you're not a jerk, just say it."

"Well, what if he does something else that is very… outlandish and does not tell you?" Cesaro offered, clearly trying to chose his words carefully. "What if he… abruptly leaves and does not tell you or borrows something of yours that is not okay? Maybe... " he laughed nervously. "I do not think Dean is mean, but… what if he hides something from you because he does not want to deal with telling you?"

"Well…" Seth fidgeted with his beard. "I think… I don't think he would ever do that, only because he's only guarded about himself. I think he understands other boundaries, he just doesn't want others to worry about him."

"I see." Cesaro said, "But then, I still suppose there are other things that could come up." 

"He… he has trust issues," Seth agreed, feeling slightly anxious. "But I knew that getting into it. I dunno if it's something I can expect him to get better at, but I think… naturally… over time…"

Without a word, Cesaro purchased him a latte, pressing the cup into Seth's hands and grinning. Seth sipped graciously, wondering what he would do without such a kind friend.

"I never knew Dean to be with anyone before, but then, I don't know him very well," Cesaro said, quickly pulling out of the lot and heading back in the direction of work. "But even in this short time, he seems much different. For the better."

"Yeah? Oh… cool," Seth mumbled, licking the top of his coffee container. "That's good."   


"And you seem much happier." 

"Shuddup."

"But I mean it!"

Cesaro dropped him off by the entrance of White Water, intent on going home to get some food. Seth's own stomach rumbled gratingly, but all he had time to do was slam his coffee and quickly snack on a quest bar from the break room. Dean had two lessons over the next three hours, and presumably some of his own paperwork to finish up. At four, Kevin was going to backwash the pools, making them much colder. It might wake him up a little more, but mostly Seth just wanted to go home and sleep.

**Were making pulled pork for dinner just tell us when ur getting home** Roman messaged him just before he was about to go home. Seth moaned, his mouth watering as he picked up his bag with his rash guard and swim suit, just a few more hours…

He turned the corner and ducked into Dean's office to grab the clipboard with the lesson sheet attached. No sooner had he stepped inside, he realized Hunter was standing in front of the computer, looking slightly confused.

"Dean around?" He asked, turning to see Seth. Both men blushed slightly, the memories of the incident in AJ's office still fresh enough in their minds.

"Oh… he's not…" Seth thought quickly. "He's out today, did he not… tell you?"

"He might've," Hunter grunted, padding the cellphone in his back pocket carefully. "Are you… covering his lessons then?"

"Yeah, it's all taken care of." 

Hunter bit his lip and Seth stepped forward, sure the data he needed was right behind Hunter's back. He wasn't sure how much he should tell Hunter about the situation, but he didn't want to get on the bad side of management again after his incident. At his old job, is was fairly commonplace to trade shifts around without mentioning it to the boss, but Seth supposed that because Dean was management, there might be an issue.

"Say, you're an LGI," Hunter noted, scratching his nose. "What are you doing after those lessons?"

"N-not much." Seth muttered, feeling his stomach angrily cramp.

"I was going to have Dean work with me and Randy for the next inservice bit, but if you're willing, it could save me the effort of having to reschedule it," Hunter explained. "Red Cross just put out some updates for quick outs and backboarding, so on Sunday, we're going to have to run through the new procedure."

"How long… do you think?" Seth asked, "It's not a big deal, I was just… sorta hungry."

"I'll get ya a sandwich if ya stay." Hunter winked, smiling wide. "Whatever you like. Probably won't be more than forty five minutes or so."

"Sure, yeah." Seth nodded. "I'll help."   


Hunter clapped him on the back and made his way out of the office and Seth wiggled his nose, looking to his phone. He really felt like he owed Hunter and the higher-ups some favors after the fiasco with AJ and Dean, plus he really needed the hours plugged onto his time card. If it helped Dean out and gave him more money, it was for the best.

Still though, Seth couldn't stop yawning despite all the coffee he'd drank and his knee wobbled awfully with each step he took. Sitting down in the men's locker room, rummaging through his bag for his rash guard, Seth found his knee brace and pulled it on instinctually, wondering if chlorine would harm the material at all. 

"I wanna go hooome." He yawned to himself, shaking his head hard and rubbing his eyes. He still hadn't even been to his actual apartment yet, and he had the feeling he'd be so exhausted that night he wouldn't want to leave Roman's house to drive. Thankfully, he'd brought Kevin's whole bag of dog food this time. 

**Brownie ice cream or cookie dough** Roman texted him. Seth's fingers shook slightly as he thumbed out his reply.

**Its all good. Be home late.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to post this earlyish because I'm so hype for Ride Along tonight and I don't want to stay up late XD 
> 
> Thanks to the folks that are still commenting and making me feel the love- I feel like WWE fandom is hibernating a little bit, which is a natural progression it seems, but I'm not going to quit doing this. Ride or die for TTR.
> 
> Next week: Is everything just knitting together like that? What's all these new procedures? How bad is Seth's dye job at this point?


	85. Table for 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth spends the better part of the week at Roman's house. Who's looking after who here?

The week quickly became so busy that Seth didn't actually return home until Thursday, but after much insistence from Roman that it was perfectly alright for him to stay, he didn't feel too bad about it. Seth's apartment was still bare of any food he could make into meals, and he became rather anxious watching his money dwindle dangerously low in his bank account. He could put a couple things on his credit card if he absolutely had to, but Roman and Dean genuinely seemed to want to keep him around, lavishing him with affection whenever he was at the house. 

On the first night when Seth returned back from work after his long day, he was relieved to find the house impeccably clean and smelling of pulled pork and vegetables. Kevin was snuggled into the couch and Dean was sitting on the floor, drumming his hands and putting together knitted squares for a blanket. The moment Seth set down his bag, he sprang up and growled, pulling him into a hug and kissing his forehead.

"Feeling better?" Seth laughed as Dean kept pressing his lips to his face, much like a drinking bird. 

"Yeah, they told me to wait till tomorrow to take the meds, but I already took the other ones so I just took the Addy at lunch and now I probably won't sleep tonight." He smirked. "Whatever though."

It was hard to scold his boyfriend when he looked so happy and energetic again, a far cry from how he'd been behaving just that morning. Dean was as twitchy as he used to be, eyes darting and fingers fidgeting as he held onto Seth's sides, but Seth just smiled, kissing him back.

Roman drank iced tea with dinner, doling himself a smaller portion of food than usual as he passed the serving tray around the table. Seth didn't think it was his imagination, watching both men gazing at him with a sort of benign joy, talking about work and discussing their plans to start the year off right.

Newly medicated, Dean talked the most, quick and manic, scraping his silverware on his dish loudly.

"Renee wants me to do some book club thing." He snorted, chewing loudly. "I dunno if it's a club or just a giveaway thing, but if I read a book a month then I can get entered into this raffle where they give away prizes. But really, I just wanna get my craft things figured out, I gotta finish that blanket and send it to Crystal, and then I gotta get a couple more kinds of yarn and needles if I wanna do some other stuff."

"Chicken stuff," Roman suggested.

"Yeah, well, that or like, a _ hat _ ." Dean shrugged. "Wear it a couple times before it's warm as hell again."

"Would you wanna do that triathlon?" Seth asked, yawning against his cup of water. 

"Oh yeah-" Dean nodded, Roman cleared his throat, pushing his plate forward.

"I want to try  _ too _ ," Roman said quietly. "I don't think I'll make a great time, but I figure I can try to get back in the gym some and see what's possible."

"That would be great!" Seth beamed. "We should train at the Box! It's great metabolic training. If you didn't want to do the lifts, I guess that's fine, but I always think they're fun."

"Yeah maybe," Roman said, slightly skeptically. "I got a gym membership too I can use. I'm going to go to a doctor this weekend too and see what they think. I haven't had a physical in a bit, but I dunno if it's a bad idea to maybe talk to a therapist or something too, just to help me…" He picked at his goatee carefully. "...Well, I talked to a family therapist back when I was in college and It wasn't a great experience, but I do think I need to find a better way to deal with my family."

"Not a bad idea," Seth echoed. He knew he probably looked a wreck- knew his eyes were half lidded and droopy. His hair was still damp from the pool, falling out of his knot in a frizzy mess after he'd taught and then practiced the new lifeguard skills. However, Dean and Roman didn't seem to think he looked unkempt at all. Sympathetic to his exhaustion, they picked up his plate when he finished and pulled him into bed before Seth had to make up an excuse. 

"Thanks a bunch for everything," Roman purred, settling him in his usual spot, tucked into his armpit. Dean said something similar, rubbing his shoulder and pulling the blankets over them. Seth thought he'd accepted their thanks, but all he could remember were his boyfriends giggling as he started to snore. 

Seth was happy, but his mind was still loaded and he was incredibly cautious, keeping a close eye on his lovers as they returned to work. He stayed quiet throughout the week, eager to listen and quick to keep his mouth closed whenever as he felt complaints kicking against his teeth. Compared to Dean and Roman, Seth just didn't think he had much to whine about, even if he was a little tired and sore.

"I think my mom's going to come down on the 30th," Roman said, marking his refrigerator calendar with a red sharpie. Seth scratched his chest as he continued eating leftovers from a rubbermaid container. Dean was at the library, so Seth and Roman decided to catch up on football a little later.  

"What do you think?" Seth swallowed. "Excited?"

"Yeah actually, my mom's not bad on her own," Roman explained. "I told her we'd go out to dinner one night, that sound okay?"

"Of course."

Thursday night, after working out, Seth packed up his bag and Kevin's toys, picking all of his stray laundry out of the dryer and tugging his brace back over his knee. Since he'd returned home and jumped back into working out, he'd just started wearing the brace all the time, annoyed with fussing with it. At the pool, patrons had noticed and asked him with concern, sure he'd been in some sort of accident.

"It's okay, I just have hyper-mobile knees," he’d explained for the tenth time as Wendy gave him a curious look, her mouth scrunched in a frown.

Dean and Roman had noticed Seth favoring his left, but hadn't said much about it. It was well understood that CrossFit was one of his main joys in existing, so much so that Cesaro was commonly referred to as his  _ exercise wife _ . But after all of the ice had been depleted that evening for a cold pack, Dean frowned, coming into the living room with a glass of air-temperature water.

"You should take a break," he suggested, watching Seth massaging his patella hopelessly on the couch. He'd leave that night after dinner, but Roman was running a little late with his private lesson, so both men were snacking and relaxing. 

"Davenport  _ was _ my break," Seth muttered, sinking back and crossing his arms. For a few weeks now, everything had just felt unstable inside the joint., After working out, there'd been some pain and swelling, but mostly, he just felt like he had to concentrate extra hard to keep his leg from wobbling out from underneath him. Ever since Seth had nearly fallen down the stairs at the apartment, something had been slightly off, but he could still walk and jump around if he had to, so he didn't think much of it.

Seth made to fold his legs in as Dean came to sit on the couch, but Dean grabbed his ankles and eased them onto his lap, smoothing the leg fuzz that wound its way around his ankle.

"Ticklish?" Dean asked, grabbing the moisturizer bottle Roman always left in the living room. Seth blinked, not following.

"What? A little." 

Dean began warming the lotion in his hands and Seth's shoulders sunk as his boyfriend began rubbing the pool-hardened callouses on the pad of his foot, easing lotion around and pressing hard to massage the muscle. Seth purred, going limp in all of a few seconds. He'd never actually gotten a foot massage before. 

"I didn't know you could do thaaaaat," Seth sighed, squeaking a little as Dean teased him, rubbing an errant finger in between his toes. 

"Roman's better, but I practice," Dean said quietly. "You need it anyway."

"My  _ knee _ hurts not my foot," Seth chuckled, starting slightly as Dean lightly poked his joint, rubbing a little circle of lotion over it.

"That hurt?"

"No, it's not like that, it's just  _ weird _ ."

"Maybe you should go to a doctor," Dean offered, rolling his hands around Seth's heel. "Sorta seems like if you're hobblin' around this bad, you might wanna… dial back a little…"

Seth's eyes narrowed slightly, only because it felt like Roman's words. Dean looked away, obviously not wanting to seem forceful, but still, Seth's mouth twitched.

"I need to figure out my insurance first," Seth diverted, "It's not  _ that _ bad, my knees have always been garbage, it's just that I do a lot with them and I don't like taking Ibuprofen constantly."

"Mmm." 

"I haven't been whining about it, have I?"

"No," Dean snorted. "But we ain' got no ice is all."

"I refilled the tray!"

"Yeah but it's not _ ice _ yet," Dean snickered. "I seem to remember a certain _ someone _ thinking I needed to go to the doctor and _ I _ went." 

"That was  _ so _ different man," Seth scoffed. "I'm getting around just fine. What do you want me to do? Workout less? We got that triathlon to train for!"

Dean had sunk lower over Seth as he became testy, leaning in to plant a kiss over his forehead just as Seth inhaled, pink in the face.

"If I don't CrossFit I lose my perfect butt," Seth reasoned, giggling as Dean kissed him sloppily on his eyebrow. "Do you understand how important that is?"

"I'm very… sensitive… to your needs."

" _ Well _ …" Seth licked his lips, slightly cross eyed from staring at Dean's low, half lidded expression. "What I really need is a  _ dick _ ..." 

"Certainly, dear."

Seth's first lay of the New Year was amazing, and it was such a relief to see Dean, alert and fully aroused as he ever was. Both men scrambled to tear each other's clothes off, mouths fighting until they were fucking across the side of the couch, just as impassioned as the first time they'd done it, but significantly louder and dirtier.

"Hit it there, THERE- oh fuck-" Seth cried, knotting his hands in the throw blanket on the back of the couch as Dean howled, coming fast into his ass and sliding his sweaty toes around the floor where he stood. Seth gasped, mouth open as his knees rolled around on the cushions, just slightly uncomfortable. 

"Here baby,  _ here _ ," Dean mouthed breathlessly, whipping wet hair out of his eyes and guiding Seth’s ass down to sit on top of Dean's cock, taking all the pressure of his legs.

Roman arrived home just as Seth was crying and begging, laying back into Dean as he felt his neck being sucked on viciously. Roman made an amused noise, throwing his keys on the table when Seth came thick ribbons of come across his belly and Dean's legs, his jaw hung open and his eyes wide. were wide and labored.

"What's up Uce?" Dean chuckled, patting Seth's leg and accidentally sticking his fingers in a fleck of come. Without thought, he simply wiped it on Seth's side, earning a playful smack.

"Not much… was gunna… make some gumbo." He snorted. "Work up an appetite?"

Dinner was such a simple activity between the three of them now, with each of them falling into their roles with a sort of mindless ease. After taking a quick shower, Dean went out to check on Crispy and cleaned dishes as Roman dirtied them, occasionally making room in the sink to rinse some vegetables. Seth dried his hair and made up supper for his dog, then cleaned off the table and readied it to be set. Over the consecutive days he'd been staying, he learned that Roman liked to drink iced tea or water, and Dean usually drank a soda over some ice, unless a pitcher of fruit juice was in the refrigerator.

Seth made a water for himself, and set their spots. He always sat across from Roman, and Dean liked to sit on the end so he could sit in any fidgety, weird way he wanted. The sun began to set and Kevin padded over to sit by the screen door after he ate, snoozing in the last beam of light to creep through the house as the radio serenaded them.

The dinner topics had been Roman and Dean's issues, which was to say, how they were working through the things that were bothering them. It was painless and organic enough, and everyday Dean discussed how he was feeling about his new medication. It was a significantly smaller dosage than he'd had before, which was to counteract some of the side effects he'd found particularly annoying. Each evening, he mostly reported that he was feeling fine emotionally, though more tired than he was used to.

Last night, Roman had talked about how he was planning to lose some of his Christmas weight by eating out less, and Dean and Seth just nodded, quick to assure Roman that they didn't really notice he'd gained much at all anyway.

But as they got settled that night, Seth's phone rang and he paused, seeing the display on his screen light up with his mother's name. He answered quickly, sure that he could just let her know to call him back.

"Hey ma, I was just about to eat," he said, walking into the other room to save his lover's’ listening for the radio. 

"Oh, yes! I'm sorry, I forgot the time difference, silly me," Holly said quickly. "I just wanted to see if you'd looked into your work's health insurance yet."

"Oh!" Seth's heart sunk, feeling stupid. "I- t-talked to my boss, he said he was going to bring up all the paperwork tomorrow for me to look at!" he lied quickly, grimacing at his feet. 

"Perfect! Just let me know what's up then," Holly sighed, "Can you just call me back tomorrow? I'll be free in the evening."

"For sure mom," Seth said, biting his lip. "I'll get it all sorted."

Half way through his gumbo, Seth looked to Dean and Roman guiltily, wondering what exactly they had for coverage. Since he'd known both of them to go and see a physician of some sort, neither had really complained of any out-of-pocket costs, so he assumed they must have something worthwhile. Seth hadn't talked to either of them about his trip home, about his grandfather's wishes or Jimmy's inappropriate behavior, least of all his money issues. 

"I need to figure out some new health insurance, since I'm aging out of my parent's," Seth said simply, wiping his mouth on a napkin. "You guys pay for White Water's insurance? Is is any good?"

"I do." Roman nodded. "I get great coverage with it, at least I think. I've only ever gone to clinics nearby and they've always taken me. Maybe if I had to go to a specialist or something, I might have to travel, but it seems pretty comprehensive."

"Oh, nice." Seth felt relief, leaning in. "How much is your monthly fee thing then?"

"I… dunno…" Roman squinted. Seth watched as his cheeks turned slightly pink. "I don't… pay it… my dad does…"

"Really?" Seth couldn't help himself. Roman frowned, shrugging. "Sorry…"

"I feel like it's probably a couple hundred, I could find out if you wanted."

"O-oh," he swallowed, looking sheepish.

"Were you thinking of seeing a doctor?" Roman asked, his gaze unmistakably shooting to the table where Seth's legs were resting under. Dean smacked his lips, spooking Kevin who was licking something on the floor.

"No, not right away at least." Seth mumbled. "I just need to get it figured out so I don't go uninsured. The plan my parents have is too expensive for me to afford by myself." He drank from his glass, looking into his food, darkly. "Couple hundred is probably about the same."

"There might be some partial coverage options, you could look into it." Roman said, "But… yeah, stuff like that is never cheap."

"Mine's cheap." Dean quipped, petting Kevin's head. "I don't pay shit."

"You have partial coverage or somethin'?" Seth asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nope." Dean sniffed. "I got state insurance. Pretty much what the poor people get. I think I technically make too much money, but when I showed the lady at the office what Hunter was chargin', she got me on a plan that gets me a bunch of stuff."

"What is it?" Seth brightened up.

"Something like… Sola Care." Dean rummaged in his wallet, pulling out an old, beaten up laminated card, handing it to Seth. "You get dental… some vision discounts. Probably a bunch of free shit if you have kids or you're a pregnant chick, but I just use it for the urgent care stuff." Dean continued to eat, completely unfazed by Seth's excitement. "They don't give me much discounts on meds though, which sucks."

"How do I get this?" Seth asked, "Do you think I'd qualify?"

"Probably, I dunno," Dean said. "I just got the info from work about their insurance and went to the health office for the county. I think it's right by work."

Seth still wanted to check on whatever White Water's insurance plans were, but was relieved to find some sort of coverage that wouldn't cost him money he didn't have. He was a little apprehensive about signing up for a government plan, but knew he couldn't be too choosy since his options were limited. After finishing up his meal, Seth gathered Kevin in his arms and looked around, trying to remember if he'd forgotten anything.

"Do you _gotttttta_ go?" Roman asked playfully, picking him up in his arms and squeezing him hard from behind. Seth made an indecisive noise, making sure Kevin didn't spill out of his arms. Dean stopped washing dishes and watched carefully, drying his hands.

"Not like I wanna or anything." Seth shrugged. "Except I'm still paying rent somewhere."

"Just get bed bugs." Dean snorted. 

"Ha Ha Ha."

"Well, we'll miss you lil' Uce."

"Where am I going? I'm seeing you tomorrow!" Seth laughed, pulling his roller bag in closer. 

"Fine,  _ don't  _ miss us." Roman pressed a raspberry to his forehead, "But seriously, I love you a bunch."

"I love you too," Seth said, pressing his face in close and breathing in Roman's heady shampoo smell. "We should all workout this weekend together sometime. If you want."

"That might be fun," Roman rubbed his back. "I wanna get laid too."

"Definitely."

Dean butted in, petting Kevin's head and joining into the man scramble, crudely grabbing a handful of Seth's behind, as though to get in all the groping he'd miss with a night apart.

"Thanks babe." He said gruffly. "We promise not to go crazy without you."

"Thanks for that," Seth laughed, trembling from the happiness of having both of his boys pressed against his frame. "Okay, if you don't let go... I'm not gonna be able to leave..." 

It was difficult to get back to the apartment complex, but Seth knew he had to. There was a moment in which Seth actually thought,  _ hell, I'll just stay here… _ but he shook his head, sure he wanted to have his own guard shirt and trunks for work the next day. Driving home, it struck him how incredibly easy it had all been, coming and going, having moments of sweetness in the evening where Dean would get him a glass of water or Roman would scoop him up in his arms to relocate him on the couch. Their shared bed was infinitely more comfortable than Seth's mattress, and Kevin loved being able to run around in a backyard space, sniffing around with Crispy outside.

_Maybe someday we'll all be under one roof_ , Seth thought wearily, parking in his spot in the underground garage and pulling his bag out of the trunk. Kevin scooted to the elevator door, but the OUT OF ORDER sign that had been hung since Christmas was still taped to the beaten up steel. 

"Seriously?" Seth whined, testing his knee slightly as he went for the stairs, pushing the handle on the bag down so he could pick it up from the strap. "C'mon Kev."

By the time he'd made it to his door on the third floor, he'd already received a goodnight text in his, Roman's and Dean's shared group chat. He huffed, setting his bag down to consider the message before pulling his keys out of his pocket to unlock his door. Seth knew his mailbox was probably overflowing with coupons and other crap, but he could handle it later.

Pushing the door open, he found a notice had been slid under his doorway at some point while he was gone. Kevin skipped inside, barking softly and running circles in the living space. Seth frowned, stooping and turning the lights on so he could see. Everything felt a little over-warm and stuffy.

**Sigmund Partners LLC**

JANUARY 2nd,

On behalf of Sigmund Partners LLC, we would like to wish you happy New Year!

**Tenant: SETH ROLLINS unit 308**

As of  _ FEBRUARY 1st _ , your rent will be increased **$80.95** as part of our renovation projects this summer. If you would like additional information about these charges, please contact our rental office between 9-5 on weekdays. 

Thank you!

Seth groaned, crumpling the paper in his hand, feeling all the warm fuzziness of his evening draining from his mind. He'd supposed he's manage somehow, but he'd never been so poor as he was at that moment, and it seemed as though there wasn't much of an end in sight.    
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For spending my weekend out of town on a mini vacation, I'd say I whipped out a pretty good chapter.
> 
> Thanks for the cool reviews! I always get a little freaked out at this point when someone says they just found this fic in a night or something- please for the love of god, don't hurt your eyes like that! I appreciate it, but man, stay safe you crazy diamonds.
> 
> Next week! I'll probably forget what I wrote here and maybe not address it! An Inservice will probably happen! Sex might happen! Seth will worry about something! 
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	86. Improper Procedure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The January Inservice and a trip to Eskimo Joes. Chickens don't fly, but can an old dogs learn new tricks? Seth, Dean and Roman have sex with each other.

"Like that, yeah, and then just raise the board slowly…"

"E how are you so friggen' huge?" Xavier struggled with the backboard, grabbing the handle and the enormous thickness of E's wrist. 

"I'm workin' with you right now, if I was really dead, y'all would be toast."

"Well, thanks for that." Kofi snorted, holding onto the wall to help Xavier and situate the board properly from the deck. Seth watched, his own hair soaking as he observed their work. Dressed in his instructors shirt and holding a clipboard, he'd agreed to help Hunter run the inservice for the Sunday section. The three men cycled out as soon as E was on the deck, and Cesaro sat on the gutter, watching them.

“I just know I did not get employee of the month again.” Cesaro groaned. “So busy with January clients… I am barely here.”

“Huh?” Seth turned. He hadn’t been listening, too busy glancing over at Randy teaching the other guards the new method. Dean was still keeping his distance, quickly performing his rescue on Baron and hauling him up the deck. 

“We good?” Kofi asked. “I didn’t do the swimming portion yet.”   


“Oh yeah, you guys are fine.” Seth checked them off. “Good job, if you wanted to practice any in-line stabilization-”

But it was too late, as Xavier had tackled E underwater and the three were all running through the shallows to the lane lines, laughing and splashing. Cesaro sighed, sliding in and grabbing the backboard.

The inservice was a longer one, as it was the first meeting of the new year and aside from the new Red Cross skills, Hunter seemed to be very serious about getting everyone ‘on the same page’ for a lot of things around the workplace. It was now six-thirty and P-pool was empty except for all the guards floating around, waiting to practice their skills. Seth had met up with Dean early on in the day to go to the county office and see about getting some health insurance, but because it was the weekend, the offices were closed.

“It says they got an internet page,” Dean remarked, poking at the poorly laminated sign on the window by their hours. Seth brought the page up on his phone, looking carefully.

“Looks like I can just sign up on here.” He raised his eyebrows. “Just need copies of my bank statements… 90 days of paychecks… I could print the forms at work.”   


Holly and Bob didn’t seem terribly sold on the concept of their son having a state plan, eager to shoot holes in his ideas with nagging questions. On Friday, Seth had sat down in Hunter’s office, paging through the unreadable dreck that was the company’s insurance handbook (a binder the thickness of a metropolitan phone book). After verifying the price was out of his range, Seth called his mother to simply let her know he was planning to investigate Sola Care.

“But, if it’s a government plan, you’ll probably have to wait to see a doctor if you really need one,” she said sternly over the phone. “I’ve heard about these plans that the state cobbles together- it always seems like a good idea, but really your network might be non existent! There are some real horror stories-”   


“Mom, I’m telling you right now, I don’t really  _ have _ any other options, okay?” Seth said, a little more forcefully than he would have liked. “Dean’s been on it for a while now and he recommended it to me and chances are it’ll be on a sliding scale or something so I can actually afford it. I’m trying my best here.”

“Well how much are you making down there?” Holly asked defensively. “You’ve got rent, you’ve got your phone and your car insurance-”

“Mom, I’m  _ not _ doing this right now,” Seth grumbled, walking through his apartment and into his kitchen, trying to figure out a meal. “I’m not out here spending my money on frivolous things-” He opened the freezer door and two pints of Ben and Jerry’s nearly hit him in the chest, swearing under his breath, he caught them, shoving them back inside the door hastily.

“Well, when I was your age things were different.” She sighed. 

“Ain’t that the truth.”

Seth leaned on the counter. “I’ll look into it, I’ll tell you, alright? Unless you find some magical provider that’s going to cover me for cheap- I just had my friggen’ rent raised the other day!”

“What? Why?” she asked. Seth rolled his eyes, turning.

“Some renovation project, I dunno. Point is, I’m  _ poor _ .” 

He felt stupid saying it, and he didn’t want to sound like he was begging for money, but it honestly did feel good to get out. After finally picking up groceries and restocking his house with basic supplies, he’d really only had a small chunk of change that wouldn’t be put toward rent. If his mother could just understand he didn’t have much of a choice, maybe she would get off his back.

“Don’t worry though, I’m okay,” he added, sure Holly was emotional and frustrated at this point. “I’m fine, I’m not freaking out. Roman and Dean are cooking me meals and helping.”

Seth knew that he had more time in the day to work as well if he needed to. At first, he'd marked his work availability to be closed to weekdays, just so he had time to explore Orlando and get his life figured out. Now that he was well settled and both of his boyfriends were at work most weekends anyway, it wasn't a bad idea to throw more shifts onto his schedule. 

"I changed my days off on the work website," Seth told Hunter, just before the inservice began. "I think I'd like to be around a little more, maybe do some stuff in the evenings or weekend mornings."

"Oh, really? That's great." Hunter smiled, scratching the back of his head. "We're going to need more instructors, so maybe you can teach more if you're looking for more money- which reminds me…" Hunter looked around, grabbing his clipboard and clicking his pen. "I wanted to do a WSI certification class for you and a couple other folks, we're thinking around the end of the month you could take that and then you'd get a pay bump for teaching."   


"Yeah, awesome!" Seth lit up. "That would be great."

"I can get the class down to probably 90 bucks per person." Hunter nodded and Seth's smile fell. "I'll send you an email about it."

Gritting his teeth and just working through it was the only means to get by. Seth reminded himself he was being paid for the inservice and tried to just focus on what was immediately in front of him. His boyfriends seemed to know something was the matter, as Dean had offered to help him fill out any forms for Sola Care they could find online, but Seth knew he could probably manage it fine. The open invite to eat dinner at the house was always an option, as Roman never tired of cooking for them. Other than Crossfit, Seth really didn't really have any egregious expenses, but he didn't like feeling powerless or stuck, even if it was just for a few days between paychecks.

"Great job guys." Hunter rounded everyone up on the deck as Becky and Nattie rolled up the straps on the backboards, setting them back upright to dry. Seth sat next to Cesaro, and Dean plopped down between him and Sasha, unable to keep his distance.

"You see this?" He showed Seth his slightly damp phone and Seth took it, reading from their group text. Roman had sent them something.

**Just got done at the doc. Joes for dinner?**

"I'm broke," Seth muttered. "Probably shouldn't."

"I'll buy." 

Dean pinched his side, just in time for Hunter and Stephanie to turn, clearing their throats to get the attention of the crowd. Seth blushed, resisting the urge to flick him with his finger.

"We'll try to be quick here, I hope you all had a wonderful holidays. Kevin was nice enough to deep clean the break room for us, so please let’s try to keep that area nice. Make sure if you bring in leftovers, you're taking your containers home and cleaning up any dishes that are in the sink-"

"You don't have to," Seth mouthed, continuing his conversation with Dean. "I feel bad."

"Don't," Dean whispered back. "I dun' care."

"Our programming is going to be a little different this year as well, and we've got some new schedules going up that read a little differently, so you might get some questions on them," Stephanie added, holding up a new grid with little rows and times, ordered neatly for reference. "Swim team is starting an hour earlier, and lessons will take over all of P-Pool during these periods, so there will be no open swim on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in the evenings."

Seth watched Dean out of the corner of his eye, texting Roman  **sure** . 

"So there might be some frustrations with patrons these first couple of weeks back, so just make sure you're being kind and answering their questions nicely," Hunter said. "You can always have them talk to us if there's anything that needs a more in-depth explanation. Remember, the swim team season will end in March, we'll have our maintenance week at the end of that month, and then the park will open again, and we may be having a sort of job fair day for that, we'll just see how many folks we have on staff at that point."

"So mark your calendars." Stephanie nodded vigorously, cutting in. "If you want to work over the maintenance week, we might be able to find something for you to do, but if you're planning a trip or something, do it then." 

"That's when we're goin' on that boat," Dean mumbled. Seth blinked, having forgotten about the houseboat trip.

"Do I get paid time off?" Seth asked quietly, looking between his boyfriend and Cesaro. They both shrugged, unsure.

"Are we ready for Employee of the Month?" Hunter shot Seth a patronizing smile for his inattention and Seth shrunk, embarrassed. The guards all quieted, looking around. 

"We wanted to award  _ Charlotte _ ," Stephanie said lovingly, holding an envelope out to Charlotte who was sitting at the front by Dana, looking pleasantly surprised. "For always showing up early and really working great with the kids in the latchkey program!"

"Are you kidding me?" Sasha mouthed, looking sympathetically to Cesaro. "She's mean as hell! She's always barking at them!"

With the meeting over, everyone stood up, grabbing their towels and making for the locker rooms before the showers were all full. Cesaro sighed, checking the time and sipping from his water bottle. 

"Gunna go to Joe's," Seth said lamely, wondering if he could cheer his friend up. "Want to get a drink or anything?" 

"Maybe for a bit, I have a client in a few hours." 

"We wanna come too!" Sasha insisted, looking to Bayley enthusiastically. "Fried ice cream!"

"When do you ever NOT want fried ice cream?" Seth snarked, holding the door for Dean.

It was a warm but rainy evening and everyone drove separately just to avoid returning to White Water at the end of the meal. Sasha and Cesaro’s cars followed behind Seth and Dean, windshield wipers swiping back and forth as they sat at the red light. 

Seth was sure he saw Roman's Jeep in the parking lot as he trotted to the front of the restaurant with his hood pulled up, but when he came in, nobody was sitting in the waiting area.

"How many?" Jojo, the regular server, asked, watching as Dean, Sasha and Bayley came through the door, dusting rain water off of their coats. 

"I think… six?" Seth frowned, watching Cesaro join them as Jojo grabbed menus. "Is that tall guy here already? The one with the dark hair?"

"Uce is in the car," Dean piped up before she could respond. "He's on the phone."

Jojo led them to the back to a huge booth with a round table and they scooted across the upholstery with damp bottoms. Sasha and Bayley pulled in close to each other and Cesaro sat on the end, insisting he would have to leave sooner. Dean pushed a menu in front of Seth, humming as he read through the entrees.

"Did you… talk to him?" Seth asked, distracted. Dean just shrugged.

"It's fine, didn't look too serious, don't worry about it babe."

"Do you wanna split something Cesaro?" Bayley asked. "Me and Sash' like to get these appetizer plates."

"Drinks?" Jojo pulled out her pad of paper looking around. "How were we going to do orders?"

Seth was really glad he'd tagged along, as Mexican food and good company were perfect after swimming. Any hesitation to accept Dean's graciousness ebbed away as soon as his boyfriend patted his thigh and pointed to a steak fajita platter with a margarita two-for-one deal.

"I'm fine I think." Seth shook his head. "Food's good but I don't need to drink."

"Suit yourself, I could drink both though. Unless one of you girls want one." Dean nudged Sasha in the side. "Yeah?"

"We could split one." Sasha grinned. "Thanks!"

"Were you still thinking of doing the Ironman Dean?" Cesaro asked, accepting a water from Jojo and looking across the table. "Would probably be easier if we all get our spots figured out together."

"Huh? Yeah, actually," Dean said. "Uce was gunna do it too I think."

He waved toward the entrance of the restaurant and Seth peered over to the door and saw Roman smiling and making his way toward them, pleasantly surprised by the crowd.

"Sorry, I was talking to my ma." 

Seth moved closer to Dean, allowing the last member of their party to join them. Seth opened his mouth, looking as though he wanted to ask about the call, but after making sure everyone around the table was a friend, Roman quickly kissed his cheek, forcing him speechless. 

"Well," Cesaro continued, as if nothing had interrupted him, "So there was that one at the end of February, but I am very busy right now, and TJ said he could not get work off for that one. Now, there are only one or two in Orlando, but in Miami, there is one in mid April that is on the beach!"

"Wait, this is like a triathlon or something?" Sasha asked. Cesaro nodded. 

"Yeah, and I think I would like to do swimming in the ocean anyway, it sounds more fun," he continued. "It is up to you guys obviously, but I think I would prefer to travel a little and make a weekend of it."

They managed to make their food order and their meals came out rather quickly. The bar was starting to fill up with weekend regulars, sitting under the string lights and talking loudly. Seth felt pleasantly buzzed from the company and the comforting exhaustion of physical activity. Bayley told everyone a heart warming story from the holidays about letting a stranger use her phone at the airport to call their wife, and Cesaro regaled them with some of the tedium of working as a personal trainer in January.

"Well, my doctor's visit was pretty good," Roman said, sipping from a sweet tea and smoothing his goatee thoughtfully. "Looked at the spot I had a hernia before and it's not herniated again or anything. I didn't really  _ think _ it was, but it's a stress thing, so I was trying to keep my eyes on it."

"Good way to start the new year." Cesaro smiled. "Make sure your guts aren't falling out."

Seth wanted to ask if he was going to proceed with any therapy after the appointment, but wasn't sure what Roman wanted known to their co-workers. Sasha was already leaning in, looking curiously at his boyfriend. Thankfully, she wasn't asking anything awkward about what she'd heard from Seth about how the holidays had transpired.

"I'm gunna need a nap after this." Dean yawned, moving so Jojo could set down a huge plate of fajitas in front of him. Seth's head perked up, accepting his enchiladas and grabbing for his fork. 

"I think I'd better run," Cesaro sighed, snagging a loaded nacho chip off of Sasha's appetizer plate and standing up. "I don't know what the traffic is like."

"Oh, bye!" Bayley pouted. Everyone waved and Cesaro bowed slightly, adjusting his jacket and wishing them well. Even through a mouthful of food, Seth couldn't help but regard Dean carefully.

"Thill feelin' gud?"

"Muth mut?" Dean mocked, snickering as Seth swallowed, wiping his mouth.

"Everything… feeling okay?" Seth tried, not explicitly wanting to ask Dean  _ How's the medications? _

"Of course." Dean pulled a flour tortilla out of his container and began to load food into it, winking at Seth. "Just jolly."

The food was great as usual and Seth fell into a happy daze watching Sasha and Bayley light up to receive a large fried ice cream treat from Jojo, eagerly digging their spoons into it. 

"That looks really good." Dean licking his spoon to get hot sauce off of it and quickly nicked a side of the giant fried mound, bringing it to his lips and nodding.

"Actually yeah." Roman grinned, stealing some as well. "Let's get a taste." 

"Dean, you can have some because of the drink." Sasha bit the cherry off the stem, immediately overwhelmed as both Seth and Roman dug their spoons in deviously, eating off the side opposite her. "Hey! You guys!"

"Oh wow, it is good." Seth's face lit up. "I only ever had the sundae."

"For real?" Sasha snapped, drawing the dish closer to her and Bayley as all three men were clanking spoons, trying to get in on the dessert.

"I don't mind." Bayley giggled, raising a knife. "Here, we can separate it out."

"They already ate a bunch though!" Sasha whined as Bayley cut the ice cream delicately into fifths. "Oh my god!"

"Thanks sis." Dean speared his share with a fork and bit into it barbarically. Within seconds he squinted, rubbing his head from brain freeze. "Why did I  _ do _ that?"

"You guys are so extra, I can't." Sasha shook her head, watching nearly all of her ice cream be snatched away. Seth would have felt bad if it wasn't so funny seeing Sasha get bent out of shape. 

"It's okay, you can have my bit." Bayley pushed the dish in front of her girlfriend, patting her hand. "I'm really full anyway."

Roman and Dean watched, perplexed as Sasha planted an exasperated kiss on her lover's cheek before digging into her portion. After a few moments, Dean's expression changed to a sort of excited, wide eyed fervor. 

"Wait a minute, no way-" Dean's mouth hung open, slightly shamefully. "You guys are  _ gay _ ?"

"Did Seth… not tell you?" Sasha tensed up, looking uncomfortable. Bayley blinked, unsure.

"No he didn't," Roman said slyly, turning to his lover. Dean looked at him as well, and Seth raised an eyebrow.

"So what?" Seth snapped, "I mean, so what, if they're- if she's gay. Who cares?"

"I care!" Dean said happily. "This is the shit I wanna know about!"

"Well… there it is," Sasha said, putting all of her attention into her ice cream dish. "Guess we aren't yelling it from the mountain tops, but then, Seth tells me  _ all _ about you guys."

Seth's ears burned and he licked his lips sourly, tasting ice cream. Dean didn't seem the least deterred. 

"That's hot," he said, sleazily raising his glass and nodding to both girls. "Lookin' good ladies."

"Dean," Roman spluttered, laughing. "You can't…"

"We think you guys are cute too!" Bayley said, slightly high pitched and blushing. "Well, you're the only other gay people around here that we know! I know some people back in my hometown… but… well, we think you're  _ great _ ."

Sasha didn't look like she shared the sentiment, regarding Seth with stony eyes over her spoon, chewing venomously.

"You  _ wanted _ me to tell him  _ this _ ?" Seth laughed, jerking his head at Dean. "I was protecting you."

"I just  _ think _ ," Dean said carefully, putting his hands on the table in a very serious way, "world needs more lesbians, end of story. You guys get shit done," he added, seeing Sasha's scandalized face. "It's no nonsense, and it seems like a helluva lotta fun." 

"A life without men seems pretty nice right now," Sasha said dramatically, "not gonna lie."

Roman paid for the fried ice cream as an act of goodwill, and Sasha looked a little less upset by the time they got their cards back. Dean seemed completely unaware of his capacity to offend, and was grinning stupidly in his seat, patting Seth's thigh with a new interest.    


"You comin' over?" he asked, drumming his hands on the seam of Seth’s pants. Seth cleared his throat, thinking. He'd let Kevin out right before he'd left, so he had some time. It had been a whole two days since his lengthy stay at the house, and he'd missed it terribly. Living alone wasn't miserable, Seth was fine to be at his apartment with his dog, but each night he lay in bed after jerking off, just texting his boyfriends until they went to sleep.

"Yeah, why not," Seth muttered. "Unless you're tired."

"I'm perkin' up." Dean drummed his fingers on his chest carefully. "Besides, you don't wanna be on the highway right now anyway, all busy and rainin'."

"Well this was fun, I'm glad you're feeling well," Sasha said to Roman, pretending Seth wasn't listening and Dean didn't exist. "I was telling Seth it might be fun for us to do a double date sometime, if you wanted. We aren't really out to a lot of people, so…"

"I'm sure we could do something." Roman grinned and Sasha blushed hard, smiling as she and Bayley made their way back to the front. "It was nice eating with you ladies."

"You too! See you at the pool!" Bayley stopped, making to hug Seth before she got too far away. Roman accepted a hug as well. Dean looked slightly expectant, but Bayley leaned in very awkwardly, patting his side.

" _ Cold _ ," Dean muttered as soon as they'd gotten away. Seth snorted into his hoodie sleeve.

"Dean, you can't  _ slobber _ on them like that," Roman scolded. "What the fuck man? It's like when girls try to be your friend 'cause you're gay. It's weird."

"I don't tell girls I'm gay, why would I?" Dean laughed, overloud, earning a few stares from older folks at the bar. Each man went to his respective car, and Seth shivered a little, turning on the heat in his Cadillac. It was unseasonably cold for Florida. 

Dean always drove slowly, and so Seth arrived second to the house, parking on the street just as Roman's car turned off. He jogged over, trying to make it under the front awning before he got too drenched. Roman laughed, watching him grumble through the rainwater pouring off the house, but they both stopped when they heard a loud crowing.

"That Crispy?" Seth asked. Roman grunted, making his way to the back of the house and through the fence. The crowing continued and Seth followed, making his way to the backyard to see Crispy sitting on the fence, crying out loudly.

"Get down!" Roman said, dusting the bird off of the low fence until she hopped onto the ground, clucking suspiciously. In a hurry, she dashed across the yard to her little chicken run and Roman turned the hatch on the door so she couldn't get out.

"What's that all about?" Seth laughed, hurrying to the sliding door and out of the rain. "She think she's a rooster?"

Roman shook his head, annoyed.

"The last few days she's been doing that randomly, I'm worried the neighbors will start complaining." 

He pulled the door open, letting Seth inside first. "She's getting broody again I think, just acting weird, being bitchy whenever I try to touch her."

"Huh..."

Dean came a few minutes later and a large boom of thunder crackled overhead, making the house shake slightly. Seth grabbed a glass of water from the fridge and sat on the couch, picking at his knee brace and enjoying the silence of the living room.

"You don't think the power will go out, do you?" Dean asked, looking outside as it really started to pour hard. Roman stared out the kitchen window, sipping some old coffee.

"I'll pull out the candles and flash lights just in case, I think it's just supposed to pass over though."

"Gunna nap?" Dean asked, smirking as Seth had sprawled out on the couch, pressing a pillow down to make it comfortable.

"I can't help it." Seth yawned. "I get sleepy in the rain."

Thunder rattled again overhead and Dean twitched, sitting down and folding his hands in his lap. Seth had forgotten his aversion to storms, but Roman brewed them both some tea, sitting down in the armchair and sighing over his cup.

"How's Ma?" Dean asked. Seth perked his head up, remembering their phone conversation.

"She's fine. I was just telling her about the doctor and all." Roman toyed with his tea bag, curling the tail around the stem of the mug. "I'm just trying to call her before she calls me, makes it easier."

"Where you gunna… go again?" Seth asked, peering over his pillow. Roman made a weird face, looking unenthused.

"Not right now, I'm feeling a lot better. Just had a sort of freak out moment and got over it." He nodded to Seth. "You helped a lot. Being sober and eating right is helping a lot. I got a few names of folks I can go see if I change my mind, but I feel like if I was going to go and see someone, my dad might get… offended or something. In any case..." He licked his lips, exhaling. "I think I'm gonna go back to  _ school _ ."

"Whaaaaat," Dean said. Roman nodded and set his legs up on the footrest.

"I dunno what for yet, but I was talking to her about the possibility. I like White Water, but just being around pools stresses me out. If I had a choice, I'm not really sure what I'd do, but I feel like I need to figure that out."

Shocked awake slightly by the admission, Seth sat up and shared the blanket on the back of the sofa with Dean, all three men spitballing ideas Roman could possibly turn into a career. The boys drank their tea, giggling at the thought of their lover sharing a classroom with a bunch of eighteen year olds, fresh out of high school.

"Go-go dancer," Dean said, making Seth snort against his mug, chuckling. "Just be a stripper babe, we could get so rich."

"I'm no… performer…" Roman snorted. "You and Seth could do that Magic Mike shit, not me."

"We could be a traveling show," Dean proposed. "You could be the hunky one at the end or something."

"Just following along with whatever you think the choreography is." Seth waved his hands, grinning. "You could maybe coach football or something, yeah? You played it. You're so good with kids!"

"Ehh." Roman shook his head. "Sorta getting tired workin' with 'em."

The storm continued to beat on and Seth was conflicted, sure he had to get home soon, but also sure he didn't want to drive in the hard rain. He began to sink low in his spot, leaning on Dean and checking his phone every few minutes to see the time. Dean set his hand on Seth's head and scratched idly, making him purr.

"How's that leg doin?" Dean asked.

"I'm fine." Seth looked up, shaking a stray hair out of his face. "Why?"

"Kinda want to…" He kissed the top of Seth's head. "See yuh on your knees." Dean turned to Roman and held out his hand. "Best two out of three-"

"What're you-" Seth started.

Roman held out his fist and they beat the air for a moment before shooting signals.

"Are you playing rock paper scissors for my  _ ass _ ?" Seth squawked.

Roman smirked as he pulled scissors. Dean had chosen paper.

"Two out of three, obviously," Dean said louder. Seth giggled, burying himself away. "Gunna win your butthole."

"Oh  _ stop _ , I'm going to  _ come _ ," Seth said sarcastically. Dean whooped, beating Roman with scissors after a draw.

"For all the money," Roman said, leaning in closer. Dean grabbed Seth's hair in a predatory manner, staring down his competition.

"You can  _ both _ fuck me," Seth said, unable to hide how flattered he was by their game. "You know that right?"

"Yeah but I get FIRST!" Dean hollered, holding up a rock as Roman had thrown scissors. In an instant, Dean had tried to lift Seth off the couch, but overestimated how heavy he was and nearly collided with the coffee table.

"You're ridiculous!" Seth whined, hanging half off the sofa. His shirt was falling over his face and his hair was falling out of his bun, tangled up in the couch blanket. Dean dusted himself off before helping Seth to his feet.

"Wait till you see, I moved everything around," Roman said, bringing up the rear as the three men crowded into the bedroom. The bed had been moved to the opposite wall and a shelf had been hung above it, displaying a few framed photos, some lifeguard whistles and hand carved wooden turtles. The Christmas photo of the three of them was resting in the middle, made slightly more endearing by it's awkward composition. One side of the bed was clearly Dean's, his knitting resting on the end table, on top of the chicken book Seth had bought him for Christmas. On Roman's side, the all-in-one device was plugged into the wall, right by a huge luxury bottle of lube.

"It's nice," Seth admired, smiling as he could see how the room had been changed to so easily fit all of Dean's personal belongings. The closet was huge and although Dean didn't have many formal shirts, his things were there, extra pairs of shoes neatly stacked. The wicker basket containing all of Roman's BDSM gear had been moved to the wall, by the dirty laundry basket.

"All in needs is your sexy butt," Dean mumbled, pushing Seth onto the bed and tearing off his own clothes. Seth edged out of his jeans, exposing the round curve of his bottom to the soft light and moaning as Dean leaned in to smooch his rump.

Roman laid down beside him to kiss, determined not to be sidelined despite his loss. Seth moaned as Dean sucked kisses into the fullest part of his bottom, spreading his cheeks and going in to rim him sweetly. 

"Sexy thing," Roman sighed, kissing Seth's open mouth as he let out a little whimper. They made out passionately as Dean went to prepping Seth, warming him up patiently. Roman's hands held his sides, traveling up and down under his shirt, while Seth's own square palms cupped Roman's face, keeping him close. He could feel his cock pressing hard against his lover's leg, throbbing as Dean's fingers began to push back and forth, easing him apart.

"Mmmy that-" Seth mumbled inarticulately, raising his head as he felt something cooler than Dean's tongue pressing up against him. Dean blinked, holding up a silicone anal plug.

"Yeah yeah yeah sure. Mmmmaaaaaa-" Seth opened his legs wider, spluttering as Roman found his little nipples under his shirt, tweaking them mercilessly. 

"Gunna fuckin' choke on some dick," Dean muttered darkly, patting Seth's ass hard to make sure he was being adequately stretched before getting close to Roman. Seth tried to pull apart, making room for Dean, but Roman still had his fingers clasped around his chest, tugging hard at the buds.

"Oh fuck-" 

"-Just like that."

Seth could see Dean licking the tip of Roman's cock, wetting him properly with lips that were already puffy and pink. Roman groaned, but immediately leaned in, pulling Seth closer as though to embrace, but bringing his chest to his face to suckle.

"Ooooohh….. Rome…."

Dean chuckled around his dick and Seth felt a shiver that went up and down his spine. Roman's tongue was glorious, licking back and forth the same way he did when he ate out his ass. Seth grit his teeth, fisting hair, completely overstimulated.

Dean and Roman swapped after Roman nearly came, clearly hovering around the edge. Dazed and squirming, Dean admired Seth's chest fondly, pinching the already well teased buds some more, making Seth's arms shake. 

"If you fuck me, I'm'gun come," Seth slurred, shaking his head. "Can't be-"

Dean leaned in and nibbled, making Seth cry out, panting.

"Maybe you'll just have to come twice, huh fussy?"

Roman laughed and Seth blinked, too stunned to give a biting remark. Gingerly, Dean eased the plug out of place and scooted in, propping Seth up like a tripod while Roman sat, clearly battling with the temptation of stroking his cock.

"Don't do it yet Uce," Dean panted, slowly working up a beat and causing Seth to shake hard. "I'll tag ya in, I swear."

Seth sort of wished he still had somebody pinching his chest, but Dean's dick dragging around in his insides was plenty to handle at once. Again, he was choked up, his dick dragging around in Roman's blankets, steadily leaking come all over the place as he sweat hard. Looking up and seeing Roman watching him only made it worse, the slapping of his ass made twice as loud.

Roman sighed, licking his lips as Seth choked, screwing up his face as he felt his belly clenching to shoot. Quickly, Roman leaned in, providing his hand for Seth to fuck and bear some of his release. 

"Don't milk 'em too dry," Dean laughed, slapping Seth's behind. "Fuck… I'm almost there… Shit."

Seth wiped his face on the sheets, having his revenge when Dean began to come apart. Seth held his hips tight, making his behind clench like a vice around his lover's cock and Dean actually drooled, throwing his head back, looking somehow religious as he spilled his come deep in Seth's ass.

"You good babe?" Roman asked, leaning in to kiss Seth. "Don't wanna hurt ya."

"Nah'm good." Seth pulled his hair out of his face, dragging himself onto his knees again. His joints were a little wobbly, but it was nothing he couldn't bear. "Real… full…" 

He shifted his legs, shivering a little as a bead of Dean's mess leaked it's way down the back of his leg. Roman growled, pushing the tip of his cock in the warmth of his backside, pumping shallowly before he bottomed out. Seth let out a long, low moan, the pressure of Roman pushing him flat. Dean laid next to him, sweaty and wide eyed. After a few moments, their gazes crossed and Dean winked, reaching out his hand.

"That feel good babe?" 

Seth just nodded into the sheets, gasping slightly as Roman worked up to a beat, holding Seth's sides and pressing him into his dick with each stroke. Dean's hand made it's way to Seth's chest again, and Seth actually squealed, his whole body tingling.

"Don't break him," Roman warned. "Fuck… that's so good though…"

"Your booty's shuddering all over Uce's dick," Dean said against Seth's ear, tweaking his nipple up and down. "You're like a little puppet."

Seth wailed, unable to stop himself. He wasn't sure if he'd really stopped coming since his first orgasm, he was so stimulated. Two pairs of hands on him, a cock in his ass and Dean's tongue licking his earlobe, all he could do was yell into the sheets. The rain thundered hard over head, drowning out his passionate yelping and occasionally flashing lightning through the windows. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eternal love for the humble beta reader Kenjideath who I thank god for every day. I want to fill some prompts in the kink meme but I am so goddamn busy!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it sort of felt like some of the first chapters I did where it's kind of unstructured and things just sort of happen in the order of a day. Lately all my chapters have been really long. I dunno.
> 
> Next week! A return? Extra shifts. Is there trouble afoot? Things will happen (maybe)


	87. Life-Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demands of the job mean getting a little wet sometimes. Swim Lessons begin again and Seth receives a request.

Working six days a week meant dry skin and an itchy scalp, but Seth didn't have many other options. Each morning, he had been getting up to guard at his usual time, working and going to the Box with Cesaro, but on the eleventh, Swim Lessons began again and Seth would be teaching right up until close almost every day except for Saturday.

"I put you on that Pike class with Holly and then the last section at eight," Roman explained, printing off class rosters and sitting in his office chair in his rash guard. "Did you want to do the Flying Fish class too? Dean already has three sections and Kofi didn't want it."

"Sure I guess," Seth sighed, ignoring AJ shuffling around behind him. He was going through a filing cabinet and sighing rather aggressively, but the men knew better than to engage him. "Money is money."

Roman nodded, handing Seth the additional sheet and drumming his hands on the counter. The holidays had been a nice little break for both him and Dean, because their jobs mostly centered around teaching and programming. Seth knew that each of them had spent about an hour each day in the office last month, digitizing forms and putting together a new schedule, but now they were back to working in the pool again. Through it all, Seth was still cautious about Dean's medications and Roman's family troubles, keeping a third eye on them to anticipate any issues before they occurred. 

"Workin's easier honestly." Dean grinned, walking with him through the parking lot after a short meeting with the other swim instructors. "When are you going to quit worryin' about me?"

"I'm not worried, just curious," Seth muttered, hiking his bag up his back a little higher. "I think I'm the same though. I'd rather guard or workout when I'm stressed."

"Knee good? What's stressin' you out?" Dean asked, stopping as they came to the point of splitting between their two vehicles. Seth shrugged lamely.

"I'm fine," he settled for, slightly distracted. "I'll see ya tomorrow. I love ya." 

Dean pressed his fingers to his lips as a means of salute and walked away, leaving Seth to make his way to his car. It was very humid outside and he sat in the driver's seat, bored and tired. In the bottom of his gym bag, Seth had stuffed a stack of printed papers for his Sola Care application, intent on mailing it as soon as he'd got home. His mother had taken to sending him prodding, annoying texts again, which was more than enough incentive to apply.

Seth tapped his knee brace lightly, feeling sweaty, stuffed into the stretchy material. It had been a fine day and he was looking forward to going home to get a meal and maybe take Kevin to the dog park. As much as Seth wanted to roll over to Roman’s house, his gas tank was running a little low and he didn’t have much money to fill it up. Being poor wasn't the worst thing in the world, but he definitely had to stop and rethink his usual habits. Playing Madden on his playstation and taking Kevin on long walks was inexpensive, and so Seth was fine to text his boyfriends back and forth if they couldn't all be together at once.

The next morning, Seth dumped all of his health care forms in an envelope and tossed it in the mailbox outside of the gas station on the way to work, sipping some home-brewed coffee from his thermos. As soon as he could, he messaged his mother a stern  **It's all in! Just put the forms n the mail iLL LET U KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT**

**Good i love u!**

The schedule that was posted in the breakroom was from last week, so Seth wasn't certain who was on the stand with him for his shift in the lap pool. After arriving on deck and relieving Dolph from his post, Seth was surprised to see Finn come bounding in at ten to eight, rolling his shoulders with an extra helping of cheerful energy.

"I'm back!" he declared, snapping on a fanny pack and setting his water bottle on the stand. "Still a lil' sore, but I'm tired of doin' office work."

"Great." Seth smiled, nodding to Dolph as he made his way out. "Glad to have you."

Finn was much more enthusiastic and cheery than Cesaro or Sasha, who were usually rather quiet and reserved during the morning. Seth scanned the water, waving to Wendy when she came in and loitering over Roman's class in his usual semi-playful way. Finn sat on the stand, stretching his shoulder out, eager to chat with regulars that hadn't seen him in a little while.

"Were you gonna workout today?" Roman asked at the end of the class. Seth kept his eyes on the pool but nodded, leaning his weight back and forth on each foot.

"Yeah, might as well," he mumbled. "Cesaro hasn't texted me, but I probably will just go."

"Cool cool, I heard your phone buzzin' in the back room." Roman grinned, teasing. "He'll  _ probably _ show."

"Probably my friggen' mom actually." Seth rolled his eyes, fixing his tube a little. "Ever since I left her after New Year’s she's been buggin' me about all that health stuff."

"Moms," Roman said simply, smiling. A few of the water aerobics ladies waved and Finn sat a little higher in his seat, watching the man in lane six carefully. "How was that trip anyway? Pretty straightforward?'

"Uhh," Seth laughed, remembering back to the whirlwind that was Jimmy Jacob's advances and the stirring news from his grandfather. It was a lot to be talking about, side to side, unable to devote his full attention to his lover. Especially so, as the man in the far lane seemed to be acting irregularly.

Finn stood up on the stand, craning his neck and Roman blinked, following their line of sight. There were now only four people in the pool lap swimming and a few ladies were talking in the shallow end. The man was a regular, someone Seth saw almost every day and was used to watching. 

"Harold?" Roman mouthed, following Seth as he began to walk purposefully across the deck. "Or maybe… Harvey?"

" _ Fuck _ ," Seth breathed, watching the man jerk for a moment and break the surface of the water, gasping in pain. He let out an agonizing yelp, thrashing for the lap lane. 

"Clear the pool!" Seth yelled, his own heart racing as he leapt into the water and Finn blew his whistle. The surrounding patrons froze, pausing their strokes to stare as Seth sprinted to the man, who was clutching the lap lane tight.

"It's my heart!" he breathed, gasping and beating his chest,."Not good, not good-"

"It's ok-kay sir," Seth spluttered, feeling slightly faint, looking around wildly for Finn. He hadn't realized the alarms had been pulled, but distantly, from the observation areas, a whooping noise was heard and Sami was running past the window with Hunter. "We're going to get you out, it's okay."

Finn nearly hit the wall, bolting with enough force to slide as he came barrelling down the deck with the backboard.The man cried out as Seth raised his arms, quickly trying to guide him onto the board. 

"-Go to the front, clear the ambulance lane and call my wife." Hunter came through the locker room door, barking to Sami and Kevin, who jogged off. Gloves already on, he was carrying the oxygen and AED bag from his office. "Finn, lock up the doors," he barked, throwing his keys to the smaller man, who ran off. Seth's hands shook hard as he vaulted himself over the gutter, thrusting the gloves into the water to get them on faster.

"We're doing this again, Henry?" Hunter forced a laugh as the man on the board continued to breathe irregularly, wincing and holding his chest. Shocked dumb, Seth just froze, sitting wide eyed over the scene as Hunter took the man's pulse, sighing slightly. "Mr. Rapkis' heart doesn't like our pool."

"O-oh," Seth mumbled, kneeling at attention and watching as Hunter whipped out the O2 tank and checked the valve. The man called Henry appeared to still be breathing, but clearly his heart was struggling to function normally. The pool had gone glassy and still, and Seth could see the familiar outline of Dean pressed against the frosted glass of the boys locker room, keeping watch. Everything was sharper, louder and in his toes and his finger tips, Seth felt his heart beating incredibly fast. His clothes were dripping all over the deck, and he suddenly felt stifled by them, struggling to listen to Hunter asking Henry questions to gauge his lucidity.

He wasn't even very old, and his skin still appeared to be flush and pink. Finn reappeared behind them, gloved and ready just as EMS burst through the emergency exit, striding quickly up the deck.

* * *

"You're still going to go workout?"

Seth and Cesaro stood by the exit to the break room door, dressed and ready to get a sweat on. Bewildered, Dean had stopped sipping from his gas station soda, staring at his boyfriend with incredulity. 

"Nobody died." Cesaro shrugged, laughing at the look on Dean's face. As soon as the incident had wrapped up and the pools reopened, Seth dried off and paced around the deck hurriedly, working off the adrenaline of such a scary situation. Every few minutes, he blinked and sort of shook his head. Everything had been handled correctly and the man, Henry, was apparently doing alright, but Seth had never dealt with a cardiac emergency before. Despite the fact that the spinal emergency he'd tackled in his first week was much more serious, he had felt a lot more collected performing his job on land.

A nice, regular workout was in order to set his day straight, but Dean didn't see it that way.

"You guys are wack." He shook his head, sitting down next to Roman. "I'll keep Uce company, y'all go ahead."

Roman had been understandably shook up, sitting quietly without much to say. Seth frowned, disagreeing with any insinuation that he was possibly abandoning his lover. Roman's face was ashen, his eyes distant and dark, but Seth knew he didn't have anything to offer that would be of much help.

"I'm fine," Roman said hoarsely, waving his hand as Seth hovered awkwardly. "Go lift stuff."

The men left, walking through the parking lot in a sort of strained silence as Seth tried to crack his knuckles for the fifth time that hour. Cesaro's car was nice and cool, parked in the shade of the park fencing and some dense palms.

"Now  _ you _ are getting employee of the month." Cesaro sighed, playing some R&B from his phone as they turned onto the main road. "I remember that man having some sort of problem before, but it was many years ago when it happened."

"Mm," Seth muttered, scrolling through his phone to see Cesaro's texts from that morning, confirming their workout. After the rescue, everything seemed quiet. Seth was distant and all thought had left his mind, replaced with a simple, rhythmic humming that had the same tempo as the emergency alarm.

It was a great meditative state to work out in, as Seth just followed his breath, staring blankly at his shoes or the concrete wall, completing endless kettlebell cleans until his shoulders ached. By the time he arrived back at work, he was feeling normal again, maybe even haughty over completing such a sound rescue.

"Really great," Hunter reaffirmed him, catching Seth before his lessons to sign off on a few incident reports. "We were going to start red-shirting folks next month, feels good to know you're all on top of it though."

Seth smiled, cocksure and pleased. Red-shirting referred to surprise lifeguard testing, which could be any number of practical, sudden scenarios that were graded and recorded as a means of performance evaluation. In all of his time guarding in Iowa, it had only happened to him twice, but he'd passed both times.

When Seth left to grab his class materials and get in the water, he caught Roman in the backroom, sorting fins according to size. He still looked a little distracted and pale, but smiled as soon as he saw his boyfriend.

"I saw Holly come in, she doesn't seem too happy she has to share you." Roman grinned. "Let me know how it goes- if she's not responsive to the group, we could switch her back to private lessons."

"Sure." Seth nodded, tugging his sparse blonde bits behind his ear. "Doin' okay?"

"I'm good." Roman stood up, nudging Seth with his shoulder sweetly. "You did great today."

Seth blushed a little, suddenly aware he'd batted his lashes as he looked at the floor, grinning dumb. Mumbling something like,  _ oh you know… _ Roman bapped him on the head with a noodle, rolling his eyes. 

The lessons that evening were extra chaotic and crowded as students and parents arrived en masse, swamping Dean as he came onto the deck, trying to get information and ask questions. Flustered, Seth watched Dean twitch, eyebrows imperiously high as he commanded a line to the back of the deck, so none of the guards lost their line of sight. Roman hopped out of the pool to help, but Seth stood in the shallows with Kofi, E and Becky, watching as kids began to walk shyly down the deck.

"Hey Holly!" Seth smiled wide, watching Holly and her mother duck away from a family of five platinum blonde children wearing matching speedos. "You excited?"

"How many people is there?" she asked, standing in the gutter with her eyebrows furrowed. Seth consulted his clipboard, staining the paper with his wet hands.

"Just two," he said. "Two boys." 

Mrs. Shippley sat upon a towel on the floor toward the opposite side of the pool, waving. Seth waved back, holding out his hand for Holly to join him. She looked suspicious.

"Why don't you tell me about your Christmas?"

The other boys, Anton and Cody, arrived a little late to start. Both of them were younger than Holly, but were all the same swim level. Unsure and wary of Seth and the water, both of them squirmed as he fitted flotation belts across their chests. Holly preferred a noodle and sat kicking her legs, bored.

"Okay," Seth began, sinking a little lower in the water and coming closer to the children. With all the classes starting and the parents chattering on the benches, it was difficult to hear. "I'm Mister Seth! I'm going to be your teacher and help you guys learn more about swimming. How about we share our names and… our favorite ice cream."

"You already know my name!" Holly snarked, pushing her hair back so it was out of the way of her goggles. Anton and Cody stared.

"Yes, but for everyone else." Seth sighed, splashing her toes. 

The children introduced themselves and they went over a few safety rules to be followed during lessons. For starters, Seth got them bobbing up and down in the water, holding onto the deck with their hands and dunking their heads. Cody didn't seem to like the idea of water near his eyes and Holly wouldn't do much more than tilt her chin in and thrust her head back up dramatically, but Seth was patient.

"Anton's got it," he encouraged. "So long as you're blowing bubbles, you don't get any water in your nose."

Enzo and Cass were guarding, anxiously bumping into parents and trying to guide toddlers away from the edge of the pool who were venturing away from distracted parents. Dean finally got in the water, joining a class of slightly older students who had been waiting for him to finish with his facilitating responsibilities. Noticing the disorder of all the families jockeying for space, Randy came out from the office and blew his whistle loudly, making Seth's students jump.

"Let's have everyone take three steps back, yeah?" he instructed, motioning for parents to move away from the water and give some walking room. "Thanks everyone."

On the whole, Holly was miles ahead of where she'd been when Seth had started observing her first few group swim lessons. Still sour about Seth's split attention span, she seemed to sulk some, leaning on the deck with her head in her arms whenever Anton or Cody took a turn practicing their kicks around the shallow end. Despite her attitude, her fearfulness seemed to be edging away into a usual aversion experienced by most new-swimmers. When the class worked on their floats, Seth was actually able to pull his hands out beneath her and let her lay on the top of the water, unassisted.

"Good job Holly!" Seth cheered, hoisting her back up by the armpits and feeling enormously proud. "Did you guys see that?"

"I wanna jump in," Anton whined, pulling himself up and down on the deck impatiently. Holly returned to the wall, pleased with herself.

At the end of the class when the students began to cycle out, met with towels and inquisitive parents, Seth gave Roman the thumbs up from the other side of the pool, nodding happily.

"Holly, did you want to ask Mister Seth anything?" Mrs. Shippley guided, sinking down to her knees and helping her daughter dry her face. Holly's head popped out from under the towel and Seth leaned in, listening carefully.

"I want you to ask," she muttered, putting her head to her mother's shoulder and rubbing her eyes. Seth smiled, his eyes tracking a new group of students who were waiting patiently by the edge.

"Well, Holly's  _ birthday _ is coming up," she began, rubbing her daughter's shoulder. "And I had heard it mentioned that White Water did Mermaid parties. We were wondering if it was possible for her to do something like that if she had graduated the class in time."

"O-oh, uh." Seth paused, thinking back to the brief class he'd taken months ago with the mermaid tails. The requirements for swimming were beyond the level of the class Holly was in, as the tails required quite a bit of endurance and comfort with swimming. Seth bit his lip, sheepish. "It's a lot harder than it looks, really… what… what were you thinking?"

"Well, she really wants to  _ be _ a mermaid, she's always talking about it now." Mrs. Shippley sighed. "But with the parties, is there someone that facilitates the activity? Would you…" She blushed, clearly unsure what was appropriate to ask.

"I think if you wanted, you could talk to the staff about paying for a party and then… then me or  _ someone _ could scale it to her level." Seth squinted, thinking. "I dunno if having lifejackets and the tails would work, but I'm sure we'd be willing to work with you."

"Did you hear that honey?" Mrs. Shippley asked, nudging her daughter. Holly was clearly too embarrassed and Seth chuckled, straying back to the water.

"Try talking to Roman." Seth nodded. "I'm sure he'd cut you a good deal."

"That he would, let's go honey." 

Holly waved quickly to Seth, wrapping herself up in her towel and shuffling away. Since he'd taken the class for mermaid parties, Seth hadn't facilitated one himself, but he'd seen them crop up under the schedule, usually under Sasha or Xavier's name. It was probably a pretty good paying gig, but even if it wasn't, Seth would have been glad to do something for the Shippley family.

The next two classes were more full and Seth really had to drill the rules into a brother and sister pair that kept letting go of the wall whenever his back was turned. Dean and Roman both came by a few times, instructed to splash Seth's class, turning the shallow end into a raucous mess. At the end, Roman's older students threw diving rings for the younger kids to search for. 

"Why do you have that?" One of Dean's students, Elizabeth, pointed to Seth's knee brace as he sat on the deck, checking off a few skills on his lesson clipboard. Dean splashed her, soaking Seth in the process.

"None of your beeswax, Beth." Dean handed her a couple of kickboards. "Go put those away."

"I was thinking of working out tomorrow once we get off," Roman proposed, sliding out of the pool and looking between his lovers. "Your leg okay?"

"As reliable as ever." Seth shrugged. "I could schedule a WOD for us at the Box, I just need to add you as guests in the timeslot. When you come, you'd just need to bring an ID and-"

"I mean at  _ my _ gym." Roman laughed. "If you're game. Would you wanna come Dean-o?"

"Huh? Uh, sure I guess." Dean slapped his clipboard down on the deck. "I think I'm finishin' that blanket tonight so I'll have time."

"That one for your sister?"

"Yuuup."

They parted ways to shower and Dean and Roman had to linger on the deck for a few more minutes, seeing off a few parents who had questions regarding their children's progress or package plans. Yawning wide, Seth picked up his bag and made his way to change, pulling his rash guard off his chest and draping it on the shower railing. 

It had been such a long, crazy day, Seth immediately realized how tired he was, standing under the warm water and feeling the dull ache of consistent movement wash over him. In the mirror on the opposite wall, he could see his beard was a little long and his hair was starting to fray and yellow where he had dyed it months ago. Seth needed a trim badly, but if he wanted it done professionally, it'd have to wait a little bit.

Other than that, he was looking and feeling great. Gingerly, Seth eased his leg out of it's brace, feeling his patella carefully. If things didn't start to shape up soon, he'd visit a doctor. Depending of course on whether or not his health care application went through smoothly. If not, Seth supposed he'd just have to slow down a little bit, maybe only going to CrossFit three days out of the week to start. The thought left an acidic taste in his mouth and Seth pondered his reflection carefully.

Saying he looked like a god was obviously cocky, but Seth had never looked better in his life. Everything was pert, tight and defined and his quads and his backside where gorgeous, stretching out the fabric of his knee length fitted trunks. Dean was pretty toned as well, but out of the three men, Seth was definitely the most functionally strong and built. 

Anything less than giving his all consistently, felt like losing and Seth knew he didn't want to slim down or gain weight, even if his knee was a little wobbly and sore. Being a little tighter and stiff was just part of getting older, right? That year, he'd be turning twenty-seven and every inch closer to thirty was surreal and strange. He'd listen to his body, but not to the point of letting it deteriorate.

"Do you got any shampoo?" Dean poked his head out of his stall, staring as Seth let his arms fall to his sides, slack. "You  _ flexing _ ?"

"N-no, what?" Seth spluttered, red in the face. "No, I mean, I got some."

"You were flexing," Dean teased. "You're flexing  _ now _ ."

"No I'm not!" Seth kicked his little bottle of shampoo under Dean's stall, embarrassed to admit he was holding his body rather tight. "I'm just checking on myself!"

"Okay fussy." Dean crouched, picking up the bottle and Seth tutted.

"I'm not fussy, you just tease." 

"Sounds fussy, man." Dean snickered. "Your shampoo has flowers on it, that's fussy."

"Sorry I don't use one product for my whole body like  _ some _ people," Seth snapped, catching his bottle as Dean rolled it back from underneath the stall, giggling. "I seem to remember you like sniffin' my hair."

"Who's back there, huh?" E called from the locker room, easily peering over the dressing room lockers to grin at Seth. "Seth fussin' again?"

"I'm being harassed!" Seth scoffed dramatically, gathering up his things and throwing his towel over his shoulders. "Hope you don't need any soap!"

"Nah I'm good, thanks fussy." 

As juvenile as it was, Seth didn't have much better to do than put his things down and motion for E and Xavier to quietly follow him. White Water was about to close in a few minutes and all of the children who had taken part in lessons had already dressed and left, leaving just the staff to close out and leave. Mischievously, Seth took his insulated water bottle full of ice water and traipsed into the adjacent stall as quietly as he could muster, letting his co-workers watch as he dumped the container over Dean's faucet.

"What are you guys doing?" Kevin laughed as Seth, Xavier and E ran out, laughing and nearly tripping over themselves to leave. As the door flapped open, Dean's rambunctious yell could be heard echoing loudly across the hallways. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the grind again. Just some mischievous boys. We all know that Dean probably uses head n' shoulders all in one. 
> 
> Next time, the boys workout at Roman's gym. Will Seth get insured? The prank wars have just begun.


	88. Limitless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all gyms are created equal, but quality time is hard to come by. Seth opens up in more ways than one.

Dean's revenge also came in the form of cold water, less than twenty-four hours after Seth's stupid prank. Standing on the deck, wearing his teacher's spandex shirt and holding his clipboard in his armpit, Seth was doused when Dean crept up on him with a water gun full of ice water, making him squawk and nearly sprain his ankle in the gutter.

"You asked for it," Dean sneered, slinging the bright blue gun over his shoulder and watching as Seth grumbled, hopping into the pool to feel the considerably warmer water. The victory was short lived as Roman came by, pushing Dean fast into the shallows and skipping away to avoid being splashed.

"Your face-" Seth guffawed, turning the other way to avoid Dean flinging water in his eyes. He swam away, chuckling to himself.

"Uce is dumb as hell, I _ live  _ with him," Dean snarked, clinging to the railing of the ladder to hoist himself out. "Going to get it when he least expects it."

Seth had skipped out on CrossFit that afternoon in favor of going to the gym with Dean and Roman that night, so he was fairly perky during lessons and significantly less exhausted. Cesaro didn't seem to mind, as he was rolling his shoulder awkwardly through his shift, wrinking his eyebrows.

"I've been stiff lately, should probably take a little break myself," he explained, massaging the tender area. Seth flexed his right foot, peering at his brace and feeling blank. Going to a different gym could be a nice change, but Seth would actually have to think about what he wanted to do about working out long term.

"Where is this place?" Seth asked, grabbing his bag from his car and walking a little faster to catch up to Dean and Roman. They were all ambling towards the Jeep, one of the last cars in the lot now that the pool was closed for the day. The sun had already set and it was the perfect temperature, a run or a bike ride would be the best cardio Seth could imagine.

"It's just that Planet Fitness up in Fashion Square, by Hampton kinda," Roman said, fussing with his skin tight athletic leggings. "I probably shouldn't... but there's a Chipotle up there, so I just thought-"

"Planet  _ Fitness _ ?" Seth spluttered, eyebrows arching into his hairline as he stared at his boyfriend, dumbfounded. Clearly amused, Dean copied him dramatically, throwing his hands up into the air and whining.

"Yeah…" Roman giggled. "You gonna be alright with that?"

Seth knew he was being ridiculous, but he honestly had assumed Roman went to a  _ health club  _ of some sort, like a Lifetime or LA fitness. Some sort of gourmet option for gyms that would likely be paid for by his parents. Of course, Seth was happy to join his boyfriends in doing whatever they wanted, knowing that he didn't have as much one-on-one time to spend now that he was working more hours at the pool, but it didn't stop him from grumbling a bit. Cesaro had turned him into a huge exercise snob, spoiling him with a fitness regimen whose core tenant was working so hard it was difficult to breathe.

Parking in the cramped mall parking lot and walking up to the huge globo-gym, Seth's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Are you  _ really _ gonna be cranky about this?" Dean snickered, watching Seth's eyes nearly roll out of his head as he read  _ Judgement Free Zone _ across the windows. Seth shook his head vigorously. 

"No! I just wish I could have worked out beforehand!" Seth scoffed, walking in as Roman held the door open. "Why didn't you tell me we were going  _ here _ ?" 

"'Cause it's funny." Roman winked, patting him on the butt.

"Yeah, you got totally pranked dude," Dean said, bringing the up the rear.

Both men had apparently worked out together before, moving around the gym with a certain level of comfort. It turned out that Roman's membership included an unlimited amount of guest passes. The three made for the men's locker room and set down their bags. Dean wore a simple sweatshirt and some loose fitting shorts, while Roman revealed a large tank top, sitting down to change into some old trainers.

Seth felt overdressed in his high end Nike leggings and Metcons, peering around the locker room conspicuously and seeing very average human beings listening to their headphones and tying their shoes. They were all obviously coming off of work, going through the motions of a regular habit, not trying to socialize much. The gym wasn't very busy for a weeknight, but it was still difficult to find room in the stretching area where all three men could sit, extending their legs out and touching their toes.

"Lookit you, all fancy," Dean teased, watching Seth easily grasp the bottoms of his feet and slump over his thighs, breathing out. Seth shot him a fatigued stare. He felt like he was being bullied a little, but didn't want to complain for fear of additional ribbing.

"What do you normally do with Cesaro when you workout?" Roman asked, alternating legs.

"Whatever the WOD is." Seth shrugged, sitting up and opening his hips more. "It changes every day."

They started with some cardio and Seth begrudgingly hopped on an elliptical, bemoaning the lack of any real gym equipment in the area. Machines ruled the floors and people of all ages cycled through. Some loners listened to their headphones, while friends and families traveled in groups, mostly texting on their phones. He thought it was difficult to call the business a gym, as there wasn't a squat rack or a kettle bell in sight, but looking around, Seth did note the variety of people who had showed up.

He didn't really think about it, but really only  _ immaculately  _ fit people showed up to CrossFit class. Seth remembered a few overweight people from his foundations groups, but for whatever reason, they hadn't stuck around. Roman's gym had folks of all different backgrounds and body types, much different than the fairly homogenous group at the Box, full of mostly white folks of higher incomes.

Seth watched Roman walk on a treadmill while Dean watched TV and pedaled a stationary bike. On the whole, Seth still obviously felt Crossfit was better, but he tried to lighten up some about the gym, focusing on the display of his machine and pumping his arms a little faster.

"It's not box jumps, but it gets the job done," Roman mumbled during their strength set, drinking from his water as Seth mindlessly curled some dumbbells, peering at his boyfriend in the mirror and sighing quietly. By 9:30, a new rush of guests had come in and swamped most of the treadmills and basic machines. Seth watched a man trying to teach his girlfriend how to do weighted squats in the corner, not terribly engaged with his surroundings. 

"I think I would get kicked out if I tried to do box jumps here," he chuckled, setting down the dumbbells and scratching his chest. 

"Yeah, we'd pull the lunk alarm on you."

"It would be cool if they had bags here at least," Dean huffed, coming up and out of a divebomb pushup. "We gotta go to my place, that's always fun 'cause nobody's there. You can screw around and do whatever with the equipment so long as you pick stuff up."

"That's run by that boxer dude, right?" Roman asked, plopping down on a bench and watching as Dean stood back up, wiping his forehead. 

"Yup." Dean spread his legs and sunk into a squat, thrusting his hands to the ground as he bent.

Seth stared, curious. "Hindu squat, right?"

"Yup," Dean repeated. "I keep it old school. You know me."

"What do you like to do here?" Seth asked, turning to Roman and sitting on the floor, resigned to an easy night.

"I'm an upper body guy, not gonna lie." Roman blushed. "Since my hernia, I mostly do chest and back stuff… arms…"

"We seen ya' naked." Dean smiled, dusting off his hands.

"What's the craziest CrossFit you can do?" Roman asked. "Flip any tires?"

"Not really." Seth grinned. "I dunno. The olympic lifts are really fun, not like I can do that here though."

"Kip ups?" Dean's eyes glided over to a pull up bar in the corner that was being used by an older gentleman who was stretching his back out. "Fancy CrossFit pullups?"

"I can walk on my hands," Seth offered, standing up eagerly. Dean and Roman watched as he carefully went up onto his hands, letting his knees drape as he slowly brought his palms up to step forward. They cheered him, laughing as he went a little too quickly and nearly collided with a trash can, making strangers stare. Regaining his balance, Seth made it all the way across the room before setting his legs back down, flushed in his face.

"A man of many talents," Dean said, patting his rear lightly as he stood before them, rubbing his wrists. Seth shrunk, slightly nervous from the affection.

"Hey, judgement free zone," Roman said, winking again. 

Seth hadn't realized before, but as he left, he picked out two other gay couples, standing close beside each other and laughing as they worked out. On the whole, Seth supposed it was a cool environment, though the free pizza in the lobby made him laugh.

Urging his lovers to do a workout  _ his  _ way, Roman and Dean agreed to attend a WOD class to see if they would be interested in doing CrossFit to train for the triathlon. Without batting an eye, Roman bought Seth a burrito, chips and guac, and a fruit drink for a late Chipotle supper, dropping him off at his car with a squeeze to his thigh.

On the whole, the week was going good, and Seth felt like he was really happy at the end of each day. He would teach and work out, then take Kevin on little walks in the evenings if he wasn't stopping by Roman and Dean's house. During the day, they did their playful dance of working around each other and pinching thighs or butts when they were alone. Even though there wasn't much off time, Seth didn't mind since he was seeing his lover's anyway and earning more money. On Wednesday, he surprised them with bag lunches full of healthy snacks, and that night (after Dean's knitting class of course) they snuggled together in bed until it was 6 AM the next day and Seth bolted home to let Kevin outside and change for work.

Roman's mother called fairly regularly now, having quick little evening conversations with her son about his day and how Dean and Seth were doing. Roman was still pondering the idea of returning to school, but hadn't landed on anything yet that struck his fancy. Lisa seemed to believe he just needed to finish his business degree, but Roman didn't seem very interested, looking through degree programs in his area. Seth mostly just watched from afar, sure that if anything important came up, he’d hear about it.

Dean took his medications steadfast every night without any prodding from Roman, and he seemed to be sleeping normally. Seth thought his speech might have slowed slightly, and he noted that Dean seemed to drink more Redbull than before, but his moods were consistently predictable. After finishing the Christmas blanket for his sister, Dean procured some new knitting needles and yarn to make Crispy some sort of fashion accessory for his next project.

Crispy herself was the moodiest of the bunch, taking to crowing in strange areas around the backyard or just not coming out of her chicken run at all. Dean went to check on her one evening at sunset, returning distraught after she had tried to peck his finger when he opened the door.

"She fuckin' treated me like I'm one of YOU," Dean said, cracking a can of coke and plopping down at the kitchen island. "Is she sick you think?"

"Probably just broody, that's what I'm guessin'," Roman muttered, turning on his kitchen aid to beat the bananas in with the coconut oil to make his usual homemade deep conditioning product. Seth sat across from Dean, his hair down and waiting to be primed, texting on his phone. It had been a while since he’d conditioned his hair, and it was starting to look apparent. 

"Let's get babies," Dean proposed. "It was fun when we got chicks last time."

"Only because me and Dan did all the work!" Roman laughed. "They stunk up the house and peeped all night."

"Yeah but like, wouldn't Crispy just raise 'em? You didn't have a hen to start off."

"You get 'em as chicks, not eggs?" Seth asked.

"Yeah cause then they get sexed and you get hens, not roosters," Roman explained, pulling the bowl off of the machine and stirring it carefully. "Or at least,  _ most _ of the time you get hens."

After matting the gooey mixture into their hair, they sat and waited for awhile, watching television with their shirts off and trying not to drip on the sofa. Dean chuckled at them as usual, helping Roman mop up some splatter on his back with a napkin while Seth picked at his fingernails.

“I meant to ask you...” Roman said, turning to Seth and blushing slightly. “I was gonna ask you about the trip and then the whole emergency happened. How was Iowa?”

“Oh! Yeah…” Seth snickered. “I completely forgot about that.”

“Which is understandable,” Roman laughed, Dean turned the volume down on the TV, switching channels.

“Well, a bunch of stuff happened actually,” Seth sighed, thinking hard. “My folks are all good. My brother picked me up from the airport and my ma made dinner…”

“You said you told them all about… us…” Roman remembered, nodding. Seth nodded back, curling his lip. 

“Yeah and they were super chill about it, all things considered. They thought it was weird and all, but I told them about both of you and we just hugged it out. I think my mom suspected something 'cause of all the stuff your ma put on Facebook.”

“Oh yeah, she’s terrible about that.” Roman grinned. “But that’s good.”

“Yeah,” Seth said. “It went well and then I went to my grandpa’s farm in Buffalo. It’s… it’s more just like a big plot of land, he doesn’t really grow anything or own cattle, but me and my brother went out there and I got to see the place for the first time in a bit.” He drew a line across his forehead to stop some conditioner from dripping into his eyebrows. “I talked with him for a long time… about life stuff… but it was crazy… He’s an older guy- my grandma passed away not that long ago so I know that my mom worries about him a lot. He’s in good condition I’d say, but pretty quick he started talking to me about like… his will and things like that.”

“Oh wow.” Roman’s eyes widened and Dean grunted, turning his full attention onto Seth while the TV played through a paper towel commercial.

“Yeah, it’s… a lot to think about…” Seth sighed. “I didn’t really know what to make of it, but then it got really emotional because… well, the way he was talking, it sorta seemed like he was trying to tell me he was gay? Or something?”

“Shitttt….” Roman’s head sunk on his neck. “That’s crazy!”

“Yeah, like, I still don’t really know what to make of it.” He crossed his legs. “AND THEN- I hung out with one of my old friends and went to that concert- and the guy tried to make a move on me at the end of the night and it got really awkward.”

Dean laughed and Seth smiled nervously, his heart beating fast until he realized that his boyfriends weren’t about to be upset. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, but Seth’s previous infraction against Marek had made him very jumpy and hesitant to discuss the Jimmy situation. 

More for himself than anything, he continued. “I didn’t- I really didn’t do anything, I just left,” he said quickly. “Then I flew back here.” 

“Wild,” Dean said simply.

“You’re all good though?” Roman asked. “Shit, so all that happened…”

“And I just came back… yup.” Seth raised his eyebrow as Roman groaned. It was rude to say _ I left all that drama and came back to your drama _ but everyone seemed to have fairly good humor, able to look at the moment in retrospect. Seth was surprised he’d withheld the information for as long as he had, but all the tumultuousness of returning had put it out of his mind by the time the dust had cleared.

“It’s all good,” Seth settled. “Life is weird, it’s just what happens.”

“You’re drippin too,” Dean muttered, pointing at Seth’s shoulder. He let out a soft, dramatic yell, rolling his finger around his back, feeling more conditioner. 

“Are we good to rinse yet?”

Roman and Seth crammed into the shower, barely able to fit as they traded turns under the water, letting the coconut and olive oil mix flow down the drain. It wasn’t so much a huge relief to Seth to discuss his Iowa trip or talk about his Grandfather or Jimmy, but he did become quieter, holding his head under the water and letting his thin mouth part dumbly from the warm sensation.

“You okay?” Roman asked, running a finger softly down his back, giving him shivers. Seth mumbled, opening his eyes and shrugging.

“Yeah, I’m good, just thinking about stuff,” he said, stepping in to ease the back of his head against Roman’s neck, playfully nuzzling. “Thinkin’ about… how I gotta get home… how I don’t wanna...”

“Yeah?” Roman’s arms splayed out over his stomach, pulling him in closer and teasing the fluff of his happy trail heading south. “Don’t then.”

“But my  _ doggggggg _ ,” Seth whined, screwing up his face and burrowing deeper into Roman’s neck. He didn’t know why he was being so playful and goofy lately, but he just felt really comfortable around both men. Roman’s hands tickled his belly, moving down his hips and palming his thighs. Roman rumbled with enjoyment and pressed his dick against Seth’s backside. Seth hummed happily just as a harsh knocking could be heard against the walls. Footsteps were heading their way and every few feet, Dean was banging the hallway wall.

“Better not be no fuckin’ in there!” he yelled, pulling a nasally, motherly tone as he rapped on the doorway. Roman grabbed a handful of Seth’s ass, making him purr.

“You fucked me this mornin’! You got your turn!” Roman called. 

“Is  _ that _ right?” Seth said, giggling as Dean wailed, hitting the door hard. They both spluttered as they heard him crumple to the floor, theatrically.

“You guys are both so damn silly.” Roman put a sly hand in the middle of Seth’s rump, teasing him with a finger as Seth bowed forward, raising his backside high and groaning as his wet hair flopped around his cheeks. “You’re so  _ flexible _ …”

“Wha?” Seth grinned between his knees, only able to see Roman’s shins, coming closer to mindlessly touch his dick against his ass, teasing. “How many… how often do you guys fuck?”

“Not THAT much,” Roman chuckled, patting Seth’s ass and making to turn off the water. “I’m sensitive, I can’t get plowed every day. A lot of the time we just lay in bed... touchin’ each other.”

After they had both grabbed towels and dried off, Seth opened the door, nearly smacking Dean as he was still laying on the floor of the hallway, texting on his phone.

“It’s a good thing you’re housebroken.” Roman tossed his towel at Dean’s head, the material landing with a soft flump, obscuring him as he mumbled something and stood back up again, bouncing on his heels. 

“I was doing research,” he explained, turning the display of his phone around. There was no sound, but a video was playing, facing the wrong ways on the screen. Roman and Seth tilted their heads sideways, watching a very explicit porn video of three hunky, tattooed men of mixed ethnicity. Dean smirked and Seth and Roman’s eyebrows raised, watching as the smallest of the three was bent over to be fucked while the third came over the top, slowly pressing himself in alongside as well.

Aghast, but aroused, Seth laughed awkwardly, turning to Roman. It was a rather astonishing feat, and Seth himself wondered if it would be at all possible to do something similar without hurting himself, but Roman just rolled his eyes.

"You want to start some sex olympics..." he grunted, smoothing Seth's hip under his hand. "I might be kinky, but I'm not no  _ pornstar _ ."

"You sell yourself short," Dean scoffed, leading the way to the bedroom and making to take his shirt off. "But Seth does take cock pretty  _ fashionably _ ." 

"Have you done that before?" Seth asked, instinctively clenching his rear tight. Roman's dick was probably the widest thing that had ever ventured inside, save for maybe one of the larger anal plugs he'd experimented with. However, Seth really did love to be  _ stretched _ . There was nothing better than feeling that warm burn, sure that his backside was going to burst with the firm pressure of a dick splitting him wide. 

"No sir." Dean pumped at his cock, already hard and bumping back and forth as he pulled off his underwear, tossing it against the wall. "No pressure, we don't gotta do it  _ now _ ." 

It was pretty tantalizing to think about though, as Seth wondered how exactly one took two dicks at the same time. His own cock was pulsing hopefully, overjoyed as Roman's hand began to stroke him. Immediately, Seth shivered and nuzzled into Dean, hands trembling over his lover's dick. With all three men standing, fondling each other, they chuckled, unsure exactly how to proceed.

"You fucked  _ me _ this morning, so _ I _ get to fuck Seth," Roman said decisively, giving Seth's cock a gentle tug in his direction. "Only fair."

Dean frowned, thinking hard while Seth smiled, nudging his shoulder with his head. "I'll suck ya off," he offered. 

"Mmmm I  _ love _ you…" Dean purred, leaning in and kissing Seth's neck. "Get you all slurry and drunk on dicks."

"I don't get  _ drunk _ on  _ dicks _ ." Seth pouted. "You'd be a mess too if Rome' ever fucked  _ you _ ."

"Sounds hot." Dean sucked right above his collarbone and Seth moaned. Roman's hands were already a mess from an indecent amount of pre-come leaking off his cock. All three of them were vibrating with excitement, flopping down onto the mattress, but working slowly and carefully. Dean sat down at the head of the bed, his long uncut dick hard and bucking for Seth's mouth, coming in quickly to tease the tip. Roman obliged Seth with a little throw pillow for his knees and wet his fingers with a healthy amount of lube. He pressed his thumb against Seth's entrance, warming him up with smooth circles and Seth let out a low hum. 

"Beard tickles." Dean jerked, trying to fan his legs out farther, keeping Seth's facial hair from creating friction on his thighs. Chin full of drool, Seth smirked, catching Dean's gaze as he teased him, running his tongue down the shaft of his cock. Dean groaned and pulled him down, flexing his palm over the back of Seth's head, moving a handful of his hair to the side to see his face better. Seth was sure he looked a mess, blushy and wet eyed from putting Dean down his throat, but Dean's cock only telegraphed love and pleasure.

Roman grunted from behind, lining his dick up with Seth's backside and holding onto his sides carefully. Seth seized up a little, but Dean rubbed the back of his neck carefully, understandably sure that his blowjob was going to become a little less focused.

Seth wasn't sure why he felt so much pressure to perform. He knew that whatever he was capable of doing would be more than enough for Dean and Roman to enjoy. The most honest praise he ever received was when he was choked up with cock at either end, and Seth lavished the little moans and groans of his lovers, overwhelmed by his skill. Perhaps it was that Dean and Roman lived together, that any time Seth was around, it was a sort of treat that was to be indulged in irregularly. Seth wanted their times to be special, if only for the selfish reason that he would spend any days he had to himself, remembering how slutty he could get and jerking off in his shower to the thought of it. But Seth  _ really did _ love blowing his lover's minds and he wanted to make them happy. So when Dean drew away, letting Seth take a break to enjoy Roman's dick slowly bottoming out, Seth doubled his efforts, eager to see how quickly he could make him come.

Dean growled, surprised, but clearly yearning to arch his hips and fuck Seth's mouth to the fullest. Roman laughed from behind, grabbing Seth's ass and shaking the muscle hard.

"Oh… hell babe…." Dean whined, his head falling back as Seth panted, tears streaming down his face from the effort as he gagged, stuffed up past his tonsils. Roman rolled his hips and Seth groaned, the vibrations of his throat making Dean wobble.

"And you thought you were getting the raw deal," Roman teased, watching Dean pant and squint, laying his hands in Seth's hair, trying to center himself. For Seth, it was an act of the most specific concentration he could muster, blocking everything out and trying not to make himself throw up. He wanted to  _ try _ something, but he also didn't want to puke.

"Okay...okay...okay…" Dean's breathing sharpened and Seth could feel him coming up, shuddering in the way that proceeded orgasm. Daringly, instead of retreating to finish with a handjob, Seth took him deeper, screwing up his face as he tried his utmost to make his throat comply, feeling lightheaded as he swallowed.

Dean let out an unintelligible string of nonsense and Roman paused, eyes wide as Seth made a throaty, croaking noise, his face losing it's flushed color as Dean came down his throat. Unable to really see what was going on, Roman laughed awkwardly, concerned as Dean looked startled and Seth was clearly gagging.

"Dean- Dean- let him go-" 

"I'm not! He-"

Seth popped off and a trail of spit and come followed, he breathed, and coughed hard, his forehead falling against Dean's thigh as he felt the room spin, the lights harsh and over-bright. Dean let out a low whistle, bending down to kiss Seth's wild mane, cooing.

"You are- the most-" Dean turned him slightly, following Roman's pointed finger to grab a tissue from the bedside, offering it up as Seth continued to cough. "You wouldn't believe it Uce. He tried to eat me!"

Roman stilled completely, clearly more concerned than aroused as Seth hacked hard, refusing the tissue and kneading his chest carefully. Letting out a cough that was part burp and part hiccup, Seth sighed, rubbing his puffed up lips and grinning mischievously.

"We all okay?" Roman asked, rubbing his hip. Dean laughed, giving Seth's wet chin a little shake. 

"I'm good… I'm good," Seth muttered, voice raspy as he slumped back down, giving his bottom a weary little flex. Roman began to pump again, experimentally, still suspicious.

"That was friggen' ridiculous," Dean mumbled, staring at his cock in disbelief. Roman grunted, rolling his hips while Seth tried to pull himself together. It was difficult, with Roman's huge girth pushing him frog-legged, bumping up against his prostate with enough force to wind him again. 

As though upset from being out of action, Dean reached for the nightstand, pumping lube into his hand and stuffing a pillow under Seth so he had something to hold. Grumbling in mock anger, Dean warmed the lube in his hand before grabbing a hold of Seth's cock, which was still leaking steadily with pre come.

"That nice?" Dean teased, rubbing his fingers over the tip of his dick. Seth's whole face tightened and flushed, nodding into the pillow with his eyes squeezed shut. "Got such a pretty 'lil package... "

"Dean, be  _ nice _ ." Roman laughed, beating hard up against Seth's ass now, as though trying to block out any inappropriate dirty talk.

"He likes it when I say that!" Dean argued, stroking back and forth with care. "See?"

Seth himself could barely hear anything, lost somewhere in the breathless pressure of all the movement being acted out upon him. For whatever reason, he imagined laying down on a beach, halfway in the surf, as though Roman was the whole ocean, fucking him senseless. It was consistent and strong and with Dean pumping his dick from the side, the pleasure never stopped or ceded, but simply rose and fell to a different depth. 

Somewhere else, Seth could hear them, cooing and commenting how amazing he was, how warm and tight his bottom could be. Hands massaged his sides and his ass, giving appreciative slaps and admiring the firmness of his skin. It wasn't until Seth felt a vague burn and a change in pressure that he came out from his pillow den, slapping his hair aside and becoming conscious of the blissful whine he was letting out.

Roman was still inside him, but Dean's right hand had inched back, away from his cock. Lube coated both of his legs, dripping down as Seth gasped, feeling a new stretch.

"That's two," Dean said, breathlessly. The words sounded intelligible to Seth, who blinked, mouth open, panting hard. Roman looked stunned, unable to move as the pressure knotted up to a fever pitch.

"Dean! Stop, stop…"

"Two's  _ probably _ fine for now."

Seth tried to flex his backside, but shuddered immediately, feeling the acute burn. He was impossibly full, stretched as much as he ever had been. Something tickled and Seth choked, confused and crashing back to earth.

"Whattist?"

"How does that feel babe?" Dean asked, rubbing his back. "Hurt?"

"What issit?"

Dean wiggled his fingers again and Seth coughed. His middle and ring finger were buried, knuckle deep in Seth's ass as well as Roman's dick. Everything burned, wide and sudden and focused. Astounded, he just stared, wide eyed behind him, sure in his assessment that it felt good, but unsure, slightly scared of what he was feeling.

"It's a lot." Roman shook his head. "Dean, let's just-"

"N-n-no…" Seth swallowed, eyes widening as Dean moved a millimeter to withdraw. Seth gave the shallowest of little bucks and all three men hissed, sure that his backside was probably red and inflamed, protesting against so much activity. Dean gazed down at Seth with an indescribable fondness, fluttering his fingers again.

" _ Slowwww, _ " Seth instructed, his eyes leaking again as he couldn't decide if he wanted them open or shut. Roman experimented, easing down to fully bottom out before coming back up again in a pull, trailing Dean with him.

"Of course babe," Dean said, patting him lovingly. "Whatever you want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth's such a snob, ain' he? 
> 
> Happy Wrestlemania everyone! Hope you're not too hungover. Raw tonight is going to be unreal as usual, but I think I like posting chapters during the day if I have them finished, just to save myself some sleep. 
> 
> Also, I'm thinking of creating an index for To The Rescue so it's easier to re-read scenes you enjoy! Right now I'm thinking of categorizing sex scenes, hurt/comfort bits and fluffy, fun moments, but if you want me to say, pick out all the bits with Cesaro or Sasha, let me know! You can always just search the whole document, but that does get sort of muddy and long.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it, as usual.


	89. Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chores, Friends and the thin line between self reliance and self destruction.

“Goddamnit Kev.” 

Kevin shrunk, whining behind the couch as Seth returned home. Usually, he was met with yappy, excited barks on approach, but as Seth entered the apartment, he was greeted by a nasty smell instead. Right by the door, Kevin had pooped, just missing the door mat.

Seth sighed, dropping his gym bag and going to the kitchen to get some paper towels. He knew he shouldn’t be mad at his dog, but he was tired and inconvenienced. All the long hours at work and his own tendency to run to Roman and Dean’s house meant that his dog was terribly bored and lonely. Each night when he came home now, Kevin ran excited laps around the house. Even when he was home, Seth couldn't catch any peace with Kevin whining any time he occupied himself with video games or scratching at the bathroom door any time he closed it. It didn't make Seth feel particularly responsible. 

The smell was gone after some scrubbing of the carpet, febreeze, and cracking the patio door, but Kevin hid, ashamed, under the couch until Seth got on his hands and knees and sweetened his tone.

“Buddy, I’m not mad. Hey-” He reached his hand out, scooting Kevin closer. “Let’s go outside, yeah?”

A few treats perked him up, and Seth grabbed his laundry bin and his keys. All of his guard shirts and swimsuits were dirty, so he thought to throw them in the machine before going on a walk through the courtyard with Kevin. His dog followed him at a frantic little jog down the hallway to the laundry room while Seth fished in his pockets for quarters.

Only having a single day off of work, he tried to think ahead and do his chores throughout the week,  going through a checklist in his head to plan appropriately. Seth had enough groceries to make it another couple of days, and he’d worked out the day before, so he was feeling a little sleepy and worn out. So long as he got the basics done, he could relax for the rest of his evening and spend his time doing whatever he fancied. 

Kevin scampered into the laundry room, sniffing the floor as Seth turned on the lights and made to load the machine. It was only after he’d dumped all of his clothes into the washer with some soap and paid that he pressed the button for the regular cycle and saw the electronic display simply go black. 

“What the hell?” Seth mumbled, pushing the coin threader in again. The machine was unresponsive. 

The only other washer in the building was sitting up against the wall, turned sideways with an  _ out of order _ sign taped to the top. It was ridiculous- how did a whole complex have no working laundry machines?

Angrily, Seth wrenched his soapy clothes out of the guts of the machine and tossed them back into his basket. Without thinking, without even processing his actions, he’d whipped out his phone, and opened his group conversation with Dean and Roman. The text read in his head, something like  **can i use ur washing machine??? All the ones in my place are busted!** But Seth frowned, looking around the musty room, annoyed.

_ I can’t just keep running to them for help with things,  _ he thought, stuffing his phone back into his pocket and picking up his basket. Kevin followed him out of the room.  _ I was just there, I don’t need to go running back and wearing them out.  _

So instead, Seth walked back up the stairs, grabbed a handful of quarters from the top of his dresser and put on some better shoes. There was a laundromat by a park about halfway to White Water. He could put his laundry in, take Kevin for a walk, and maybe get a snack at one of the many pop-up eateries. 

_ On second thought…  _ Seth sighed, already feeling guilty just paying extra for his laundry and gas. He went to his kitchen and grabbed a single granola bar out of the cupboard, stuffing it in his pocket. It would have to do. 

Seth was sure Roman would have happily let him use his washer and dryer and probably wouldn’t have thought twice if Seth just popped by and grabbed it without socializing very much, but he felt guilty about being gone from home. Roman and Dean didn't let on any annoyance, but Seth felt uncomfortable with how quickly he'd gone to eating dinner at their house almost every night. Just yesterday, Seth had finally broken down and asked if he couldn't help with anything.

"It's just… you buy all this food…" Seth explained, laughing nervously as Roman lay lasagna noodles in a pan, the radio playing in the background. Dean was working late and had texted that he would be home soon, insisting dinner be ready when he arrived. "I feel like I'm eating more here than anywhere at this point… I should probably be… I dunno, cutting you some cash?"

"You help set the table," Roman grunted, sneaking a floppy noodle in his mouth and drying his hands. "Dean helps with groceries, it's no big deal." 

"Yeah, but, you know what I mean man," Seth sighed. "You'll let me know if it's a problem, right?"

"Yeah, but it ain' no problem," Roman said, leaning in to peck him on the forehead. "If you really wanna help, just grab that baguette out the oven and cut it for me or something."

It was hard to explain how much Dean and Roman had changed his life in the time that they'd been together, but Seth had never been one to put words together eloquently. With a stir, he realized that they had been in a relationship for over a month, and although they'd gone through a few rough days with moments of uncertainty, Seth couldn't imagine life without them. 

Being by himself just didn't have the same glamor it did before. Seth went to the laundromat and took Kevin through the park, giving him plenty of opportunities to smell trees and pee on things while it was still light outside. Roman and Dean each texted him, clearly used to his presence.

**I taped game of thrones and the playoffs so we can watch that this weekend if u want** Roman messaged their group chat

**Yes plssss** Seth messaged back, half nodding as a woman walked by him with her dog. After returning to the laundromat to flip his clothes, he got a picture from Dean of some knitting he was working on, a blue square fixed to needles.

**Gunna be a sweater for crispy** he explained.  **Its hard to make things on small needles**

**Looks great!!!!** Seth replied, his heart warmed by the fact Dean was using the book he'd gifted to him. By the time he'd arrived in his parking spot with a sleepy dog and a basket full of folded clothes, he had several more texts, detailing the evening that was happening at the house on Grant Street. 

Before he made it upstairs, Seth checked his mail, turning his little key in the row of boxes. It was difficult to open and Seth frowned, setting down his basket and using both hands to wrench the door from the mechanism. Inside, a huge manila envelope had been crammed crudely into the box with a few pieces of junk mail.

At first, Seth was confused, turning over the envelope, unable to make sense of the return address. Kevin sniffed the trash can in the corner, sneezing. 

"Oooh…" Seth murmured, pulling a packet of papers out of the envelope, reading  _ Sola Care _ across the coversheet. The contents of the package contained an insurance card and an explanation of benefits.

**I have insurance now ;)** Seth texted his lovers, feeling a sort of slow burning relief wash over him as he walked up the stairs.

* * *

 

A saturday morning guard shift was different because a lot of the regulars were younger than the weekday patrons, but things were generally more relaxed. Usually when Seth and Cesaro guarded together, Cesaro's bluetooth speaker serenaded the pool area with upbeat music. Seth would tease him for his eclectic taste, and the two never sat in the guard stand, content to walk around the deck or stand at attention.

But that Saturday, Cesaro was busy. He had started trading his shifts in a lot more with all of his personal training work picking up, and so Seth began his day guarding with Finn in silence.

"Hopefully it won' be like last time, yeah?" Finn smiled nervously, adjusting his fanny pack. Seth nodded, put out by the fact that he was going to spend his morning without any absurd jams. They'd agreed to work out that afternoon, but the shift was definitely going to be a lot slower without Cesaro around.

At 9:15, both Dean and Roman came in through the locker rooms, wearing their swimsuits and rash guards. Roman's 9:30 tabata class was the only thing he had to do that day, but Seth frowned, sure that Dean didn't have to teach until the group lessons started. 

Seth stopped in his tracks as he walked over to them, his lips thinning. Was it weird that he knew Dean and Roman's schedules  _ that  _ well? 

"Hey champ," Roman said gruffly, nodding in Seth's direction as they passed by, wheeling the boombox in tow. "No heart attacks today?"

"Not… that I know of…" Seth muttered dumbly, keeping his eyes on the water. Finn was on the opposite side of the pool, scanning and talking to an older woman in the far lane. Dean was drinking from a can of soda and twanging the pull tab.

"We were talking about going out tonight, how's your money situation?" Dean asked, standing side to side so Seth could still do his job. "If it's not so great, I can front ya some cash."

"Or we could just stay at home," Roman offered. "I had that stuff recorded. We could whip together a nice dinner."

"I don't- It's no big deal-" Seth fumbled, not particularly sure why he was acting so strange. He was just sure that he didn't want to be a bother or make his boyfriend's spend any money unnecessarily.

Neither of the men said anything, caught in a point of confusion with the response and Seth's flighty tone. The twanging of Dean's can felt louder and Seth curled his toes on the deck, anxious.

"Were you busy? I don't have tomorrow off…" Roman tried, sure of Seth's open availability the next day. "I think, Dean you were guarding in the afternoon, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I'm not busy, I dunno…" Seth amended, spinning a lie. "My car's low on gas… I still gotta wait on next paycheck to see any kinda bump of money…"

"I'll pick you up," Roman laughed. Seth felt unnerved. "Do you just wanna do something else? We could go work out again."

"W-yeah?" Seth blinked, smiling as Dean snorted, amused by his interest. 

"Yeah if you want, why not?" Roman grinned. "I was going to meet with Hunter later, so just so long as it's not around three." He looked to Dean. "And then you get off around five or something, right?"

"Could we go do CrossFit?" Seth asked expectantly. "Me and Cesaro were going to go around 12:30! You could come with and see if you like it!"

"I  _ already _ have," Dean said quietly. "I can't do all that before a class. I dunno how you do it."

"Just scale it!" Seth said emphatically. "Really, you're a guest, nobody's expecting much. You liked the lifts, didn't you?"

"They  _ encourage _ you," Dean warned Roman, stalking off and twanging his can louder. Roman just shrugging, chuckling.

"Do you want-" Seth began.

"Yeah I'll do it. Hell, why not." Roman laughed, clearly amused by how excited his boyfriend was. “I’ll get Deano too. Just don’t give us sass if we’re not as good as you.”

“When have I ever done that?” Seth’s eyebrows folded, clearly stung. Roman shook his head, nudging him playfully with his elbow.

“You’re fine, watch the pool now.” 

Roman followed after Dean and Seth felt very conflicted, walking to the first aid stand and grabbing his water bottle. He wondered if he hadn’t made a mistake in trying to get either man interested in the triathlon. Anytime working out or fitness stuff came up, it seemed to drive a wedge between them, eliciting mixed responses. Seth knew he couldn’t expect everyone around him to be as fanatical about CrossFit as he was, but he hoped that his lovers might share his interests a little more.

Seth walked with his feet in the gutter for a moment, watching after a gentleman who was swimming a very slow breaststroke. For a solid ten minutes, he tried to think of all the times he’d come off as condescending or rude to either of his boyfriends before he realized he was just thinking in vicious circles without any end. Roman had just been joking. Dean was just generally insensitive. Nothing was inherently different or wrong. All he was doing was picking things apart and driving himself nuts.

_ I should probably say something though… _ Seth thought, wondering if his feelings were really hurt or if he was just being stupid.  _ I don’t need to… _ He sighed, shifting his guard tube from one side of his body to the other.  _ I don’t need to complicate anything.  _

Roman’s class was fairly full, and Seth and Finn watched as the group of predominantly middle aged woman worked in place, treading back and forth and doing forceful movements against the water. Seth had to stop himself from staring wistfully at his lover, forcing his attention back to everybody in the pool. The music echoed loudly off the walls, but Seth thought in strange cycles right up until the end of his shift. Roman and Dean agreed to carpool together, needing to go home and grab some workout clothes. Seth met Cesaro in the parking lot, feeling more confident as soon as he saw his friend’s face.

“One big group, eh?” Cesaro smiled, popping open his trunk to let Seth stuff his bag inside. “I was talking to Bayley the other day, she said she was interested in coming to work out some time as well.”

“That’s cool,” Seth mumbled, biting into a protein bar and licking his lips. “It’s all fine? We’re bringing two guests?”

“Yeah, no problem.” Cesaro nodded, turning his key in the ignition and setting the air conditioner to blow equally on the passenger’s side. “I bring one you bring one.”

It was probably easy for Cesaro to tell Seth was thinking in circles, texting on his phone as Roman wondered if there was any special gear they needed to bring to the class. They drove, listening to the radio quietly, with little to say except to remark on the weather and their schedules.

“I have tomorrow to myself,” Seth sighed, trying to think if he had anything pressing that needed to be done. His mind struggled, immediately zipping to spending time with his boyfriends. With a groan, he dropped his phone in his lap, rubbing his cheeks, frustrated.

“What?” Cesaro asked. “Forget something?”

“No… no…” Seth muttered. “I dunno… I think I just need to work out. My brain’s weird.”

“Something happen?” Cesaro questioned, jerkily turning into the exit lane. “Or just a foggy brain day?”

“Probably both, I dunno,” Seth huffed. “You don’t wanna hear about it. It’s dumb.”

“If you say so.” Cesaro shrugged, peering in his mirror at the row of cars behind them and then to the line ahead. “We may have a minute, however.”

Seth leaned into his palm, staring at the row of gas stations lining the intersection. He wanted to just work out and exhaust his body, but would he be able to do all of that with his boyfriends right there? Was it weird that he was dragging them to his CrossFit class? They were hanging out almost nonstop lately, and although nobody seemed fatigued by it, would this cause problems? 

“I’m just thinking too much about everything again,” Seth declared, shifting his legs. “Do you ever feel like  _ we _ hang out too much?”

“Not particularly,” Cesaro chuckled. “Are you getting tired of me?”

“No no,” Seth corrected. “I think I’m worried I’m seeing too much of Dean and Roman… I don’t… I don’t  _ feel _ like I am, but I know that I get kinda worn out on people pretty easily.” 

“You do work together,” Cesaro said, turning through the light and picking up speed on the less densely populated road. “Sort of seems like that could happen easily.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.” Seth nodded. “I don’t think I should get another job or anything, but I’m afraid we’re getting a little too comfy too fast or something. I feel like I’m at their house every day now.”

It was quiet in the car for a moment as both men seemed lost in thought, nearly arriving at the Box. Cesaro’s mouth twitched and he drank from his coffee pensively, moving around a car in the left lane to go faster. Seth took a deep breath, shoulder’s slumping.

“Well, I think you might be right but I also know that you get nervous about things,” Cesaro said tentatively. “You are scared of being tired of them? Or things moving too fast?”

“Both,” Seth said quickly, fidgeting with his phone. “Roman always wants to help and Dean’s doing really good right now… every time I’m at their house it feels really… good. We all just… are really cohesive, you know what I mean?”

“Well what’s wrong then?” Cesaro laughed. “You just aren’t used to it?”

“M-maybe…” Seth blinked, frowning. “I dunno.”

“Can you fart around each other yet?” Cesaro giggled. “Are you guys that married yet?”

“I have no idea,” Seth snorted. “Is that when things get serious?”

“Probably.” 

They arrived in the parking area, but Seth still didn’t see Roman’s Jeep, so they sat in the car to wait. For awhile, they debated who of the three men could possibly break the fartless reality first, inclined to believe Dean was the offender.

“Okay-” Seth said, wiping tears from his eyes, “okay, but… when you have  _ gay _ sex, you kinda can’t help it-” He laughed, looking at Cesaro’s scandalized face. “It’s like- It’s like queefing! I swear, it just comes out!”

“Butt queef does not count!” 

When Roman and Dean finally arrived, they were unprepared to be around Seth and Cesaro being as giggly as they were. Roman looked slightly nervous, staring at the workout facility as it was blasting music loudly from the last class. Dean just looked tired and unenthused.

“You guys ready?” Seth asked. He squawked as Cesaro playfully nudged him to move out of the way of the trunk. Roman and Dean nodded.

The four came in and did some light stretching in anticipation of the WOD-  a mix of box jumps, rowing and some weighted squats. Cesaro rolled his shoulders, trying to warm them up while Seth checked his boyfriends in with Ian the trainer. The group from the last class panted and wobbled away and the new class took the floor.

“So, you don’t have to  _ kill _ yourselves,” Seth explained, following Roman’s gaze to the sweaty body prints on the floor where the students had collapsed in a heap after their workout. “I just… I feel like the conditioning would be really good for the triathlon. If we can all do this stuff and work up to it, we won’t be so wiped out when we wanna compete.”

“Yeah yeah, for sure.” Roman nodded. “I think it’s cool, I really do, I just don’t think I could do it everyday like you do.”

“I’m getting food after, I’ll be fine.” Dean nodded. “I finished last time, didn’t I?”

The lifts for the day were snatches and Roman and Dean obliged to move through the motions with kettlebells instead of a bar. Cesaro joined them, using some light weights, as his shoulder was nagging at him, but Seth was determined to use the bar. 

“How much can you do babe?” Roman asked, watching Seth pile on a few more plates, trying to work up to a higher weight. Blushing, Seth flicked his wrists, trying to think. 

“I think… like… 185, 190? 200 on a good day?” he muttered quietly, very aware that the other members of the class had heard Roman call him  _ babe _ . Seth didn’t really care, but the way his boyfriends stopped to watch him hoist the bar above his head and clap was a little distracting.

Cesaro went into full personal trainer mode, helping the men improve their form with the kettlebells in a helpful, non-judgemental way.

“This is fun,” Roman said simply as they put the bars and bells away and went to get rowers and boxes. “I’m having a good time.”

“You say that now,” Seth said darkly. “Wait till you can barely breathe.”

With a little physical activity and the talk with Cesaro, Seth was feeling a lot better mentally. He’d feared his lovers would hate it, but they seemed to be having a decent enough time, talking to each other and working through the movements with the same thoughtful caution that any beginner would practice. As usual, Seth’s knee felt a little sore and wobbly, but he went to grab the tallest box he could, making space for himself in the corner between Dean and Cesaro.

The trainer explained the WOD, a little more in-depth than usual since Roman and Dean asked specific questions relating to the CrossFit terms. After a short break, some music was picked out and everyone got in their places, ready to go.

“Do you  _ win _ something if you finish first?” Roman asked, hovering over his box and looking around to the other class members. 

“Nope.” Cesaro grinned. “Just a feather in your cap.”

Loud R&B blasted through the speakers and they all began, working through box jumps, going to rowing and then holding a kettlebell to do a series of goblet squats. It wasn’t a particularly difficult WOD, but Seth wished there might have been some more focused upper body exercises to break up all the leg movements. He remembered, in the back of his mind, Roman saying something about his hernia and not being able to do anything too concentrated below his navel. And predictably, Seth’s knee strained through his squats. He panted hard, trying to drive more through his heels and work his glutes instead of his quads.

“Good job guys!” Ian yelled. “Keep it movin’! Keep it up!”

With a glance to his side, Seth’s heart soared, watching Roman row, hair slightly messy in his bun, sweating hard but working intensely. Dean could actually squat really low, and Seth watched with pride as his ass nearly kissed the floor with each rep.

Distracted but pumped up, Seth set down his kettlebell and hurried over to his box, determined to keep his pace consistent for the entirety of the WOD. He only had two more sets to do and his heart was already beating like it was going to break his ribs, but he wiped his face, jumping up fast in a burst to make it to the top of his box, before hopping back down again.

His knee twinged slightly, breaking his concentration, and five jumps in, Seth hopped down poorly. Before his feet even hit the ground, he braced, his leg falling under him incorrectly. All of the impact was caught on the instep of his foot and despite the deafening music from the speakers, Seth heard a loud pop as he crumpled, falling on his bottom.

Embarrassed, Seth quickly tried to stand, but a cold shock went down his spine as he tried to bear weight on the leg and realized he couldn’t. He panted, feeling a sharp, acute pain and swore as he eased himself up on his left, sitting down on his box, kneading his patella hard. It took Dean, Roman and Cesaro a moment to realize Seth had stopped, too caught up in their workout to understand what was happening. Seth tried to stand again, wincing as he couldn’t get his limb to function. 

“Seth, you okay?” Ian the trainer asked, coming over as Seth tried to stand a third time, in complete disbelief. His friends joined him, gasping for breath and watching as Seth made it to his feet, panting hard as his leg throbbed, shaking beneath him.

“I d-dunno. I dunno what happened,” he said, trying to take a step and mumbling curses. It was too painful to move.

“Hey, sit,” Dean directed, grabbing his hand and easing him down. “Don’t-”

Cesaro looked very pale, standing dumbly behind all of them, unsure of what to do. Seth breathed hard, panicking a little as he continued to rub his leg, willing it to work. He hadn’t fallen far at all. It  _ couldn’t  _ be that bad. 

Ian went to turn off the music. Most of the class members had stopped working out, watching sympathetically as Seth struggled to get back on his feet. Again, Seth made to stand, at a complete loss for what to do, but this time, Roman laid a hand on his left leg, keeping him down.

“It’s okay, it’s fine, you don’t want to hurt it more,” Roman said, wiping sweat off his own face. “How bad does it hurt?”

“It’s n-not that bad.” Seth shook his head. Roman frowned, watching him pant. He wasn’t very convincing. Ian came from the back with a cold pack, stuffing it to Seth’s leg and holding a clipboard.

“If you can’t stand, you should really go in,” Ian suggested, looking to his knee with a grim expression. “I’ll just need you to help me fill out this incident report for our own records.”

Dazed, Seth nodded. Cesaro came to the side of his pylo box, holding Seth’s water bottle and trying to be helpful. Most of the other class members began to pick up, not wanting to stare any longer. Dean followed after Ian, who was going to grab an old pair of crutches they had, while Roman rubbed Seth’s shoulders, trying to gauge his state of mind.

“Of course, right?” Cesaro laughed nervously, putting a hand on the ice pack to keep it in place as Seth made to write his contact information at the top of the form. His hand trembled as he wrote and Roman offered to help, but Seth continued to scrawl away, blinking hard. Nothing felt real. Everything was eerily quiet now and even as Ian and Dean made to adjust the crutches to Seth’s height, Seth was still sure he didn’t need them.

“You- you had that meeting-” Seth said, distantly, looking to Roman, his eyes unable to blink in tandem. “My lessons-”

“We’ll figure all of that out, don’t worry,” Roman said firmly. “We’ll-”

“I can take you to the hospital,” Cesaro offered. “I do not have any more clients today.”

Roman frowned, but Seth nodded, looking confused as Dean held up the crutches and stood in front of Seth, waiting.

“You ready? How we doing this?” Dean asked nervously, twitching as he looked to Roman and then Cesaro. 

“If you take him in, you gotta let us know what’s up, yeah?” Roman said to Cesaro, his face set and protective. Seth just stared out the window, not particularly bothered by the logistics of what was going on. The idea of going to a hospital seemed ridiculous, but Seth knew, just by trying to flex his quad, something was wrong.

“I’m going to go in a-and they’re going to just tell me it’s sprained or something stupid.” He laughed, his voice crackling. Dean eased him up onto the crutches and Seth hissed, feeling the sharp pain as his leg dangled uselessly. His hands gripped the crutches, shaking.

“Well, we’ll figure it out,” Roman said. “You still need to go.”

Cesaro grabbed Seth’s phone and his things, walking ahead of Seth quickly to get to the car and make the appropriate adjustments to the seat. Now outside, Seth felt his head clear a little- the numbing confusion giving way to a more focused anxiety. Cesaro held his hands to ease him down in the seat, but his leg throbbed worse than ever as he negotiated shifting his leg to bend. His teeth chattered and he swore over and over as Cesaro hurried to the driver’s seat, starting the car.

“I’m sorry,” Seth spluttered, looking around to his boyfriends at his door and Cesaro at his side. All three of them immediately hushed him, chuckling nervously and leaning in to assure him it was alright. 

“I love you, don’t worry, okay?” Roman said, pressing his head into Seth’s neck and kissing his cheek. “When you get done, we’ll meet up and we’ll do whatever we can do help.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean said, coming in to kiss Seth on the temple when Roman shifted away. “We’ll sign your cast or whatever. I’ll buy you ice cream.”

Cesaro pulled off onto the street and honked his horn. Dean and Roman waved animatedly, but Seth couldn’t shake their faces from his mind, filled with worry and shock.

“Where should we go?” Cesaro asked, pulling out the GPS on his phone. “ER will probably be a long time, yeah?”

“I dunno.” Seth blinked. “I have no idea.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after like two months of story we're finally here! Yeesh. How bad can it be? 
> 
> If you liked, by all means review! It's been a little scant around here lately :( Probably feels a little lame to be like "Yeah I kudos'd this on chapter three... I still feel the same" But it's still real to me dammit. 
> 
> Still working on an index, let me know if you want any special categories. Might post a little preview for next chapter on my blog, so check that out if you're on the edge of your seat. 
> 
> <3


	90. The Sky is Falling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth goes to the professionals. What's the damage?

The urgent care that Seth had last visited when Roman was seen for his strep test was the closest option, but neither he nor Cesaro were particularly sure on the matter of Seth’s insurance. The Sola Care packet was still sitting on Seth’s kitchen counter, largely untouched, and he hadn’t even put his new insurance card in his wallet. Still carrying his old insurance card, Seth desperately paged through Google, trying to figure out if he could call someone and figure out what was in his network.

His knee throbbed and Seth grit his teeth, looking away from his phone and watching the joint begin to swell. Out of all the strain he’d endured for years on the swim team, he had never felt such an acute pain. Seth hoped it might just be a sprain or a minor tear; after weeks of wearing a nylon brace, a few more wouldn’t be a big deal. 

“Did it say?” Cesaro asked, pulling into the lot of the urgent care center. “You find some kind of list?”

“N-no… but… if we’re here, we might as well just ask.” Seth shrugged, setting his phone in his lap and moving the ice pack away from his knee for a moment. The skin on his patella was bulging through the little inlet circle of his knee brace, swollen and red. Cesaro bit his lip.

“I think they should take you,” he said, easing out of his seat. “I will get a chair…”

Seth nearly dropped his phone on the pavement when his friend eagerly raced down the parking lot with a wheelchair. Cesaro held his arms out for Seth to grab them and eased Seth’s bottom onto the seat. His face strained, exhaling hard as his knee protested against being bent even slightly. The concrete jarred the little wheels and Cesaro slowed down, sure the bumpy ride was uncomfortable. 

It wasn’t very busy, but Seth felt stupid as he approached the front desk, clutching his wallet, keys and phone in his hand, hardly able to see into the receptionist area because of his height.

“I don’t have my card with me, but I have Sola Care,” Seth explained, relieved when the nurse nodded, setting a pen on a clipboard.

“We’ll bill you later then in the mail, you’ll just have to send your claim to them.” He slid the clipboard across the desk and Cesaro grabbed it for him. “Just fill this out and we’ll see you as soon as we can.”

Before Seth could put his hands on the wheels of the chair, Cesaro had already grabbed the back and made to push him into the lobby area. A few kids were in the corner, playing with the lego blocks and staring at a huge fish tank, but they were more or less alone.

**Me and finn have got your classes tonight I think Roman is telling Hunter about wha happened so u will probly have to call him later n just tell him what the deal is.** Dean texted. Seth sighed, setting his phone down and trying to make headway on the forms. It was good that tomorrow was his day off, he could spend the entire day icing his leg and resting. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to miss much work.

“I can see about getting more ice,” Cesaro offered quietly. Seth just nodded. The cold pack on his leg had gone warm already.

Seth filled out the forms as best he could, signing the release statements and circling the right knee on the little little diagram of a body, but he hesitated under the description for his pain and symptoms. In the column for past medical history, he hadn’t been prompted to explain hypermobile knees, but falling had just been a freak accident. Seth was sure if Dean or Roman had landed the way he had, they’d be just as affected. The last thing he wanted was for the doctors to be over-concerned about something that was probably just a minor injury.

Frowning, Seth scrawled  _ Irregular pain _ in the margin, flipping the sheet over to finish the questions and turn the clipboard in. 

**Did u get in somewhere?** Roman messaged a little later. Cesaro’s phone buzzed similarly and Seth just closed his eyes, exhausted.

“You think you’ll stay at Roman’s tonight?” Cesaro asked, resting his hands on the back of his head and leaning back to stretch his shoulders. “Might just be the easiest thing to do.”

“I hope it’s not that bad,” Seth grumbled, adjusting the new cold pack. “They gotta work and stuff, I don’t want to be in the way.”

“Yeah, but...” Cesaro laughed. “Don’t you live on the top floor of your place?”

Seth sat in silence, remiss in his assumption that the elevator might be back in order by the time he arrived home for the night. His place was stocked with some food, but Kevin would still need to be attended to. 

Sensing his frustrations, Cesaro used his phone quietly, probably alerting Roman to what was happening. Brooding and quiet, Seth didn’t want to think about anything too complicated, even if it was a pressing matter. He didn’t want to text anyone until he knew what was going on for himself and he didn’t want to rely too heavily on anyone, or miss work,  _ or _ unnecessarily spend money at the doctor. Nothing was simple. 

“Well, whatever you need I will try to help,” Cesaro assured him, tapping a stack of magazines. “I am just glad you did not break your neck like my friend TJ.”

“Yeah, nothing serious,” Seth said, letting his hair out of his sweaty bun to tie a better knot. “How is his neck doing?”

“Better, but it’s a neck, so it’s very tricky,” Cesaro said. “Many weird things that happen during the healing… I feel bad…” He paused and Seth raised an eyebrow, staring. “Every time I bring someone to work out with me, they are injured.”

“You’re not  _ cursed _ ,” Seth snorted. “This stuff… this shit just happens man. I dunno why today had to be any different.”

“Still though, it feels not so good.”

“You’re telling me,” Seth said darkly, trying to think of something else. “How have things been going for you though? Your January clients any good?”

“About the same as always,” Cesaro sighed. “I think some may stick around, but you never know really. It is hard telling someone that they won’t see results for awhile, you know? Moms always want to lose weight and dads want to get strong again, but they drop out once they don’t get that payoff right away.”

“Mmm.” 

“It’s money though,” Cesaro concluded, checking his phone again. “Roman is wondering what you would like for dinner.”

“I… dunno yet.” Seth shook his head. “But uh… what about that one girl? Laura? From New Years? How’s she doing?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t asked.” Cesaro turned a little pink, avoiding Seth’s eyes. An older blonde doctor with thick glasses came through the door, looking around.

“Row-lins?” she asked. 

“Rollins, yeah.” Seth raised his hand, looking to Cesaro. “You wanna grab a coffee or something? I’ll text you…”

Cesaro looked hesitant to leave his friend, but there was a little strip mall across the street with a Starbucks and a GNC. The doctor adjusted the stirrups of the wheelchair to better support his damaged leg and wheeled him to the back.

“Such a nice friend,” she hummed, opening the waiting room and pushing Seth inside. He just nodded dumbly, looking to the display posters on the wall, advertising innoculations against various illnesses.

Now that he was being assessed on a more specific, physical level, Seth felt self conscious about having just worked out. The inside of his elbow was sticky and dirty when the blood pressure cuff was applied and he apologized for any body odor he was giving off as she leaned in to take his heartbeat.

“No problem,” she chirped, leaning down to examine Seth’s knee. “We’re going to have to get you out of the brace though, you want to explain what happened again?”

“I was working out.” Seth sighed, tensing up as the doctor put her fingers on the top of the brace and gingerly tried to shift it down. He screwed up his face, swearing and hissing as she apologized, getting the fabric over his inflated kneecap. With the sleeve resting useless around his ankle, Seth swallowed, a little dizzy seeing his leg so inflamed and swollen. 

“What were you doing?” she asked, holding onto his calf carefully. 

He explained landing improperly and falling on the floor, a little unsure as to how high the box was off the ground, but laying his hand out flat on the side of his chair to give an approximation of the height.

“Did you hear a pop? Any other noise?” she asked, looking to Seth meaningfully. His eyes darted and his skin tingled at her touch, suddenly cold. 

“I don’t remember,” he lied, licking his lips. “The music was loud.”

Testing his range of motion was enough to cause concern, and Seth’s hands began to shake. He wasn’t sure if it was the pain, or some impending dread, but his doctor’s expression didn’t reassure him at all. He couldn’t straighten or bend his leg, hissing through pain as he tried to will his limb to move, but his thigh jumped from the sensation.

“We’re probably looking at a tear,” she said grimly, holding onto his shin and examining him carefully. “The swelling is what’s causing that pain, let me know here when you need me to stop-” She pushed back on his leg, trying to bend it at a ninety degree angle and Seth yelped. 

“What we’ll do is take an x-ray then, just to make sure there’s nothing wrong with the bone,” she said, standing back up to her full height. “I would assume it’s just the tissues, but we want to be safe. We’ll get you more ice and then see if we would need to get you referred for an MRI.”

“Okay,” Seth panted, wiping moisture from the corners of his eye. His knee continued to throb angrily and his thigh shook. Once the doctor left, Seth sat in silence, hearing the shuffling of feet on the outside of the door. 

He ran his fingers across his scalp, overwarm and uncomfortable. Being there, in the doctor’s office, was the last thing he wanted to be doing. If he had been fine, he would have been in the pool teaching at that moment, working with his weekend class, but instead it was Dean and Finn. All Seth wanted to do was be at work and making money, and he didn’t want to imagine what could possibly happen if he suddenly  _ couldn’t _ lifeguard. How was he supposed to make money?

If he couldn’t work, he couldn’t pay rent. He couldn’t pay for anything, really. What was he going to do?

_ It’s not going to be like that. _ Seth shook his head, his heart racing.  _ I’ll be fine _ . 

Covered in a lead blanket and assisted by some radiologists, Seth lay flat with his leg angrily pulsing against the bed of the x-ray unit. His left leg lay beside it, goose pimpled and fuzzy as the doctors huddled behind the glass. The machine whirred, and Seth wondered dully how much cancerous crap was being shot at him with each photo.

Cesaro texted him a picture of a passion tea and a doughnut he’d purchased, assuring him when he was done, there would be a snack waiting for him. 

“We could actually get you in at 3:30 today for an MRI if you were able.” Seth’s doctor returned, sitting down at her desk with a pamphlet and Seth’s clipboard, looking thoughtfully at his knee. “It all depends on your schedule, but they don’t do imagining tomorrow so it might be best. Looking at the x-rays, it doesn’t look like anything is wrong there.”

“Good,” Seth huffed. “I… could try.”

“Alright, we’ll call then and set that up for you. I’m going to prescribe you some ibuprofen today to help with the swelling and I can write a note for your employer if need be. It’s hard to tell with all that swelling in the joint, but I’m suspecting there’s some damage to your ACL or your MCL, so we’re going to fit you with a brace today to lock your leg and prevent any additional tearing.”

Seth just nodded repetitively, unable to really hear what was being said.

“You’ll get the results of the MRI and depending on what they find, you’ll probably be referred to a physician in sports medicine for therapy options. Ice and elevation is going to be the most important thing you can do though, leave the brace on and don’t engage in any physical activity.”

He was fitted with a brace, then wrapped and layered with enough cold packs to chill a small cooler. A stack of papers was placed in his hand and Seth was wheeled back into the waiting room. Cesaro was sitting there and he smiled when he saw Seth reappear.

“I know that imaging place, it is just south of here,” Cesaro said, placing his phone in his pocket where he’d just finished reading the text Seth sent him. “Hungry?”

“Not really,” he muttered, accepting the drink anyway. “Sorry this is such a chore.”   


“It’s no problem,” Cesaro assured him, pushing the wheelchair through the automatic door.

Seth felt like he was in a dream, traveling just a few minutes away and waiting in a doctor’s office that was on the third floor of a small office building. His phone was buzzing and Roman had texted him a few more times, but Seth started to feel withdrawn. He was in pain, the ice was helping a little bit, but the brace was very tight on the swelling, magnifying every step on his crutches with a vibrating discomfort. Cesaro held every door and carried his papers, trying to help whenever possible.

“I’m sorry, could you speak up?” the MRI tech asked politely, holding their ear out to hear Seth better. 

“How long does it take?” Seth annunciated. He was laying on the MRI scanner and another tech was putting his knee in a coil making Seth wince as his leg was adjusted.

“Around fifteen to twenty minutes.” The tech nodded, putting a hand on his pillow and grabbing a pair of headphones. “You just need to lie as still as possible, we’ll talk to you through these if we need to tell you anything, but you can listen to whatever music you want during the procedure.”

Seth couldn’t think of any songs he really wanted to hear at the moment. His body was inched into the machinery to his waist and he could hear the loud banging noise of the MRI starting up and getting some sort of reading. Seth just stared blankly, fidgeting with his bun until he heard a voice through the headphones.

“Lie still please.”

He closed his eyes and swallowed. His stomach and chest were starting to hurt from the anxiety and Seth was trying to remember if MRI’s were radioactive or not. He wished he could just fall asleep and wake up at home, unsure if he really wanted to hear the results of the test or not. Just hours ago, he’d been fine, the concept of a real injury had been laughable. What the hell was happening?

Seth sat in the waiting room some twenty minutes later, his throat incredibly dry. Cesaro offered to go and pick up his ibuprofen, and Seth obliged, sure that at this point, he didn’t really want his friend to see him so off-kilter. In his little plastic bag from the hospital, his doctor’s note to his employer was sitting, and Seth couldn’t stop fidgeting with the top of the locking brace. Something was  _ actually _ wrong, he’d never been messed up this bad before. 

“Hello Mister Rollins.” a radiologist and a doctor each shook hands with him, coming into the room and laying out a stack of photos from his joint. “Just injured this afternoon?”

“This afternoon,” he repeated blandly, unable to really form the words  _ injury _ with his mouth. The radiologist sat while the doctor laid her hands on his knee, looking at him seriously.

“So, what we found is quite a bit of damage in your joint here Seth,” she said calmly, laying a hand on his thigh. “The impact from your fall, the way you landed with your foot put a lot of pressure on your joint and so your ACL, your MCL  _ and _ your meniscus have all been torn.”

“We grade fiber tears in degrees,” the radiologist piped up, holding the pictures of his knee to a light bed, tracing over the interior of the joint. “So a small tear or a ripping of fibers can range from a one to a two degree tear, but in your case, we’ve got a complete lack of functionality because the ligaments have been torn completely.”

Winded, Seth blinked. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing and his doctors paused for a moment, trying not to overwhelm him. He swallowed, looking at the floor. The hand on his thigh rubbed carefully, trying to keep him present.

“Your ACL and your MCL are both third degree tears, and your meniscus is pretty close,” she continued. “Now, with a single, isolated injury, we could be looking at a little physical therapy, but having a compound injury like this one, it’s tricky. Reconstructive surgery is the ideal option, especially since you’re younger and active.”

He couldn’t help it, but his face was wet. Seth didn’t even realize he was crying, but the hand on his thigh settled and the radiologist offered him a tissue box. Quickly, he mopped away the tears, blinking hard.

“It’s a lot, I’m sure,” the doctor said quietly. “How’s your pain right now?”

“M-m fine,” Seth mumbled, wiping his nose. 

“Alright, well, we would strongly suggest that you would make an appointment for orthopedic surgery to repair your joint, it’s going to be the best way to make sure you return to full functionality with your leg. All of our surgeons at our sports medicine clinic are out for the day, but if you wanted to call tomorrow, you could set up a pre-op doctor’s visit. This can be very overwhelming to hear right now-” she continued, setting a hand on his back. “You’ll want to sit down and rest a while, but we’ll give you all the information you need to get you on the right track, okay?”

“Okay,” Seth breathed, steadying himself. “I just- I can’t work without my leg…”

“We’ll get you in as soon as we can,” She assured him. “We can give you information on disability as well.”

Seth took his time going to the bathroom, getting acquainted with the pull bars on the walls and sitting on the toilet for several minutes, trying to just breathe and focus. Everything was suddenly going wrong and there was nothing he could do about it. He’d hacked his leg to pieces and now he couldn’t even stand. There was no way Seth was going to be able to lifeguard, probably for months. Thinking about it just made him screw up his face and want to sob, but he knew he couldn’t. He pushed it down, trying to exhale everything out as he willed his body to relax.

Seth shuffled to the waiting room on his crutches and was shocked to see Roman and Dean sitting in the lobby with Cesaro. Dean’s hair was still wet from the pool and Roman was wearing his black work polo, but they looked up eagerly to see Seth, who trembled slightly. 

He didn’t really want to tell anyone yet, he couldn’t even tell himself.

“Hey.” Roman smiled at him sadly, eyes fixed on his knee brace. “How’d it go?”

“Not good,” Seth said strangely, rubbing his face. All three men stared and Seth rolled his lips. Aside from being hobbled, he looked like shit. His face was all red and puffy, his whole body damp with stale sweat. “Pretty messed up.”

“Yeah?” Roman asked and they all stood. Dean grabbed the plastic bag hanging from Seth’s fingers and they made for the door, walking to the elevator and holding all the doors to make way.

“I need… surgery…” Seth said breathlessly. “My ACL, MCL and my meniscus are all torn....”

The air was sucked from the room as the elevator dinged and Seth made his way inside, stumbling slightly as his crutch caught the linoleum. Reflexively, Cesaro grabbed him. 

“I’m good,” he muttered. Cesaro let go of his arm and they made their way down. Dean’s face was unreadable and Roman looked stunned, blinking. Seth just stared at the floor.

“I’m sorry,” Cesaro said, defeated. “I got your ibuprofen… I told them you would be getting done soon, so…”

“Are  _ you _ okay?” Dean asked, looking to Seth meaningfully. “ _ Fuck _ .”

“Just gotta… figure it all out…” Seth said, laughing dryly. No one said anything as they disembarked from the elevator, making for the street and back into warmth. Roman jogged off, intent on pulling the car up to the side of the road. Seth’s armpits were already chafing from the crutches and so he just leaned on the wall of the building, wishing he could disappear.

“You freaked out?” Dean asked quietly, standing next to him, clearly unsure how to proceed. Seth opened his eyes, blinking.

“Yeah.”

Dean reached out, laying a hand on his shoulder and squeezing carefully. Cesaro handed him the bottle of medication, watching as Roman’s jeep pulled up.

“You guys are all set?” Cesaro asked. “You are good Seth?”

“Good as I can be,” Seth grunted. Unexpectedly Cesaro came closer and pulled him into a hug, holding him tight.

“Text me, okay? If you can,” he said. “Sorry this all-”

“Dude, thank you so much, don’t worry about it,” Seth said. “You’re the best.”

Cesaro watched as they piled into the jeep. Seth scooted across the entire back seat, keeping his right leg elevated while Dean piled on cold packs for the ride home. With a sad wave, Cesaro left, walking back up the street to where he had parked.

“Well,” Roman said, looking at Seth in the rearview mirror. “What do you need babe? Are you hungry? Do you just want to lay down?”

Dean slid into the front passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt. For a few moments they all just sat and Seth didn’t answer, staring out the window at the cars going by, despondent and disconnected. If Seth had been healthy and feeling such confusion and anxiety, he would have wanted to go work out, but that obviously wasn’t an option. Roman continued to watch him in the mirror and Dean turned in his seat, gazing at him with empathetic eyes. 

Seth rubbed his face, unable to come up with anything to say or tell. 

“I dunno. I can’t think,” he said. “I gotta take ibuprofen, that’s really all I can think of.”

“Okay,” Roman said, slightly high pitched, but he started the car anyway. “I was thinking we could go grab some of your stuff and then order food later. Does that sound okay?”

“Yeah, sure, fine,” Seth mumbled, pressing his head against the window and closing his eyes. “Do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so great, I got tons of reviews and donations to my Kofi account, so I felt compelled to post the next chapter early! There will still be one up on Monday as well, but I wanted to make this happen since the last one was sort of a cliffhanger and you were all very kind. I don't want to make promises or demand money to write more, but I'll always reward incentive, lol. 
> 
> Have a great weekend!


	91. Buried

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reality of the injury begins to set in. Will Seth be able to handle it?

Under Roman's direction, the three split up to properly address the situation, leaving Seth feeling a lot like a luggage piece floating between locations. Sympathetic and quiet, neither of his boyfriends had much to say, other than to offer their assurances that everything was going to be alright.

"We're gonna go get your car and run to the store, then go get Kevin. Do you want anything from the house? Any food?" Roman asked, fluffing the pillow under Seth's leg on the couch.

Seth just lay, staring up at the ceiling, trying to think. His brain was completely blank, but he blinked, forcing himself to imagine what he’d need, lying around the house for the foreseeable future.

"My phone charger's in the wall by my bed... " he sighed, rubbing his face. "Kevin's things are under the sink…"

Dean brought him a glass of water (complete with a bendy straw) and handed him the ibuprofen and a piece of toast. It took Seth a long time after they'd left to touch the offering, lost in thought, in a sort of silent horror. The sky darkened long before the men returned home, but Seth didn't move from the couch, thinking it was easier to just feign sleep than try to pull himself together. He heard rustling upon their arrival, with Dean and Roman each talking quietly but keeping the lights as low as possible. Kibble clanged on the bottom of Kevin's bowl, footsteps walked up and down the hall to the guest room, and Seth guessed they were setting him up in the extra bed.

"Sleep good?" Roman asked, coming close and rubbing his arm, trying to rouse him. Seth just opened his eyes coolly, looking down at his feet. "We got you some re-freezable cool packs from Walmart and a ton of ice cream. How are you feeling? Hungry?"

"No," Seth said, shirking Roman's warmth and turning his head to the inside of the couch. "Just tired."

"O-okay…" Roman muttered, "Do you… wanna just go to bed?"

Seth was actually pretty hungry and still stinking from his workout, wearing his same clothes. But he couldn't take being around anyone for much longer. Seth allowed Roman to ease him up and wobble to the guest room, gaze fixed ahead, unseeing.

"We… won't be up for much longer," Roman said, watching him plop down on the bed and settle.  "But… we'll have some food if you catch an appetite. Holler if you need anything."

The door was shut and Roman's footfalls faded into the living room. Seth blinked, looking around the room, noticing a stack of his clothes lying folded on the table and Kevin's dog bed on the floor. His phone charger was even plugged into the wall by the bed.

Seth didn't undress and he didn't sleep, mind consumed by the reality of waking up to find that his leg was still unusable. He'd have to call work, he'd have to call the clinic and set up another appointment, he'd have to call his _parents_.

Seth winced, imagining his mother's frantic voice, trying to figure out how her son could possibly be _so_ hurt that he wouldn't be able to work for months. If he was going to be able to afford anything, he'd have to fill out a disability application, maybe even look for jobs that weren't so physically demanding.

 _No teaching,_ Seth thought awfully, imagining Dean and Roman scratching their heads and trying to reassign all of his lessons. Poor Holly was _just_ getting comfortable in the pool, and now Seth wasn't going to be there to help her. _No triathlon,_ he continued, gritting his teeth and actually punching his mattress with a hard _thwump_. Cesaro wouldn't have a friend to exercise with. Seth couldn't even walk his dog...

 _That's it,_ Seth thought restlessly, turning to the window where the moon was shining incredibly bright, bathing the whole room. If Seth could walk, he would pull the blinds, but he couldn't. _I should just leave, I fucked up and now I'm fucked. There's nothing I can do. I tried hard, but life fucking sucks and I failed. Time to get back on that plane and get out of here while I still have a penny to my name._

For a time, he thought of his family, eager and accepting to have him back, but bearing an insufferable sort of 'I told you so' attitude to his short lived Florida affair. His brother would be the same as ever, dorky and exuberant to talk to him about everything from anime forums to juggalos, and his mother would be the first to assure him she could probably find him a job in book keeping if he wanted.

Everyone at White Water would be sad for a bit, but people came and went; in a week he'd be forgotten. Dean and Roman would probably be fine without him, settled and cohabiting as they already were. _What the fuck did it matter?_

_"Dean- just leave him-"_

Seth's heart jumped as he heard voices through the darkness, jolting him to a more alert state. It was nearly three in the morning and across the hall, sleepy voices were murmuring.

The door opened and Seth feigned sleep again, facing the opposite wall and trying to keep his breathing steady. Kevin shuffled in, having been closed out of the room earlier. After a few moments, the door shut and footsteps, presumably Dean’s, shuffled away.

"Just checkin'."

"He needs some space."

"He was _asleep_."

Kevin hopped up on the bed and Seth turned, grabbing his dog and pulling him to his chest for a hug. Kevin allowed it, only whining a little until Seth released him, allowing him to trot around the new surface.

* * *

The next day wasn't much better, as Seth hadn't slept much at all but was sick of laying in bed. His stomach rumbled angrily through the morning, but he was still determined to be left alone, pretending to be asleep until he heard the door shut and the house grow still. The sun rose bright, warming the room, and Seth pulled a crutch under his arm and made his way to the kitchen. His knee throbbed angrily, swollen huge again.

 _Lots of leftovers eat whatever u like_ Roman had written on a piece of scrap paper, directly under Seth's bottle of ibuprofen. _Ice ice baby_ was written in Dean's handwriting, with a familiar little doodle of a chicken and three little hearts.

Seth heated up a small stack of blueberry pancakes in the microwave and swallowed the pills with some juice. Leaning on the kitchen island and looking to the patio outside, he felt like putting himself right back in bed as soon as he finished his food, but he knew he couldn't.

It was difficult to know what to do first and Seth's chest cramped anxiously just considering his first move. He really had no idea what made sense. However, staring at the little note from his boyfriends, Seth took a deep breath to steady himself. He'd been freaking out the previous night. Despite being completely unrested, it was a new day. The last thing Seth wanted to do was break up with Dean and Roman and go back to Iowa, even if things looked bleak. They'd only been dating for a month, but Seth felt his stomach constrict painfully at the thought of telling them he was going to throw in the towel.

Though, thinking about how much he'd likely have to depend on the two men for some time, Seth wondered if it all wasn't going to go to shit anyway. Without his health or a steady income, he didn't think he'd have the mind to be in a relationship at all.

Seth sat on the couch for a while, petting Kevin anxiously and stacking cold packs on his knee until he worked up the courage to call the sports medicine clinic. Eventually he was put through to a surgeon named Dr. Bloom and Seth waited patiently until his information was accessed and reviewed.

"We had a few cancellations, so assuming your pre-op appointment is alright and you're in good shape, we could see about doing a procedure next week," Dr. Bloom said, sounding slightly skeptical over the phone. "It's... irregular, but I'm willing to do it."

"Really?" Seth brightened. "But then… how much does that cost?"

"You'd have to talk to billing, I have no idea," the man muttered. "We could put you on the calendar for the 25th, but I'd need you to come in for your pre-op on Tuesday. Looking at your MRI, the procedure would probably take an hour and a half to two hours, so as long as you tolerate the surgery alright, it would be a same-day procedure."

"Oh-okay." Seth nodded, pulling a pencil and paper off the table to write everything down. "When… would I need to come in?"

Toward the end of the call, his phone buzzed against his ear. Seth's hands shook, seeing Hunter's contact info lighting up on the screen. He ignored it for the moment, sure he could call back and tell his boss that he was being proactive about seeking treatment.

"...the pre-op will take a couple of hours,” the doctor said. “We'll need to do a heavy-duty screening to make sure you're in good condition, then we'll go over the procedure and what we might anticipate for your therapy."

"Right, okay," Seth said, circling the times and the address he'd written down.

"I can give you the number for our billing department as well," he finished, shuffling some papers.

Seth thanked the surgeon and hung up, the weight on his chest lessening slightly. He'd still need to sort out how exactly how he was going to pay for the operation, and he worried his mother might be correct in her wariness about a state plan covering expensive surgeries. Still though, Seth knew if he was ever going to have an active lifestyle again, he needed to get his knee repaired properly.

"Hey, Hunter," Seth began, hearing the line pick up and his boss's greeting. "Sorry, I was on the phone with the doctor…"

"No problem kid, how are you doing?" Hunter asked, voice slightly softer and sympathetic. "What all happened?"

The clock ticked noon and Seth sighed, fidgeting with his brace and detailing the previous day's events and the results of his examination. Kevin shuffled around to get comfortable, sitting in a tight ball at the foot of the couch. Hunter listened patiently, allowing Seth to work through the words that were obviously distressing him.

"Knees take six months or so to get back up to speed. I'm sorry man." Hunter sighed. "Roman was telling me about what happened yesterday, but I figured I'd wait till today before I bothered you about it."

"I was about to call you too-" Seth said quickly. "I'm… I'm sorry for the inconvenience of this… I don't really know what I'm going to do right now, it's all… a lot to absorb."

"Right, and don't stress about our end," Hunter assured him. "We can handle it. We got people leaving and going to school and falling out of trees all the time, we'll cover it. So long as you want to come back-"

"Of course," Seth said firmly, wiping his eyes a little. "100 percent. So long as I can _stay_ here."

"We'll get you figured out. There's still lots of things we can have you do around here too, sort of like what Finn was doing when he couldn't guard. You probably can't do that WSI class, but... yeah... we can find things that need doing."

"I'm interested, I am," Seth said, chest filling with a sort of numb relief. He'd have some way to make money, even if he wasn't fit enough to save people. "I'll… I'll come in whenever I can. It's looking like I'll be able to get some surgery pretty quick."

Seth wrapped up the call and heaved a huge sigh, threading his hands through his hair and turning the cold pack on his leg. The world _wasn't_ ending. Things _weren't_ over.

But then, he called the billing office and got the itemized breakdown for the cost of the procedure.

With the help of a very patient and kind woman on the other end of the phone, he crunched the numbers according to his expected out-of-pocket cost, suddenly feeling very dizzy and ill.

It was probably the worst afternoon he’d had since he'd moved to Florida and all Seth could think of doing was running or biking, doing _something_ that would allow him to burn away all the horrible thoughts in his mind. He couldn't stop cursing himself for allowing his knee to break, becoming more and more convinced that his life was now ruined. His heart raced and he sweat, feeling disgusting and loathsome.

Around three, with shaky hands, Seth called his mother, steeling himself not to break down and cry.

"Hello?" Holly said, slightly unsure. "Seth?"

"Hey ma." His voice wavered immediately and he shut his eyes, trying to clear his throat. "I'm calling… I _don't_ want to freak you out… but I got hurt…"

He sat up a little, sure that his mother was driving home from work because he could hear the hum of a vehicle and a rushing noise. Carefully, he explained exactly what had happened, trying to sound responsible and stable in his tone.

"Seth, sweetheart, do you have insurance???" Holly asked, interrupting him, sounding manic. Seth blinked, raising his eyebrow.

"Oh… yeah…" He chuckled awkwardly. "I, uh, forgot to mention that."

" _Jesus Christ_ child-"

"It's sorted, aight?" Seth barked, temper flaring. "I calculated the copay on an operation though… it's… a lot…" He swallowed, forcing his tears back down. "I dunno what the hell to do, I imagine that I'll get a payment plan or something- I just don't know how this works."

"Oh lord." Holly sighed. "I was so worried something like this was going to happen… Are you okay? How are you-"

"I'm fine, really, don't worry about it," Seth said. "My… Roman and Dean… they're helping."

The line went silent for a moment and Seth tried to think of something to say. It would have been helpful to detail exactly how he was being accommodated, but Seth didn't want to admit he wasn't using his apartment. Telling his mother he was staying with his boyfriends felt… irresponsible.

"Sweetheart, can I make some calls and get back to you?" his mother asked, "I want to see what I can do."

"You _can't_ call the hospital and talk down a price," Seth spluttered. "That's not how it-"

"I'm not going to do that _smart ass_ , I'm going to talk to Bob and maybe your grandpa and see what we can't do to _help_ you," Holly shot back. "Tell me again when you had planned the operation..."

He felt like he was losing his mind sitting on the couch for so long and his cold pack had gone entirely warm. Just as his mother was assuring him she'd call once she'd talked to the rest of the family, Roman's contact info began blowing up his line, interrupting the call. Seth was unable to stop a growling whine coming out of the side of his mouth.

"You good hon?" his mother asked. Seth clenched his teeth.

"Yup, I'll talk to you later," he managed. "Love you."

Tired of talking and thinking, Seth couldn't bring himself to call Roman back. He let his phone drop on the coffee table and grabbed the nearest throw pillow to stuff it to his face, screaming as loud as he could manage for as long as he could manage. It felt like no matter how responsible Seth wanted to be, things just weren't going to work out.

* * *

Dean and Roman arrived home a little after four, coming in the side door quietly. Not wanting to be bothered, Seth had picked up his things in the living room, made a sandwich, and relocated to the bedroom as soon as he'd finished making all his phone calls. When he heard footsteps coming down the hall, Seth pulled a blanket over his body, hiding again.

It was probably the most childish thing ever, but he didn't care. Really, Seth just wished he could be in his own apartment, far away from Roman's mothering tone and Dean's slack expression. Nobody could help him, he was beyond reach.

It didn't stop them from trying though.

"Hey babe," Roman said, coming in the door quietly and rubbing Seth's side from over the blanket, trying to rouse him. "Can you come out please?"

Slowly, exasperated, Seth drew the sheet down, eyes narrowing as Roman sat at his side, looking worn and concerned. Dean popped in, standing by the door and watching.

"We wanted to make you something you'd eat for dinner," Roman explained. "Was there anything you could think of?"

"I already ate," Seth mumbled. "Make whatever you want."

"...Okay," Roman sighed, rubbing his thigh in a way that was supposed to be reassuring. "We worked it out with Hunter today and got all your shifts covered. He said he talked to you on the phone and you wanted to work again as soon as you could."

Both men watched him, as though trying to catch a reaction from the new information. Seth just nodded dully, staring at his sheets.

"I also, uh, talked to my mom today." Roman scratched his nose. "I told her about what happened and she's very cool about you staying here while you recover if you want. I wasn't sure…" Roman bit his lip, looking apologetic. "I thought, well... I thought to ask her at least, after all the bullshit over Christmas. My family really likes you _and_ Dean, so they don't mind if you want to be here. I didn't want you to worry about any of that."

"M'kay," Seth said, betraying no bias. Dean shifted, folding his arms.

"She's still going to come down on the thirtieth too," Roman added. "Said she'd be willing to help with anything."

"You got a card too," Dean cut in, pulling out an envelope and setting it in Seth's lap. "I thought that Bayley girl was gonna cry when we told her what happened."

Unable to hide a smile, Seth sat up, opening the card and seeing the names of everyone at White Water scrawled on the inside with phrases like _Get better champ!_ framed with a variety of colorful hearts and encouragement. Sasha had written NO MORE CROSSFIT!!!! in enormous black letters, while Cesaro had signed his own signature with a sad face. Dean had drawn another chicken on the back, marking right over several signatures, and Seth softened. His lovers noticeably relaxed, watching him smile. Seth sighed, tapping the card on his thigh.

"Can I… Can I get a shower or something?" he asked carefully. "I smell really bad…"

Roman went to go prepare some pad thai and Dean went to grab a towel and a bathrobe for Seth to use. Hobbling around without the use of a crutch, Seth winced, plopping down on the toilet and undoing the mechanisms of his brace.

"You cool with a bath?" Dean asked, toying with the plug for the drain. "Probably easier, I can just put you in and pull you out when you want."

"Uh… sure…" Seth murmured, pulling his shirt over his head. With his shorts, he had some difficulty, trying to ease them down his leg while keeping it straight. His knee was so swollen it looked like a continuation of his thigh, without any dimpling from his patella.

"You icing it?" Dean asked, tugging the mesh fabric over feet and tossing it to the side. Seth frowned.

" _Yeah_ , I _am_ actually," he said shortly. "It's only torn in _three_ places."

Dean pulled him up and held out his hands, allowing Seth to place himself in the bed of the tub. He sank into the slowly filling tub, immediately feeling his whole body unclench. Dean left without another word.

He could do without any attitude for the time being.

Obligated to sit through dinner and nibble on pad thai, Seth relayed the information regarding the surgery, explaining the pre-op appointment scheduled for the day after next. His lovers nodded, clearly holding onto the questions they had, feeling the tense energy wafting off of him like toxic waste. The noise of the cutlery tapping the plates was overbearing without any conversation to drown it out, and as soon as he'd swallowed his last ibuprofen for the evening, Seth excused himself to the couch, sprawling out with an icepack.

"If Uce is bugging you, just let me know," Dean offered quietly, grabbing a pillow to help prop up Seth's knee. "I'll tell him to back off a li’l."

Roman was in the kitchen, doing dishes and stashing away leftovers. Seth frowned. "I'm _fine_ ," Seth insisted for the fifth time since they'd gotten home. "Don't worry about it."

Dean sat with his knitting on the other side of the room, clearly annoyed, but Seth didn't care. Nobody knew what he was going through at that moment and until his knee was fixed, he wasn't going to be a chipper, happy human being by any means. After all the shit he'd dealt with, coming home from Iowa and finding both men in states of disarray, Seth was beginning to think they owed him.

Eventually, Roman came in, sitting with his feet up in the arm chair with some popcorn. After some channel surfing of the TV, he looked between the two men for ideas.

"Game of Thrones?" he offered, looking to Seth hopefully. Dean just shrugged, untangling a length of yarn.

"I'm going to bed," Seth said sourly, not really sure why he wanted to be so unreasonable, other than the fact that he felt annoyed. Dean didn't react at all, but Roman's face twitched.

"It's still light out… are you sure?"

"Yup," Seth muttered, easing himself onto his good leg and clutching the cold pack onto the other. Roman handed him a crutch and without a second glance, Seth hobbled down the hall and into the guest room, closing the door. As soon as he was alone again, the angry cramping in his chest tightened and Seth sank down onto the mattress, sure that he wouldn't be able to sleep.

Roman eventually chose a show and the television could be heard faintly from far away. The air conditioner hummed and Seth's thoughts churned anxiously, focused around the dull pain in his leg. Distantly, he thought he could hear Roman and Dean talking in low voices, but Seth couldn't be sure.

The day faded as the sun set, casting shadows across the room until Seth was barely able to make out his surroundings. Around eight o'clock, his phone rang. His mother was trying to call him, but Seth just ignored it, too mentally unavailable to speak to anyone.

Caught in a dream-like state, he remembered the last time he'd swam competitively, thinking way back to his senior year in highschool, trying to balance shaving his body for competitions with growing his first full beard. Vividly, he recalled the last heat he'd ever raced, feeling his knees throb in agony as he frog kicked and the creeping despair as he realized that the competitors next to him were already on their freestyles, far ahead of his pace.

"Your fly was great," his coach said, trying to cheer him up after the race. Seth angrily pulled off his swim cap and tossed it on the tile floor. "Seth! Hey!"

"Leave me alone!" Seth had shrieked, making a scene on the deck, completely disregarding everyone around him as tears fell from his eyes. "I'm not going to make masters! This was IT, this was my LAST SHOT!"

He stormed off, his whole body exhausted from the effort of the meet. That day, Seth thought that his whole life was over. Everything he wanted to do since he'd started swimming was impossible. Of course, he'd been a stupid teenager about it, but his pain had been very real and nobody around him was capable of cheering him up. Holly tried to get him into coaching, but Seth rebuked the idea, insisting he didn't have any business teaching if he didn't _win_. Marek had just gotten his first car, so they spent a lot of time driving around, trying to take their minds off things by making out in unpopulated areas...

"Did he say I was bugging him?" Roman asked lowly in the other room. Seth snapped awake and alert, turning his ear toward the door to listen. The television was turned off now.

"No, he didn't say anything." Dean sighed. "Man, I'm sorry again for when _I_ was like this. This is _bullshit_."

"That was different." Roman chuckled. "He just… you know how he is. It's hard for him. He doesn't like asking for anything."

"Since when have _I_?" Dean laughed. "Whatever, fuck it. But I'm not gonna be nobody's doormat."

Seth's blood boiled.

"Nobody's asking you to." Roman grunted, shifting as though the stand. "Did you want anything from the kitchen? I was going to grab a macaroon."

"Yeah, get me one too."

Seth listened, unnerved as the two talked and got up, laughing about inane stupid things like cookies and work as the conversation shifted off of matters related to himself. Kevin began running laps around the house and they laughed, clearly playing with him and encouraging his rowdy behavior. Eventually Seth just stuffed a pillow over his head, unsuccessfully trying to drown out the noise of everyone in the house but him enjoying some last minute videogames and eating treats. The idea of anyone being remotely happy offended Seth to his core, prickling at his skin and making him grind his teeth.

It wasn't until the laughter stopped, the noise died and Roman and Dean made their way down the hall to go to bed that Seth was able to relax his jaw and be still. In the other room, his boyfriends were talking sweetly to each other and changing for bed. They sighed and giggled, getting comfortable and sharing the sheets until the light died and the house was quiet again.

Then Seth was unbearably lonely, highly aware that all he wanted was to be in the bigger bed with his boyfriends, smiling and spooning like he'd done before. All he wanted was to be _alright_ , just to feel normal and healthy again. Seth didn't want to alienate his boyfriends or isolate himself, but he couldn't help feeling pathetic and worthless, broken as he was.

Kevin scratched at his door, whimpering, but Seth didn't move till morning. He Just slept fitfully and cursed the sun when it rose again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grim... dark... I'm sorry! Life sucks sometimes though, ya know? 
> 
> So I only have three weeks left of college (ever) and after some bumps its finally going smoothly. Depending on my own post-grad workload, I might do bi-weekly updates again...? We'll see. I definitely don't want to string you guys out for weeks through this angsty stuff, so maybe I'll punch through the hard chapters and when things are more stable I'll level it out. 
> 
> In any case, review if you liked it! I'll probably put the index up soon. Breaking down all the chapters into sections was really interesting. There's about 5 Seth/Dean scenes for everyone one Seth/Roman scene, and pretty much all Seth and Roman ever do together is shower??? All I can do with rolleigns bits is make them groom each other XD
> 
> Enjoy! <3


	92. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is pain, what else is new?

Roman had most of Monday off except for a quick morning class, which meant he spent the majority of his time at home, cleaning and using his laptop. Seth could hear music being played and smelled bacon and hash browns wafting around the house. Around ten, a plate was brought to his bed with some painkillers, as well as an ice pack and some orange juice.

“I was going to take Kevin for a little walk. Did you want anything?” Roman asked, holding Seth’s meal until he was properly sitting up. “I thought we could maybe go out later or just sit and talk for a while.”

Seth just shrugged, accepting the plate from his boyfriend and trying not to meet his eyes. He looked and felt like shit, his hair frizzy and falling out all over the place from a night of barely sleeping. His eyes were probably grey and exhausted. He doubted a meal would really give him any energy.

“Just let me know,” Roman sighed, patting his thigh and walking out of the room. 

It was difficult to describe how he felt and he didn’t think he’d get much out of discussing it, but Seth just couldn’t for the life of him string together any sort of will to act on  _ anything _ . He’d have to call his mother, he’d probably have to sort through signing up for disability if he was going to have any sort of financial assistance. Roman and Dean really needed to know what was happening, but Seth just felt like everything was circling the drain. It didn’t matter if he tried, because he felt like he couldn’t even  _ exist _ . Staring at the guest room walls and feeling the dull pain of his back aching from lying down was driving him insane, but any time Seth thought about standing up, he had no idea what he was going to do.

Checking his phone, Seth found that both Cesaro and his mother had texted him, asking if he was awake and how he was doing. Seth cracked his knuckles, taking a deep breath and exhaling. 

He’d always thought he was  _ better _ than this. But that seemed  _ not _ to be the case. 

Around noon, Roman returned and sat on his bed. Seth was still laying down and facing the wall, eyes closed. Slowly, Roman’s hand began to touch his head, rubbing his wild mane of hair. It wasn’t unwanted, but Seth was sure he was about to be scolded, so he simply froze.

“Do you want to come outside for awhile?” Roman asked quietly after a few minutes of casual petting. “It’s nice out. I was going to make sun tea.”

Seth just nodded, sure that he’d had enough of laying down for a lifetime. Roman eased him up and helped him wobble to the back door. Kevin was ecstatic to see him moving around and followed them onto the patio and into the grass.

“Nnneeyygh,” Seth moaned, rubbing his eyes as he squinted against the light, looking out onto the backyard. Roman had brought his radio outside and was playing music. A wheelbarrow was loaded with dirt and yard trimmings.

“There are some shades over there,” Roman offered, pointing to the glass table. “I could use some help pulling weeds…”

It wasn’t an easy job and Seth could only work in circles, but it was a thousand times better than laying in the dark. Sitting himself down on a towel with a cold pack propped on his bad leg, he leaned into the stretch of his hips, hunching forward to sort through Roman’s garden with yard gloves. Seth began to sweat slightly, marking his face up from dirt after trying to part his hair back, but Roman came to help immediately, leaning over him with a ponytail holder and pulling his bun into a more tidy knot.

“Thanks,” Seth said lamely, looking at the little patch he had excavated. “Am I doing this right?”

“Yeah... don’t worry about what’s there, I forgot anyway,” Roman said. “New season... I only really care about the stuff in the front lawn.”

“Mmm.”

By virtue of the meditative task and a glass of sun tea, Seth felt the gears in his head turning a little easier. Roman was just a couple patches away, raking soil and tugging grass from the ground, but Seth knew he could hear him over the pop radio station.

“I’m afraid I might have to move back to Iowa,” Seth said blankly, still staring at the grass. “Surgery's going to cost so much money… I’m not going to be able to work at all.” He sighed hard, rolling a plant piece in his hand. “I don’t know how I’m going to do any of this.”

“Do you wanna go back?” Roman asked lightly, after a moment's thought. 

“No.”

"I mean, it might be for the best," Roman said, very tentatively, looking at him firmly. "But it sort of seems like you're going to be poor no matter where you go, right?"

"Iowa's cheaper," Seth said sadly. "But… I really don't want to leave."

"We want you here," Roman said, "But we'd understand. Me and Dean would both do our best to make sure you could stick around."

Seth already knew this, and he would have liked hearing it if he wasn't so caught up with what it meant. He wasn't sure if he would want to stay if it meant relying on the men for resources and assistance. Seth was just far too proud.

"Can your family help much?" Roman asked, clearly trying to keep him talking. Seth shrugged, his mouth twitching.

"Not really, they don't have a lot of cash," he mumbled, ripping a weed with an unnecessary amount of force. "I'm pretty much on my own."

"You got  _ us _ ," Roman corrected. "Seriously man, if I didn't want to take you in, I'd let you know. My mom'll tell you when she comes down too, you're family."

Seth didn't really know what to say to that, but continued plucking grass silently. It occurred to him that Roman and Dean's generosity might actually be all he had at the moment, but rather than feeling warm and loved, a cold feeling of dread filled his gut, making him glum. His ego might just be over-inflated, a little too confident, but Seth couldn't imagine a worse way to participate in a relationship: being a drain on his lover's time and energy.

Dean arrived home and walked up the driveway whistling. Eager to see him, Roman turned the music down and smiled, expecting some sort of kiss or loving pat. However, Seth was unable to hold back a smile as he watched Dean completely miss the cue and walk straight to Crispy's chicken run without so much as as glance at his boyfriends. 

"You see this?" he barked angrily, opening the door and showing Roman and Seth the insides of the run. Seth could barely see from his rooted position, craning his neck, but Crispy was sitting on her roost, puffed up and upset.

"Yeah... she just wants to be left alone," Roman said. Seth raised an eyebrow, hearing a sort of growling cluck emerging from the little house. Dean snapped the door shut and walked back over to the garden patch, hands in his pockets.

"I talked to Cesaro." Dean nodded, looking to Seth. "He says he hopes you're doing okay and he volunteered to drive you to the clinic tomorrow, since we’re both working."

"O-oh…" Seth frowned. "Okay…"

"I tried to get out of a management meeting, but… it's all a little tight right now because of all the switching going on," Roman admitted, biting his lip. "You cool with that?"

"I guess I gotta be, right?” Seth said. “Nothing really I can do."

It would be awkward, but Seth really didn't mind. Cesaro already knew the extent of the damage to his leg, so he wouldn't be forced to explain it again as he would with some other stranger. Really, Seth thought it would be fine for him to just take an Uber, but he was positive Roman would have an issue with that. 

Cesaro's car was always a free ride.

"I was gonna throw a pizza in the oven," Dean hummed, still looking at the chicken run as though it was offending him somehow. "Hungry?"

"Yeah, throw that supreme in there too," Roman nodded, standing up and dusting off his hands before he came to Seth's side and offered to pull him up. Seth wobbled to his feet, pulling off the yard gloves and grabbing the towels and the cold packs. As soon as he got inside, he saw that his phone was ringing on the kitchen island and he hastened to grab it, accepting the call immediately when he saw it was his mother.

"Seth?"

"Yeah, hey," he mumbled, backing up into a chair slowly and frowning as he hauled his leg up, elevating it. Holly immediately sucked in a breath, huffing angrily.

"I've been calling you ALL morning child! You tell me you've busted your leg and then just drop off the face of the earth like that? What have-"

"I've been busy!" Seth spat. "I…. I fell asleep and I've been… working all morning trying to figure out what's going on!"

Roman and Dean shifted awkwardly, falling out of whatever conversation they'd been entertaining and going quiet as they moved around the kitchen. Seth's chest tightened and he leaned on the table, face angrily set.

"Well, I've got Grandpa here, I was  _ hoping _ I could call you on the computer and we could talk through what we've got going on. We were waiting on  _ you _ , so we need to do this  _ now _ if we're going to do it at all."

In the background, Seth could hear his grandfather say something, but he couldn't make it out. Holly's tone didn't indicate much leeway, but Seth was tired and antisocial. He wasn't sure if he really had it in him to sit down and play nice for the sake of his family.

"I was going to eat in a sec, can we do this quickly?" Seth compromised, rubbing his eyes. Roman set a glass of water in front of him with another pill. Holly sounded annoyed, but agreed, insisting that she had just been worried sick and wanted to see his face.

"Do you want to borrow my iPad?" Roman asked as soon as Seth hung up the phone and put his face into his palms, groaning. It was hard to pretend like they hadn't heard everything that had been said. 

"Mine's at home, yeah," he said dully, taking the pill and the water into his hands. "...Thanks…"

Logging into his Skype and propping the tablet up with the case it was nested in, Seth felt wholly unprepared to talk to his family face to face. He supposed it would be difficult for his mother to get too upset if she could see how disheveled he was, but Seth didn't know why his grandfather was there. Dean sat across from him at the table, flipping through a knitting book, and Seth wondered if he couldn't ask for a pair of headphones so he could at least pretend he had some privacy.

Just when he thought about getting up and relocating to the guest room, his mother began to call. The Skype screen lit up and began beeping, and Seth swallowed hard, pressing the video option on the side of the screen.

"Hello? Can you hear us?" his mother asked. She was shifting her laptop to eliminate the glare from the kitchen light. Don sat next to her, slightly confused by what was going on, but both of their faces lit up as Seth's reflection appeared on the screen, staring back at them.

"Yup," Seth said quietly, distracted by the video of his own face. He hadn't realized it, but Seth really did look a mess. Just a few days away from a mirror and his beard had started to get bushy and overlong. His face was gray and sagging a little while his hair was frizzing out madly from being outside.

"How've you been Seth?" Don asked loudly, frowning as he looked at the screen. Seth bit his lips, leaning back in his chair and trying to push his fringe back.

"I'm hangin' in there," he sighed. "Doing everything the doctor told me to do."

"And your pre-op is tomorrow then?" Holly asked, unfolding her legs.

"Yup."

"What does your work think?"

"They're… they've got it… it's no big deal," Seth mumbled. "I'm going to see if I can't go in and do office work maybe a few days next week, just so I have some money comin' in."

"Well, don't put too much stress on yourself now," Don said, inching closer to the screen. "That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about. So, you said that your state insurance will cover some of the procedure and all that, and hopefully they'll be coverin' the other appointments and such that'll come after, but your mother told me about what happened and I want to try an’ help you out with all this."

Seth's eyes widened and his arms felt numb. Roman stopped tugging Kevin's rope toy around and Dean looked up, interested.

"I'm sure it's hard enough that you're away from home and dealing with all this, so once you get a bill from the hospital, I just want you to forward it over to me, okay?" Don said seriously, nodding his head to the camera. "That is… if they still send out bills in envelopes nowadays. I guess your mother could… help me with the computer."

"G-grandpa-" Seth spluttered, "you don't have to-"

Don just waved his hand and Seth stared at the ceiling, feeling horribly conflicted and dirty. There was no way he'd be able to pay the hospital bill he was about to accrue, but Seth felt disgusting shifting the responsibility onto his grandfather. Dean closed his book and folded his hands, watching.

"That's what family's for." Don smiled, winking. "Now, it's coming out of your inheritance, it's not pocket change or anything, but I talked with your mother for a long time and we're going to see to it that you'll be alright and we'll get your knee repaired." He nudged Holly with his hand. "Your ma’ll come up and make sure you're okay. We just need to figure out a time that works okay with her work."

"I want to come up on the day of your surgery, but it might be a little short notice after I took all that time off for helping with Ana and her baby," Holly said, pursing her lips tight and looking strained. "I'm a bad mom-"

"You're NOT a bad mom," Seth choked, feeling tingly. "Look… I really, this is the most… the nicest-"

A loud crowing was heard from Roman’s backyard and Seth started. Holly and Don paused, watching as Seth turned his head to the back door.

"Crispy!" Roman barked, striding across the room and making for the screen to scold the chicken. 

"Where are you?" Holly asked. Dean sneezed and Seth ran his fingers down his cheeks, overwhelmed.

"I'm… at Roman and Dean's house," he said, unable to spin a convincing lie on the spot. Roman came to his side, appearing on the camera from his chest down and placing a brave hand on his shoulder. The oven dinged and Dean got up to check on the pizza.

"Oh… right…" Holly said, shooting the tiniest of side looks to her own father. Seth swallowed. He really wasn't sure if he could explain his relationship to his grandfather and didn't feel remotely prepared to try. They'd just agreed to essentially wipe out any of Seth's debt. Activating a potentially uncomfortable discussion was ill-advised and Seth wished Roman would just walk away and make himself scarce.

Dean, cool as ever, strode over and tilted the screen up, nearly shifting Seth right out of the frame. Roman's eyes widened, looking shocked to Dean, who grinned to the camera.

"Sorry about that, our chicken's been really broody lately."

"Hey-" Seth tried grabbing the screen back, but Holly and Don were chuckling and looking to the two other men with a curious interest. Seth's eyes narrowed, looking up to Roman as though prompting him to call Dean off, but for a moment, it seemed everyone had forgotten about him.

"Y-yeah," Roman added, smiling back warmly. "Sorry, we haven't really introduced ourselves yet, but we were listening… We're trying our best to hold down the fort here. It was scary when Seth got hurt, but we're trying to make everything smooth."

"Yeah, we're helpin'." Dean smirked, rubbing his shoulder. Seth grit his teeth.

After a few moments where Dean, Roman, Don and Holly all introduced each other, Crispy started crowing again so Roman broke away to attend to the bird. Dean confirmed the pizza was ready and made to pull it out of the oven, leaving Seth to re-adjust the screen, huffing angrily as his knee twinged when he stretched. He didn't want to seem moody and upset in front of his family, but he really hadn't wanted his boyfriends to interrupt what was going on. His mind was buzzing with the new information he'd received and he knew he was going to feel relief, but it would come at the expense of his pride. 

"Well, we won't keep you boys," Holly said, blushing and smiling. "I'll let you know what my work says. I can come down and make some meals for you, maybe meet your new friends."

"It's… up to you," Seth said, picking at his beard. "Really, I'm handling this okay at the moment."

"Well, maybe I'll just go to Disney World then!" She laughed, and Don smiled. Seth's eye twitched.

"Take care of yourself kid," Don said, patting his daughter's hand and looking to the screen as sincerely as possible. "We love you a lot, you're gonna be okay."

"Thanks. Love you too."

The moment they hung up, Seth turned, trying to stop himself from yelling angrily or bruising his knuckles on the table. He knew he ought to be happy, ecstatic even that his grandfather was willing to be saddle the debt and take a load off his mind. But Seth's stomach began to hurt, twisting in angry knots, watching his boyfriends shuffle around happily.

"Well, hell, that takes care of a few things!" Roman said eagerly, popping a piece of pizza down in front of Seth, taking a moment to realize he was upset. "...What's wrong?"

"Why did you guys have to butt in like that?" Seth asked fiercely, staring daggers at Roman and Dean, who both froze in their spots. "My grandpa doesn't know about this yet and I didn't want my mom to meet you guys over  _ Skype _ !"

"Take… a breath," Roman suggested, raising an eyebrow. " _ What _ ?"

"Can you guys please just… leave me  _ alone _ ?" Seth buried his face in his hands, trying to steady himself. Dean set his plate of pizza on the kitchen island and folded his arms. Roman seemed unsure, caught between Seth's words and his obvious impulse to provide comfort. The mood of the kitchen had turned on a dime and nobody moved, too confused to act.

"We can… set you up in the  _ bedroom _ ?" Roman proposed, voice squeaking slightly as he looked to Dean, as though he might have the answer. Dean just sighed, picking at his food. Seth peered over his fingers, looking at his pizza slice and Roman's iPad, resting on the table. He wasn't very hungry, he didn't want to lay down, it wasn't even five at night. 

"Earth to  _ Seth _ ," Dean tried. Seth shivered, jerking up.

"I heard you! Okay?" he snapped, pushing the chair with his leg on it out and swinging his limb off the side. "I'm sorry! Sorry I fuckin' did this all in the kitchen! Sorry I'm beat up and I can't deal with any of this shit right now, okay?"   


"Seth-" Roman sighed, rubbing his own face and clearly struggling. "We just want to help, calm down."

He hobbled off, abandoning his crutches to walk close to the wall. He'd left his phone in the other room, and he didn't have any cold packs. He was being an idiot  _ again _ . Resisting the urge to slam the door, he simply sat on the bed, head in his hands, trying to stop his insides from writhing. 

It unnerved him again to hear his boyfriends from afar, moving chairs across the floor and apparently sitting down to eat. His outburst was childish and stupid, but nobody was coming to reprimand him for acting as such. Dean turned on the radio and the two men ate their pizza while Seth tried his best to elevate his leg with his pillows. Around 6:15, Roman came by with an icepack and some leftover slices, standing in the doorway and peering in skeptically.

"I'm sorry-" Seth addressed the bed, his face hidden in the mattress. Roman padded inside, sitting down on the bed and placing the cold pack on his knee. Seth turned to watch him, increasingly uncomfortable with the silence and his boyfriend's cold expression. Roman's eyes were serious and his jaw set while his hand rested on Seth's shin, rubbing carefully. 

"You aren't obligated to talk to us," Roman said quietly, meeting eyes with Seth and moving up to rub his thigh. "I don't want to pressure you and I don't want to make you feel bad."

The rubbing of his leg continued and Seth wished it would stop. He knew his eyes were wide and he probably looked stupid and scared. 

"I'm sorry if we've been in your face too much. I know that you're here because you're injured and you're used to being by yourself. If you want space, that's okay, we want to respect that."

"N-no." Seth shook his head. Roman blinked, but Seth couldn't think of anything to say. He shrank back, feeling dumber than ever, wishing he would vanish.

"Well…" Roman sighed, standing up. "Cesaro said he's going to come and get you around ten tomorrow and Dean was going to help you get ready to go. If you… need anything, or want to  _ talk _ -" Roman nodded, looking at Seth seriously. "Let us know,  _ please _ . Maybe we can help, maybe we can't, but we're here and we want to try." 

He didn't leave until Seth nodded, closing the door softly before returning to the kitchen. That night, there wasn't much talking or giggling, as it seemed that Roman and Dean went to sleep early as well. Lying awake and thinking hard about his grandfather's offer and the pre-op appointment, Seth began to hate the bed and the room he was resting in. His mattress in his apartment was just slightly more comfy, though the sheets weren’t as soft and the pillows weren't goose down. 

Roman's words stung at him, and again, Seth was miserably lonely, lying alone and just itching to tug his over warm leg out of the brace. Twice he considered going to the room across the hall and apologizing for acting so ungrateful, but Seth was sure he could hear them snoring, fast asleep.

_ Pain _ , Seth mouthed to the darkness, rolling the words in his mouth sleepily. He wasn't feeling a terrible amount of discomfort, but somewhere in his sleepy psyche, he was remembering the words of some old nightmare that was creeping to the surface again. Sly lips speaking in soft riddles.  _ Pain… Pain… Pain… _ and… he couldn't remember. 

At some point he checked the bedside clock, the time leering down at him through the darkness. Seth grunted, turning over and thinking in a daze.

_ Second is pain, third is… _

_ In his dream, he was standing at a podium in a suit holding a buzzer. That same eccentric man from the bar leaned over his stand and leered at him with a shining coat made of peacock feathers and a mouth full of bright, even, white teeth. Seth's blood suddenly ran cold, realizing everything had gone silent and the audience was staring at him. _

_ The man flicked his ring finger on an index card that only Seth could see. In heavy black letters, the answer was written, plain as day. Seth cleared his throat, looking around to where he was sure the other contestants were standing, waiting to jump on his answer. He hit the buzzer quickly, almost knocking the button of the podium. _

_ "Rollins!" The man beamed eagerly. Seth's eyes shook, looking from the man to the audience in front of him, feeling the heat of the lighting. _

_ "What is… loss?" he said, nearly collapsing with relief as the correct alarm went off and everyone applauded. Red and blue lights illuminated a rotating platform where some immaculately dressed men and women stood, waving to the crowd and pointing out a gigantic luxury houseboat. _

_ "Excellent! Well done! We have a winner!" _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to see Dalton Castle host the Price is Right, yeah?
> 
> So I'm graduating in a week or so and this morning my bank account got overdrafted to shit. Now, I'm bad at math, but mostly I'm really poor. If you're at all interested in commissioning me to do some fic or some art, I would love to be of service! Message me if you're interested, I'll write/draw just about anything. If you want to help me by donating a couple buckaroos to my Kofi account, I'll put out the next chapter on Friday! 
> 
> Uncomfortable begging for money aside, I hope you enjoyed it....? Feels weird to say after a stressful chapter ;/


	93. Face of Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth goes to the clinic. Has he ruined his relationship? Or is there hope yet?

Sitting in the passenger's seat of Cesaro's Honda Accord on the way to the clinic, it occurred to Seth that it was probably the slowest he'd ever seen his friend drive. Cesaro had arrived at the house around 9:30 and sat in the living room talking to Roman until Seth emerged from his room. Everything had been very quiet all morning, hushed voices and soft footsteps made everything feel tense and stifled. Dean barely spoke, following behind Seth with his things.

There was already a hazelnut latte in the car, but, as with most food and drink lately, Seth wasn't very interested. He was losing patience with everything, especially himself and how he was acting toward his lovers.

"I wanted to check out this place a while back," Cesaro said softly, pulling into the parking lot of the clinic and finding a spot as close to the entrance as he could. "I wanted to know what their facilities were like because I had a few clients with sports injuries."

"Mmhm."

Cesaro helped excavate him from the car and they walked up to the building. It was another sunny day with light wind and the air conditioning gave him chills as he limped through the automatic door, coming into the lobby. 

"Welcome, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked, bypassing Cesaro as Seth hobbled to the desk, the obvious patient.

"Yeah, hi, Rollins," Seth muttered, grabbing his wallet from his pocket and pulling out his ID. "I had an appointment."

After filling out a few forms, Seth sank into the waiting room, heaving a sigh and looking around the area dully. Cesaro offered him his drink, but he just shrugged, rubbing his thigh and staring at a Men's Fitness magazine with a sort of annoyed longing. They twiddled their thumbs for a few minutes, until Seth cleared his throat, feeling foolish.

"Thanks," he mumbled, "For everything really. I dunno how I'd be managing without… all this help."

"No problem buddy." Cesaro laughed. "I am just sorry this all had to happen. I don't have any appointment until later this evening, if you wanted to do something just to take your mind off things..."

Seth sighed again, leaning into his palm and looking around. All he ever did was workout with Cesaro and that wasn't an activity he could readily engage in. Seth supposed it might be possible to go to a traditional gym and bench press some weight, but it would probably just make him long for other things.

"We'll see how this goes," Seth said. "I'm a mess. I'm too mopey and I don't want to do anything."

"That's okay, Roman was telling me you have been having a hard time," Cesaro said softly, uncrossing his legs. "But then, he said your grandpa is going to help pay for the surgery, that is good at least?"

"Yeah, it's... insane." Seth blinked slowly, feeling suspicious. "What else did he say?"

"Not anything really…" Cesaro shook his head. "Just that it has been hard."

A few other patients came into the waiting area, one with their arm in a sling and one that looked to be some sort of student athlete. Seth's knee was starting to twinge a little; he'd neglected to take any ibuprofen that morning.

"It's good at least that we did not also buy our spots in the triathlon." Cesaro laughed, grinning as the corner's of Seth's mouth threatened a smile. "Those are not refundable."

"Geez I guess." Seth scratched his beard. "We should find one to do in a couple months or something! When I can run again..."

"I can do that." Cesaro nodded. "Might be more than just a couple of months, but I will look at the schedule."

Debating back and forth what Iron Man activities would be the most difficult for a healing knee, Seth at least felt a little more talkative when Dr. Bloom came into the waiting room. He was a large man with a slight beard and facial piercings that were strange to see on a surgeon. Immediately, he shook Seth and Cesaro's hands with a sort of jockish, casual professionalism.

"Really rough, we're sorry that you've got to be here," he said, eyeing Seth's leg. "But we'll take great care of you. Did you both-" He pointed to Cesaro, inclining his neck to where the doctor's offices were.    


"I'll let you go," Cesaro said, standing and patting Seth on the shoulder. "I can get us some lunch. Just let me know."

Thanking Cesaro again, Seth walked on crutches down the hallway as Dr. Bloom led the way, guiding him to a scale and a height guide to do some preliminary measurements. After struggling to keep his balance with his bad leg, they eventually made their way to an examination room and Dr. Bloom pulled out Seth's MRI's, turning a display monitor around so he could see them clearly.

“Now Mr. Rollins, would you say you had any substantial pain  _ before _ your injury?” the doctor asked, sliding open an extender base on the examination table and helping Seth keep his leg straight. 

“Uh… kinda... yeah.” Seth nodded, leaning back carefully since his knee was quite sore. “I’ve always had hypermobile knees. When I was in school they bothered me a lot then…”

“Okay, I thought that might have been an issue. Looking at the MRI is hard, you can never quite tell, but from what I’m seeing, I think it’s possible that you might have injured your meniscus before this. It looks partially healed, but obviously not functional in the way it needs to be.”

Seth’s gaze shifted to the floor. He wasn’t really sure if it made any difference, but he supposed he wasn’t surprised that something could have been torn before the accident. 

“Is that… bad?” Seth asked. “Can it still be fixed?”

“Oh absolutely, I just wondered if you had noticed. I imagine it was pretty painful for you, exercising and getting around…”

Dr. Bloom examined his knee and Seth breathed through extending and bending his knee as much as it would give. The swelling was morbid and any time his knee was touched, the fluid beneath the skin dimpled and kept an imprint. Doctor Bloom breathed loudly, marking things down on his clipboard and holding Seth’s calf, considering. 

“We’ll use part of your patella tendon for the reconstruction. Have you ever had surgery before?”

“Nope.” Seth screwed up his face as he bent his leg back, feeling the muscles in his quad twitch. 

“Okay, it’ll be a same day procedure, which means, assuming everything goes smoothly, you’ll be released as soon as you come up from the anaesthetic. Legally though, you’re going to need transportation home from the hospital, so you’ll need to make some arrangements there.” He opened up a folder and pulled some papers out, flipping through a stapled packet before handing it to Seth. “This is for you to look over, just showing you how the procedure works and what to expect. Now, you’ll need to stop taking any Asprin, Ibuprofen... any blood thinning medications from now until the operation, and no food, drink, chewing gum or anything after midnight on the day _ of  _ the procedure. Any plans to receive dental surgery between now and then?”

“Huh? Oh, no.” Seth shook his head, feeling his stomach turn as he stared at the cross section of a human leg. The illustration showed a kneecap flipped back, displaying the ligaments beneath it.

“Good good, and all of the instructions are in there, so if you forget…”

An anesthetist came and took a blood sample. Seth’s blood pressure was checked and his nose and his groin were swabbed to check for some illness or another. The nurse fitted him with an icepack to help with his swelling and Dr. Bloom returned again in an hour with a brown haired woman who looked more like a trainer than a doctor.

“This is Ms. Del Rey,” Dr. Bloom explained. Seth and the woman shook hands politely. “She’s a physical therapist here and you’ll see her again for your post-op exam. She’s going to work with you to get you back up to speed and moving again.”

“You a powerlifter?” she asked, eyes raking him head to toe. Seth blushed.

“I… I’m just a lifeguard, but I do CrossFit.”

“Ah.” She nodded. Seth felt strange about her tone, as though she was making some sort of assumption that Seth wasn’t aware of.

“She’ll show you down to the physical therapy side in a moment here. I wanted to know if you had any questions.”

“Uhh…” Seth strained, thinking. “No… I think I’m pretty much good.”

“Perfect.” Dr. Bloom nodded confidently. “She’ll wrap up with you then and we’ll see you at the hospital next week. If something does come up, my information is there, so you can reach out to me. I’m more reliable than WebMD.”

Inside Seth’s pocket, he could hear his phone buzzing, but he ignored it, shaking Dr. Bloom’s hand and grabbing his crutches from Ms. Del Rey. She held the door for him and Seth followed her down the hall at a quick limp.

“Well, you’re probably still solid in your legs for the most part, you just got injured recently, right?”

“Yup,” Seth sighed, trying to move as fast as he could.

“We mostly just try to work on quad and core strength, but if you were doing lots of functional fitness before you got injured, you’re probably sufficient. Really, the hardest time for you will be post-op, but you’re just going to have to focus on  _ not  _ overdoing it. Compound injuries make it really easy to mess up the rest of your leg, just because if your other ligaments over compensate, you can risk another injury,” she explained, talking at a sedate pace so Seth could absorb the information. 

“How long do you think it will take me to get back to… full… functionality?” he asked, walking through an automatic door. 

“Just depends, but 6-9 months is usually what we expect. You’re going to need at least three weeks post-op to just rest and recover. Once you get in here and start moving around, we can make goals."

The therapy area was populated with a handful of patients on various machines, doing simple exercises. Therapists walked the floor, some standing right next to their patients or assisting them with a hand, keeping their balance steady. 

“What do you expect your schedule to be like?” Ms. Del Rey asked, motioning for him to sit on an examination table in the back. Seth eased himself down, thinking hard.

“I’m really not sure, I have to talk to my work,” he admitted, trying not to sound too hopeless. “I can’t really lifeguard obviously, but I wanted to see if I couldn’t do other jobs just to make some money.”

“For sure.” She nodded, helping to pull his leg up on the table and free him of his brace. “I’m hooking you up to a stim machine here…”

Nodes were stuck to his joint and Seth felt a sort of vibrating buzz in his leg. It wasn't a particularly unpleasant sensation, but it was definitely strange. Ms. Del Rey sat on the opposite bed, toying with a zipper on her sweater.

“That’ll help some with the pain,” she explained. “Are you getting around okay? Do you have any family members that can help?”

“Y-yeah, it’s… being taken care of,” Seth said, looking at the ground. Before he could help it, the words were tumbling out of his mouth, completely out of his control. “It’s just me, I’m just… mentally I feel really messed up. I didn’t think this could happen and I feel really bad.”

“Like it’s your fault?” 

“No… maybe, I dunno.” Seth shook his head, immediately regretting his outburst. “Maybe I’m dumb, but I just… I guess I just thought I was invincible or something. Now I’m just… I dunno what to do.”

“How often did you do CrossFit?” she asked.

Seth blinked. “Like, three or four times a week?” he said. “Why?”

“Your body needs rest,” she said, obviously trying to hide a smile. “I don’t want to make you feel any worse, but we _do_ see a lot of CrossFitters around here. But hey,” she said, putting a hand to her chest, “if this was your hobby and your passion, not being able to do it is going to hurt, it’s like _losing_ a part of yourself. If you’ve got the time and you’re feeling stressed, maybe you could see a therapist for your head too.”

“Nah,” Seth said immediately, shaking his head faster. “I’ll… I’ll get over it.”

Some time on the stim machine and Seth was pleasantly surprised at how different his leg felt. The pain was still there as was the swollen pressure, but the ice and the pulsing had given him more mobility than he’d had in days. Together, Seth and Ms. Del Rey cycled through a few movements and worked his quad to assess the condition of his muscle. 

“You’re good, that’s excellent,” she praised, watching him sit back down to reach for his crutch. “So we’ll reconvene after your surgery and start from there.”

“How long after will it be?” he asked, hoisting himself back up as she gathered her papers, checking off some boxes on the forms. 

“As soon as you do your post-op exam and we’re sure you’re ready,” she said. “About a month after most likely, but everyone is different.”

Ms. Del Rey led him back up to the front and Cesaro was waiting in the lobby again, playing phone games until he heard the sound of Seth’s crutches. He stood up eagerly, waving.

“I was feeling breakfast food for some reason, I have omelets in the car,” he explained. “Go good?”

“Yeah, was that everything?” Seth asked Ms. Del Rey. She nodded, smiling to Cesaro. The men made their way to the exit and Seth actually felt hungry and conversational. Going to the doctor felt like progress- he could at least start thinking about recovery and what it would take to get himself healthy again. Seth knew he would be able to do whatever rehabilitation and recovery was required of him, but six to nine months meant he wouldn't be back to normal until summer or later. 

“I guess I just need to get it done and that’s it,” he said, sniffing his takeout box as soon as he was comfortable in his seat. Cesaro slid a pair of sunglasses over his nose and pulled out of the lot with his hand on the back of Seth’s seat, watching the rear window. " _ Great  _ way to start the year." 

“I can’t imagine,” Cesaro sighed. “Did you want to go and do anything?”

“No... I think I’m okay...”

They drove back to the house, actually meeting Dean in the driveway as they pulled in. He looked as though he was just getting off work himself, turning off his car and walking over to the Honda, still wearing his slip on shoes. Dean watched Cesaro help Seth shift out of the vehicle, drinking from a Chick Fil A cup with his jaw set.

“How’d it go?” Dean asked.

“Okay,” Seth mumbled. “Routine.”

“Let me know if you would want to get dinner some time before the surgery,” Cesaro offered, patting him on the back. “Or if you need help the day of or something. I’m busy, but flexible.”

“Thanks again man.”

Cesaro made to leave and Dean opened the side door to the house. Kevin came out to inspect, bouncing away as Seth hauled his crutch onto the mat in front of the door. Carefully, he sank to sit on the small shelf to take off his shoes, setting his crutches against the wall.

Dean just slipped out of his shoes and stalked off to the living room. Seth’s heart sank. 

He still hadn’t really apologized for acting so shitty the day before and Seth wasn’t sure if it would even matter at that point. Distantly, he wondered if he should just ask to be driven to his apartment and left there. At this point, he felt it was a toss up whether either Dean or Roman would disagree.

Seth sighed, grimacing at the pain in his leg as he got to his feet again, trying to think of something to occupy his afternoon. Leaving the house had actually tired him out a lot, but Seth didn’t want to sleep any more than he wanted to do anything else. The bed was at least a sort of sanctuary though, and so he limped across the living room and down the hall to lay down. Dean didn’t say a word.

Removed to lay in a comfortable silence, Seth just anxiously pondered the operation and what was going to happen. He knew he didn’t have anything to really fear, that the procedure was routine and he had all the information to make sure it was a smooth process. But it didn’t stop his brain from going in weird directions as he stared at the ceiling, his stomach hurting and his skin crawling. He wasn’t sure if it was a plot of an action movie or something that had actually happened, but Seth thought he remembered a story where someone wasn’t fully knocked out under anesthetic and had to deal with the pain of being cut open while paralyzed. In another scenario, he thought of the possibility of Dr. Bloom severing some unnamed yet incredibly important blood vessel in his leg. The nightmare ended with him bleeding out and dead in a matter of minutes.

Around dinner, he woke from a nap covered in sweat and his leg was throbbing hard. The house was silent, but he was fairly certain both of his boyfriends were home at that point. Seth just lay, eyes half open, wondering when one of them would come and feed him. 

An hour and a half passed and no one came. He was getting hungry and more frustrated, turning in bed and becoming tangled in the sheets. Seth wasn’t sure if he could smell food wafting from the kitchen or if it was just his imagination.

Leaving his dark corner of the house, he wobbled to the kitchen and found a pot of spaghetti and meatballs on the stove, covered with a lid and sweating. Outside, Roman and Dean were sitting at the glass table out back and talking with the door shut. Kevin was barking and running around in the grass. 

It felt strange and wrong and Seth battled with his need to eat and the sense that he was trespassing. Just on the other side of the glass, he could hear Dean, lowly telling some story about swim lessons while Roman snickered and listened.

_ Did they not invite me because they thought I wanted space? _ he thought, eyebrows folding mournfully.  _ I’ve been a fucking prick… why would they want me…  _

He trembled, and for a moment he thought he was actually going to cry, consumed by how really alone he was, so far from home and so fully alienated by his own behavior. He didn’t think his lovers would react positively if he demanded their attention to apologize, but Seth couldn’t really think of anything to do. 

He gripped the kitchen island and sighed hard, blinking fast and willing himself to stop freaking out. Crying and screaming wasn’t going to fix his knee and he didn’t want Roman and Dean to think he was any more dramatic than they already thought he was. All Seth wanted to do was make everything  _ stop _ , stop hurting and stop screwing up whatever was going on in his mind that was making him crazy. 

He knew he couldn’t bother Roman or Dean, which meant eating a very quiet dinner in bed, with a plate of pasta Seth had almost spilled twice, hardly able to balance it on the way back to his room. He tried to occupy himself with his phone, but nothing on the internet was able to distract him enough to make him forget how vulnerable he felt. 

Around eight o’clock, Roman stuck his head in the door. Seth was laying on his side, trying to take the pressure off his back. The dirty spaghetti plate sat on the bedside table and all the lights were off.

“You need anything?” Roman offered, grabbing the plate and staring at him. Seth blinked, his chest knotting up. He shook his head dully. 

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, barely audible. Roman sighed, leaning in the doorway and biting his lip.

“Yeah? Sorry about what?” he tried, his voice lilting higher than usual. Seth felt his chest cramp up again. He really didn’t want to talk. 

“Tomorrow I’ll go home,” Seth diverted, closing his eyes tight and addressing the mattress. “I’ll leave so you and Dean don’t need to deal with this anymore.”

Roman sighed and set the plate down, a little louder than he probably intended to, making his way over to sit on the bed. He laid a hand on Seth’s side and tried to turn him, but Seth clung to the bed, freezing up.

“What’s  _ wrong _ ?” Roman asked, just slightly aggravated. “If you don’t wanna talk, I can’t help you. If you want to leave, that’s your choice, but I don’t know why you’d want to do that.”

Seth didn’t say anything, sure in his mind he’d already messed up any opportunity to properly explain himself. He wanted to tell Roman he was sorry, that he felt awful about getting injured in the first place and putting this on them, but he knew they’d just shake their heads and try to mother him more. Seth didn’t want to be a burden, and every moment he was laying in bed or freeloading meals felt like agony. 

“Do you need to see someone?” Roman asked timidly. “Are you talking to  _ anyone _ right now?”

“I’m fine, okay?” Seth pulled his head out of the bed, immediately regretting it as he saw Roman’s face, stern and upset. “...Sorry…”

“What are you apologizing for?” Roman asked, eyes wide and disturbed. “Look, dude, I really don’t mind you being here, this sucks, I get that. But we’ve given you some time! Do you need  _ more _ ?”

Dean appeared in the doorway and Seth froze again, thinking fast.  _ What did he need? What could he ask them? What could possibly sound sincere and allow him to maintain some sort of dignity?  _

Roman rubbed lightly with the hand on his side and Seth screwed up his face. He couldn't  _ think _ . 

“You can lay in bed and be fussy but we're just trying to help," Dean muttered. "If you-"

“STOP IT!” Seth exploded, turning over and nearly knocking Roman off the bed in his rage. “Don’t call me FUSSY!”

“Seth,  _ stop _ yelling,” Roman said firmly. “Calm down-”

“I DON’T-” Seth cried, “I FUCKING… CAN’T-” Tears began to pour down his face and Roman stood, distancing himself. It was difficult to say if it was anger or frustration upsetting him more, but he couldn't hold back any longer. “Y-you don’t k-know what this feels like- you don’t get h-how-”

“What the  _ hell _ are you talking about?” Roman said sharply. “How the hell do you expect us-”

Seth sobbed and Roman looked to Dean, shaking his head. He walked out of the room, striding right through the kitchen and out of the house, shutting the sliding door sharply. Dean just stood coolly with his arms crossed, watching as Seth continued to erupt, putting his hands to his face and crying openly. It was difficult, and Seth shivered, trying to stop, but he kept seeing Roman’s confused face in his head and his body shook, spilling more tears. 

Dean cleared his throat, turning on the light in the room, and Seth pried his head from his hands, confused.

“I c-can’t-” He swallowed, breathing hard. “P-please just go-”

“What, so you can just cry by yourself?” Dean scoffed. “Fuckin’ make me.” 

“I d-don’t-” Seth spluttered, Dean’s words were stinging him in a strange way. “P-please-”

“Dude, just like three weeks ago I fuckin’ cried like a baby in front of you, what’s your goddamn hang up?” Dean asked firmly. “You told me you’d be takin’ care of me even if we weren’t boyfriends, you helped me out and snapped me outta my funk. Why the hell is this any different?” 

Seth didn't honestly know, but in that moment, he wasn't really capable of doing anything but falling apart like a lunatic. His whole body shook, jarring his leg, everything was pain and Seth's chest wracked hard against his tears, constricting to the point where it was difficult to breathe. Dean's eyes narrowed, watching him confused as he continued to wail.

"I f-fucked up-" Seth panted. "I fucked-d up and I'm a fuck-k up and-"

"Stop," Dean instructed. "Stop it." 

Seth continued to shake, drawing wheezing breaths and finally Dean sighed, making his way to the bedside, physically grabbing Seth's head and pressing his temples before embracing him. Seth whimpered and he continued to cry, but he could manage some shallow gulps of air.

"We're not mad at you for being hurt, why the fuck would you think  _ that _ ?" Dean grumbled, keeping his hold on Seth firm. Seth just shook his head, tears streaming down his face. It was all too difficult to explain.

"You helped me and Uce out before. It’s the same thing."

"It's n-not like that…"

" _ Well _ what’s it like?" Dean asked angrily. "I  _ get _ it, this shit is stupid to talk about! But you gotta tell us shit or else we don't know what to do. I'm telling you  _ right _ now, I'll take care of you for however fuckin' long I gotta, but  _ not _ if you're going to pull this shit."

Seth swallowed, pulling his hands under Dean's arms to wipe his face on the back of his hand. Everything was wet and slimey.

"I d'know," Seth cried, "I dunno I just don't want to make you guys tired of me and I d-dont wanna just… I don't wanna move in cause I'm poor 'n cause I'm all fucked up." Dean drew back, sitting next to him on the bed. Seth bit his lip, unable to look at his boyfriend. "But I've alr-ready fucked up and pissed y-you off-"

"Stop it," Dean snorted. "You know I don't give a shit."

For a few minutes, Seth just tried to steady himself, unable to think of anything to say that wasn't incredibly selfish and rude. Dean offered him a towel that had been used to prop up his leg and he wiped his face, breathing deeply. Kevin came in and hopped on the bed, but Dean batted him away.

"Nobody's sayin' you need to move in." Dean grunted, setting the dog back on the floor and leaning back to half lay on the mattress. "Uce is just asking his parents about shit so you wouldn't worry about being here if you wanted to be. You can do whatever you want."

"But I can't-" Seth hiccuped. "I don't have the m-money-"

"Then live  _ here _ !" Dean said. "Why not? I pay a little rent now that the cat's out of the bag with his family, but it's cheap as fuck and it's easy!"

"We've only been dating for like a  _ month _ ," Seth reminded him. Dean heaved a sigh, shooting him a patronizing glance.

"You think I wanted to move in here?" he asked, scratching the loose fringe of ginger hairs on his cheeks. "You think I wanted to admit I had bugs in my house and shit? And that I couldn't get a place 'cause of some BS legal crap from like almost a  _ decade _ ago?" 

Seth didn't say anything. He hadn't really thought about Dean's situation at all.

"Uce has busted his knee before too, plus he had his hernia," he continued, listing everything off on his fingers. "He fuckin' had to rearrange his whole life after that court deal and Daniel. Not like I'm sayin' your knee ain' nothing-"

"It's like my whole  _ life _ -" Seth cried weakly, repeating the words his physical therapist had poured on him earlier in the day. "I don't know what to do… It’s like I’ve lost a part of myself…”

“Well, and that sucks, yeah,” Dean sighed, “But you gotta know that we’re gonna be here for you if you’re not gonna be a brat. Uce is-”

“I’m  _ not  _ a brat,” Seth said angrily. “Stop calling me names!”

“Stop  _ yelling _ ,” Dean growled. Seth bit his tongue. “Uce was going to wind back his hours so he could go to school, but he’s putting that off for now until you’re back on your feet. I took on a bunch of your lessons so that way you don’t get any grief from being off-”

“I’m sorry, okay??” Seth choked, falling into fresh tears and burying his face in his hands. Dean groaned, twitching as though he wanted to tear his hair out.

“I’m NOT TRYING TO GUILT YOU!” he squawked, pushing Seth down into the bed and scaring a soft yelp out of him. “I’m shit at this! I’m fucking shit at talking but you need to get your head out of your ass for FIVE SECONDS! We’ve been dating ONE MONTH AND… TWENTY DAYS-” Dean’s head was pinning Seth down to the bed, his mouth against Seth’s ear, as though the proximity was going to get his message across. “This relationship is the DUMBEST thing I’ve ever done and I like it a lot and even if you want to be a fussy fucking brat, we’re still going to help you because we know you’re not a piece of shit!” 

Dean sat up, eyes wide and emotional, holding Seth by the sides of his head and bearing down on his face. For a split second the intensity was so strong Seth was scared Dean was going to strike him, but he just stayed hovering above him, intense and vibrating. Seth blinked, tears falling down the sides of his head as careful fingers began to rub around in his hairline. They were both arguably  _ terrible _ at talking about their feelings, but the careful touch and sensitivity was telegraphing their emotions. 

“You’re not going to be a big burden on us, so  _ stop _ thinking that,” Dean reiterated, eyes flashing as Seth’s forehead trembled. “All you ever do is work hard, catch a fuckin’ break for once in your life.”

Seth sniffed and Dean sighed, his gaze softening a little as he continued to stroke Seth’s hair, minding his bad leg as he readjusted. 

“Do you  _ really _ want to go back to that apartment?” Dean asked.

“No,” Seth cried, shaking his head. 

“Then you should tell Uce you’re sorry and tell him what you told me.”

Exhausted, nose dripping, Seth sat up as Dean went to go and find Roman. In his heart, Seth didn’t have the energy or the animosity to feel mixed up anymore. Confidence thoroughly shot, he didn’t even blink when Dean brought him a roll of toilet paper and pointed at his beard where a wad of snot had collected. Roman surveyed him, looking thoroughly annoyed, but Seth couldn’t bring himself to disagree. 

“I’m sorry, for  _ real _ ,” he said quietly, rubbing his face with the tissue and finally meeting Roman’s eye. “I’m sorry I’ve been treating you guys like… shit… s-sorry I haven’t been talking.”

Roman pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back mutely. Dean stood in the doorway again, slightly rattled and damp from the emotional outburst. For the better part of half an hour, Seth just lay, talking through his fears and apprehensiveness in a sort of quiet, robotic tone, occasionally rubbing away stray tears. Roman soothed him with a careful hand, rubbing his side and nodding.

“We’re gonna help you do whatever you think is right,” he said quietly, tapping Seth’s backside lightly. “That’s why we’re here. I think we both want you  _ here _ , but you’re your own man.”

“I’m scared of the surgery,” Seth whispered, continuing on. “I’m afraid… I feel like something will go wrong...”

“Dean, do you have any more Xanax?” Roman asked, turning to the doorway. Dean raised his chin, thinking.

“Maybe…”

Seth didn’t like medication and wasn’t sure exactly how he would react, but he was tired of feeling anxious and sad. It was comforting to feel hands on his body again, calming him down, but there was still some part of him that was sure that he’d done some irreparable damage to their relationship. Even now, exhausted as he was, he was sure his boyfriend’s were just being nice to him because he was injured. There was no way they would tolerate this behavior otherwise. 

“This will help you chill out some,” Roman explained, taking a bottle from Dean and shaking out a single little pill. Seth’s face stiffened, trying to think what medications he could take so close to his operation. 

“You’ll feel better babe, I swear,” Dean said, handing him a glass of water. “Uce takes them more than I do now, but when I’m stressed out, it just sucks all the bullshit out.”

“If you say so,” Seth said meekly, quickly swallowing the drug and easing himself back down. Dean put another cold pack on his knee and the three sat on the bed with Seth between them, still thinking in circles.

“Dean… you only work a half day tomorrow,” Roman began, “So you could go to Seth's place and pick up more stuff… Then Seth, you can figure out how long you want to stay here. If your mom was going to come, maybe we could set you back up at your place when she arrives after the surgery. It’s your call, but you’re good to stay as long as you need to.”

“Maybe,” Seth mumbled. “Probably should.” 

“We should barbeque again,” Dean added, going off script. “It’s supposed to be really warm again soon. We should get steaks or fish or something.”

“We can do whatever.” Roman smiled. “We could save that for when my mom comes too.”

“Is she gunna hotel you think?”

“Probably, she has all her rewards points.” 

“Plus she hates this house.” Dean snorted. “You think she’s going to like all the work you did in the bathroom?”

“She picked out the colors, she better,” Roman said, stroking Seth’s hair. “Nah, I think she’s going to make me redo the exterior or something soon.”

Seth blinked, breathing in the smell of both men and the sheets on the bed. His head was quieting down, and although his knee was still sore, it seemed much less important than before. Dean and Roman were sandwiching him in and whatever problems they were having were now were tertiary to what was happening at that present moment. Nothing was particularly pressing or important except for the hands on his scalp and the warmth swallowing him up.

Seth hummed, nuzzling into Roman’s side. Roman and Dean watched him, half smiling.

“Should have just drugged you a long time ago.” Dean snorted, rubbing his shoulder. “Feel better?”

“Can I sleep with you guys tonight?” Seth asked, lazily turning his head to look over his shoulder. “I haven’t been sleeping good by myself anyway… I don’t care if you bump me…”

Roman and Dean just nodded, gathering up extra pillows and the cold pack, shifting Seth to his feet and walking him across the hall. Kevin was waiting for them on the bed and Seth sank onto the huge king, moaning.

“ _ Yeah _ , you didn’t want to go home.” Roman laughed, fluffing up a pillow and sticking it under Seth’s knee, bumping into Dean as they both fished through the clothes hamper in the corner, grabbing oversized t-shirts for pajamas. Seth was beyond caring about changing and was nearly asleep by the time the lights were shut off and both men slid into bed. Roman took the opposite outside, able to rest his hand over Dean, while Dean took the middle, coming close to Seth, pressing his nose into his shoulder.

“I love you guys a lot,” Seth said, distantly emotional, but comfortable in the fact he could talk without breaking into tears again. “If it wasn’t for you guys… I’d have to go home…”

“I’s all good,” Dean mumbled sleepily, pressing a kiss to Seth’s cheek and making a silly noise. Seth blinked, tensing his quadricep in his right leg, thinking.

“Did you really just  _ know _ that we were dating for a month and twenty days?” he asked, fighting back a yawn. Roman chuckled in the darkness. “That’s what you said.”

“It sounded right,” Dean said casually.

“It  _ is _ right,” Roman said. 

“Did you tell him?” Seth asked, smiling. Dean flicked his shoulder.

“I have my moments.” 

“I told him.”

“I can do math,” Dean argued, turning to Roman. “I would'a figured it out.”   
Roman made a sort of unsure noise and Dean ribbed him, moving closer to Seth as Roman giggled. Seth nuzzled him back, lavishing in the touch he had missed so much. He didn’t hear the rest of the argument, as Dean continued to tease Roman about something or other. The peace of a mind at ease wafted over him and Dean’s breath hot on his neck was enough to put him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not saying I agree with grabbing your lover's face and yelling at them, sorry if that read a little rough for anyone. Trying to get across that Dean's very passionate and poorly adjusted. These boys are never going to abuse each other and if it seems that way, it's just because they struggle with communicating and it's something they're slowly figuring out. If this made you squirm more than you wanted to, let me know an appropriate TW and I'll label it as such.
> 
> Happy Friday! Next time: Will everything be alright when the sun rises? Can Seth find a semblance of normalcy before his surgery? 
> 
> Much love for Kenjideath for the beta scrubbing <3


	94. Sink or Float

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Dean help Seth in their own ways, Seth tries to find ways to be active despite his injury.

The emotional outburst and subsequent apology hadn’t fixed everything, and in a lot of ways Seth was even more stressed out, but the house was no longer a den of woe. Roman woke early the next morning and made grits and bacon, putting on some coffee and letting Kevin outside before Dean and Seth got up. The three huddled over their breakfast in pajama shirts and before Dean and Roman left for White Water, they exchanged a few left over words from the previous night.

“We don’t need to make everything a  _ talk _ , okay?” Roman sighed, glancing over both of his boyfriends. “But we can’t just keep letting things go to absolute shit before we say stuff.”

“Did we each get a pass then?” Dean snorted. 

“Our ‘be a big jerk once’ passes?” Seth readjusted the pack on his knee

“I want to earn more.” 

“Seriously though,” Roman grunted. “Nobody’s perfect, we don’t need to act like it. We can say how we feel without having it taken personally, yeah?”

Dean and Roman went to go change and put on their shoes. Seth rinsed off their plates and made his way to the couch, plopping down with Kevin and watching somberly as his boyfriends began to leave. The lasting effect of the Xanax had him in a sort of numb blur. Nothing was particularly offensive or distressing, but Seth felt stupid, unsure exactly what he was supposed to be doing with himself. 

“See if you can’t pick out some dinner we can make, okay?” Roman instructed, kissing him on the top of his head and holding him in a hug. “I don’t want you doing chores and standing up a bunch, but try to find something to do, yeah?”

“Yeah, definitely.” Seth nodded, kissing Roman back and shifting as Dean was hovering to hug him as well.

“Keep Crispy company, she doesn’t like me anymore,” he mumbled in his ear. “Love you.”

Despite Roman’s words, Seth tried his best to clean and do some dishes in their absence, leaning on a single crutch and shifting around, trying to hold as many cups as he could to take the least amount of steps to put away the clean items. He was thoroughly pleased that he didn’t break anything, but just as Seth was considering cleaning the stovetop, the pain in his leg worsened so he had to take a break.

It was a hard time, not being able to take any painkillers, and each day Seth usually iced his knee for an hour and then tried to pull weeds or clean before his joint started to swell and throb angrily. Somedays it made him mad, angry that he couldn’t do even the simplest tasks without feeling his leg twinge. Other days, he simply didn’t have the energy, too depressed to do much more than cuddle Kevin on the couch. 

Roman was enormously patient and understanding. If he didn’t arrive home at the same time as Dean, he came early with a large Jamba Juice to be shared and he'd ask Seth how his day was. On a particularly miserable afternoon where his knee was incredibly stiff, Roman ran him a bath and encouraged him to say whatever was on his mind.

“I feel like I did this to  _ myself _ ,” Seth said mournfully, soaking in the bath water. “Like I was too stupid to see that I needed to wind back- and I’m sitting at home on my ass just thinking about how my leg hurts but also how it’s not actually that bad and I should be doing something other than just sitting on my ass… and also how... I just…”

“Yeah?” Roman asked, wiping his nose with his wrist as his hands were wet from the water. Seth blinked, staring into the still pool of the tub.

“Like, I can’t trust myself at all...” Seth shrugged. “...Like I can’t even make the right choices for myself.”

“It’s hard when you can’t do much all day,” Roman said, touching his arm softly with a finger, stroking carefully. “All you can do is blame yourself for things.”

Dean generally came home later in the evening than Roman did, and he usually took responsibility for taking Seth out of the house, something they all agreed was very important. Even after a tough day, Seth wanted nothing more than to leave and spend some time, even if it was just an hour, somewhere other than the living room of Roman’s home. On the first night, they went back to Seth’s apartment to pick up more of his belongings, as well as his Sola Care card. The elevator was still broken, and so Seth limped up the steps, slightly annoyed at the fact that he was conscious of his heartbeat after just three flights of stairs. 

“At least your utility bill won’t be shit,” Dean joked, turning the lights on for the first time that week and standing in Seth’s warm living room, looking around. Seth grunted, opening up the refrigerator and frowning at the spoiled milk.

They returned to the house with more movies, books and video games to keep Seth occupied during his time off, and Seth broke into reading  _ Fight Club _ again for the hell of it. He hadn’t really picked up a book in ages, but he enjoyed reading. The next night, Seth went to the library with Dean and picked up a few other Chuck Palanhiuk novels for fun, sitting in between the other members of the South Eola Fiber Club and trying not to snicker stupidly, reading the snarky dialogue between the characters.

“When were you going in for your surgery then?” the woman to Dean’s right asked, looking to Seth sympathetically as his knee was resting on a small chair, staying elevated.

“In five days,” Seth said, peering over his book. He didn’t want to seem anti-social as most of the women in the class adored Dean and only wanted to know more about his mysterious partners. Dean himself was preoccupied with fixing a mistake he’d made in his little chicken sweater, and needed the assistance of a seasoned knitter to help him fix his stitches. 

When they drove home, Seth just looked out the window, feeling completely detached from his surroundings. It was only a quarter to eight, but Dean and Roman both had a full schedule the next day and would likely be winding down soon. Getting through the night and sleeping was difficult with his knee and Seth was really starting to fidget, unaccustomed to being so sedentary. 

“Doin’ okay over there?” Dean asked, eyeing a few fast food drive thrus with mild interest. “Tired?”

“I’m fine,” Seth sighed, putting his attention to the road in front of him and wiping the corners of his mouth. “Just… wish I could wake up in like, six months from now when this is all fixed...”

When they got home, Seth made his way to his room with a cold pack and propped himself up, thinking that he might just lay down and read until his eyes wanted to shut. Roman was doing work of some sort on his laptop, leaving Dean with little else to do but walk around the house with a sleeve of macaroons, bored.

“What’re you reading?” he asked, popping his head into Seth’s door and dusting crumbs off of his fingers. Seth held  _ Fight Club _ up to the light and Dean moved closer, trying to read the cover without the glare from the lamp. “It as good as the movie?”

“I think so, I feel like it’s a faithful adaption,” Seth said quietly, not really sure what his boyfriend wanted. Rather unexpectedly, Dean hopped onto the bed like a cat, sleeve of cookies in his mouth.

“You should read to me,” Dean suggested, slumping against the bedframe and scooting Seth against his front for a cuddle. “...Unless you don’t want to.”

“Oh, uh-” Seth blushed. Dean liked to spoon and they would occasionally snuggle together, but it was almost always in the context of foreplay. Seth could cuddle Roman all day, and they frequently did, but Dean was almost always too fidgety and finicky to sit still for long.

“Or  _ I  _ could read to you-” Dean tried, pulling the book out of Seth’s hands and looking up and down the page, teasing a hand through his hair to scratch his head sweetly. Seth smiled, still surprised. Dean raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Do you want...” Seth licked his lips. “Do you want to start from the beginning? I was only a couple chapters in...”

Dean flicked to the front of the book and Seth snuggled closer, grabbing a macaroon out of the bag and chewing it softly against Dean’s chest. Seth’s leg dangled awkwardly, away from anywhere it could be jostled, but it wasn’t terribly uncomfortable. Once they were settled, Dean began to read. His words were a little tentative and slow, but the whole time his fingers massaged Seth’s head hypnotically.

_ You take a 98 percent concentration of fuming nitric acid and add the acid to three times that amount of sulfuric acid. Do this in an ice bath. Then add glycerin drop by drop with an eye dropper. You have nitroglycerin. I know this because Tyler knows this... _

Seth didn’t remember where they left off, but woke early in the morning, laying on his back while Dean snored in his ear. The book had been earmarked around the third chapter and Seth relaxed in the darkness, turning his head to Dean and breathing him in slowly. Even though his knee was difficult and pulsing slightly against his brace, he was able to fall asleep again without too much trouble, sighing peacefully against his boyfriend.

Three days before the surgery, Seth was getting more and more stir crazy. He had read through  _ Fight Club _ , played Madden mindlessly each day for hours and cuddled Kevin enough to overwhelm the little dog. Around four, he simply sat outside on the front step, distractedly watching his phone and the curve of the road where Dean and Roman would come down on their way home from work. Just getting fresh air to ice his knee wasn’t enough to make him feel any less caged, and his chest was starting to hurt again from balling up all his stress and energy.

“I just want to move around,” Seth explained as soon as his boyfriends came home and asked him how he was doing. “I don’t want to rest or sleep or eat, I fucking  _ hate _ this.”

“Tomorrow I’ve just got morning class,” Roman thought out loud, pulling Seth back to his feet again and rubbing his back quickly. Dean grabbed the cold pack and the towels. “I bet we could sneak you into the adaptive pool…”

It was a far cry from CrossFit, but Seth knew that he couldn't be picky. Roman had a few dusty dumbbells stored under his bed, but laying on the floor and trying to do chest presses was difficult with a teacup yorkie trying to lick your face. Graciously, Seth woke up with his boyfriends the next day and hobbled his way into the Grand Cherokee around eight. The weirdest part about driving to his workplace was just that Seth hadn't been around anyone other than Roman and Dean in many days. He'd definitely been living in his own head, and it took some effort to smile and appear cordial as he made his way up the wheelchair ramp and through the lobby. Sami and Kevin beamed at him the moment he came through the door.

"Hey Seth! Not going to guard like  _ that _ are you?" Sami joked.

"Huh? Oh… no…" he laughed awkwardly, slightly winded from the short walk. "Just… popping by to see if I can't swim a little upstairs…"

If Seth had been well, he would have been guarding with Cesaro at that moment, so Dean and Roman allowed him to stop into the lap pool to see his friend. Sasha and Cesaro were working the shift together, and both were ecstatic to see him, taking turns surveying the pool so they could engage him in conversation.

"You look so beat up!" Sasha whined, hugging him gently around the middle and frowning. "You guys have to stop your weird fitness cult! I can't believe Bayley wants to do that stuff!"

"Don't blame CrossFit!" Seth snapped. "My knees are just bad... It was bad luck."

"Well, in any case," Sasha said, "we should hang out before you have your surgery! Your boys are taking good care of you, right?"

"Yeah, great." Seth mumbled, blushing. "We could probably do something…"

"Maybe we can get dinner on Sunday," Cesaro offered. "Go to Joe's and get a big meal before you go in?"

"That might be cool." Seth nodded. "Just gotta… see about money…"

Seth would be paid that Friday, covering the last of his days of work before he had been injured. Through the month, he'd saved up enough to pay rent, but not much more. It felt like a huge waste, considering he hadn't been using his apartment at all, but Seth was sure it would be cheaper to keep paying for the unit until he could use it again, instead of just dumping his lease and looking around in a month's time.

His boyfriends's generosity would extend as long as he needed it, but Seth had a feeling his mother would be scolding him for staying with the men. She'd purchased a plane ticket to come and help Seth for a couple days after his operation, and he had no idea how he was going to juggle his relationship, his family and his recovery all at once.

" _ You _ won't pay," Cesaro said, patting him on the back. "We have got you."

Seth shook his head, smiling. It was a wonder why he worried about anything.

Roman still had a class to teach and Dean had data entry to do before his lessons, so Seth sat in the observation area with a book and his gym bag, waiting for the water aerobics class to be over. Occasionally his eyes flicked up to see Roman teaching on the other side of the glass, and he thought about limping back to the locker room to change and join in, but after just a few conversations, Seth was feeling withdrawn and antisocial. Being at his workplace reminded him of the life he'd entertained just a week ago, making him painfully aware of everything he couldn't do. He just sighed, looking back down at his reading and tensing his quad, looking for a distraction.

"How're you doing champ?"

Hunter came to his solitary table, smiling warmly as Seth's ears reddened, quickly shutting his book.

"Managing," Seth said. "I thought I could go up to the adaptive pool in a little bit and move around. I'm getting stir crazy."

"Absolutely, that's a great idea," Hunter agreed, shifting his clipboard from one armpit to the other. "I'll let you be, but whenever you feel solid enough after your surgery to work for a few hours, just shoot me a text. Me and Steph have been trying to make a to-do list of things we need before our fundraiser and before the water park opens again."

"That would be great, yeah." Seth smirked. "I'll probably just need like, one or two  _ days _ ."

"Oh, well... no  _ rush _ , really." Hunter's eyebrows raised. "Use whatever you need to upstairs. I think AJ might'a one appointment today, but… well… there shouldn't be any reason you guys couldn't share the space…"

"Right." Seth blushed. "Thanks a lot Hunter…"

Finn, Bayley and Xavier all stopped by to give their respects, and Seth was glad when Roman finally returned from his class, wearing his slip ons, just slightly damp from toweling off quickly. Seth got to his feet and they experienced a deeply awkward elevator ride where AJ met them at the first floor, lip curling as soon as he saw Seth.

“We’re just going to be an hour or so,” Roman explained cheerfully, looking to his boyfriend. “You think?”

“Uh… yeah, probably,” Seth said, suddenly very interested on the adjustment screw to his crutch. AJ just nodded, tapping his foot until they boarded the elevator and arrived on the top floor. 

“I’ll bet a nice soak in the hot tub might feel good too,” Roman suggested, showing him to the small changing room on the side of the pool. “You got it?” 

“Yup.” 

Seth took the bag from his boyfriend and sat on the short bench, groaning as he pulled off his shorts and tugged the loose trunks over his foot. They were an older pair he hadn’t worn in awhile, baggy and unflattering, but Seth knew better than to try to muscle his nice tight speedo over his bad leg. A few moments later and Seth was leaning on the door, towel over his shoulder, holding his crutch with a certain measure of confusion.

“Belt or noodle you think?” Roman offered, holding up a flotation belt and trying to see the size. Seth just shrugged, overwarm from the humid room. He’d never really done any water aerobics before, and he wasn’t really sure what he could do. Slowly, he made his way for the ramp, ditching the crutch to hold onto the grab bars by the water, humming slightly as the temperature of the water made his skin tingle pleasantly. 

“You’re a sinker, I forgot.” Roman smiled, easily sliding into the water from the deck side and floating over with a couple of noodles. Seth shrugged, stumbling a little as he got down to waist depth and sat back, trying to allow his leg to simply relax, unbothered. Roman tucked the noodles under his arms and began to tow him out to the middle of the pool, grinning.

“I feel like a baby,” Seth mumbled, relaxing his head against the noodles and sighing at how light he felt. Everything was warm and quiet and the rippling of the moving water echoed off the walls. Roman chuckled softly, watching him relax and towing him to the middle of the pool.

"I could grab some of those floatable barbells," he offered. "Show you what to do…"

"Inna minute," Seth mumbled. He felt like he was dissolving in the warm water, so comfortable and serene that all the stress from the past few days was rolling off his back. His extremities felt like jello, too weak and relaxed to do much physical activity. His eyes shut and Roman's hands softly grasped his forearms, rubbing his thumbs in circles.

"You'd be sad if you slept the whole time," Roman reminded him after a few minutes, squeezing him firmly to pull him back to reality. "What's up?"

"Nothin'... just feels good…" Seth yawned, blinking blearily. Roman raised an eyebrow and Seth blushed sheepishly.  _ Nothin'  _ was no longer an acceptable answer. "I just… I dunno. I think I'm just more stressed out than I thought. This is… helping…"

"Just about the surgery?" Roman asked, towing him around in a small circle. Seth's leg floated along behind him useless. "Or everything?"

"Both." Seth smirked. "Didn't… Dean said you busted your knee before too-"

"Just my MCL." Roman shrugged. "Not everything and the kitchen sink."

"Did you get surgery though?"

"No, with something like that you can just brace it and rehab it until it gets better," Roman explained. "It was dumb, but it was a long time ago. Back when I played football."

"Mmm," Seth sighed, feeling his body trail a few inches away from the deck, propelled by a pool current. 

"It'll just be more of the same after the surgery though," Roman continued. "More laying around at home, more pain but more painkillers. Maybe I'll get a new HBO package for ya'... but then, the Superbowl's comin' up too…"

"It's no big deal," Seth said, sitting up a little on his noodle. "I don't want to lay on the couch all day anyway."

"Well, you're probably going to be doing  _ a lot  _ of laying." Roman grimaced. "Try not to think about toughing it out too much, that's how you break yourself again…"

"I'm not  _ going _ to." Seth pouted, brow furrowing. Roman eyed him up and down carefully, unimpressed.

"I don't want to sound like a big dick here," Roman began, his dark pupils firmly focused, "but I do  _ kinda _ know what I'm talking about. A lot of times, and I don't think you  _ mean _ to, but you seem rude when people are talking."

Seth shrunk slightly, blinking and feeling his heart sink. Roman squeezed his arm, keeping him rooted.    


"It's not like you're trying to be mean, but it's like anytime you think that someone's coming for you, you just snap on them."

"Sorry," Seth mumbled, Roman just shrugged, exhaling hard.

"I'm a grown ass man, it's whatever," he continued, "but when people are trying to help you, it's a turn off."

"But you guys tease me all the time too!" Seth snapped back, thinking fast. "Not to sound like a  _ dick _ or anything-"

"We… should be better about that…" Roman admitted. "But anyway, I  _ do _ know what I mean about the knee thing, maybe I only tore one muscle, but one muscle was enough to put me on my ass for a second and force me to take it easy. I was never the fitness nut you were, but I knew I couldn't just like, tough it out. Shit takes time and you have to respect that process."

"I know…" Seth sighed, readjusting the noodle under his arm. "I just… I know if I don't hurry up and get better ASAP, I'm going to lose money and… it's just going to wear you guys out…" He swallowed, looking to the bottom of the pool, feeling anxious again. "If I'm not pushing myself as _ hard  _ as I can, I know I won't feel alright…"

"But maybe that's why you're here, yeah?" Roman said. "I know it was because you fell, but you were hurtin' for a while babe… It was kinda hard to watch…"

Seth didn't know what to say to that. In a mental flurry, he was snippy and angry, wanting to puff out his chest and tell Roman off for blaming the injury on his behavior, but Seth knew he was right. He felt awful, stupid and mean for always being so churlish towards his lovers and shirking any advice or assistance that was offered. Roman continued to pull him along, walking along the bottom of the pool, looking calm but focused.

"It's just not what I wanted, and that sounds really dumb," Seth muttered. "I didn't want to put this on you guys, and even though you keep telling me it's okay, it just feels really  _ not _ okay. I'm being an ass because I feel like I'm going to ruin everything and that's just ruining it more, but I don't know how to just chill out.." 

Roman nodded and Seth blinked hard, feeling his ribs loosen around his lungs. 

"I feel like I mess everything up all the time anyway."

"You  _ don't _ ," Roman said softly. "Listen to me yeah? You don't. Life and… love… it's not like it's supposed to just be perfect to work… If your whole leg got chopped off and you didn't have one anymore, we'd still keep you around." Seth laughed a little and Roman smiled. "This is the shit that matters, when we get to this bullshit that holds us up, we can either fall apart and let it fuck us up, or we can all work through it together and make it a lot easier. How we act when we have nothing is  _ way  _ more of a determination of who we are than when things are smooth."

Seth sighed, nodding hard. He hadn't really thought about it that way, but his life had been pretty smooth all things concerned. While bothersome, his knee had never been hobbled before and the rest of his body was in fine shape. He'd never been viciously bullied, never been in a car accident, nobody close to him had died tragically, and until he'd moved to Florida, money had never held him up. 

"I guess I'm a baby then." Seth laughed, blushing and scratching his head awkwardly.

"Nahhhh," Roman grunted, towing him a little faster and thinking for a moment. "I would say you're not a baby because you have a beard… but… I don't  _ want _ to tease you…"

"I have a car too," Seth offered. "More… reasons…"

The broke apart and Roman got out of the pool to grab a few different floatables to use for some resistance activities while Seth tried to psych himself up to do some real exercises. The talk seemed to give both of them a lot more energy, clearing the air and leaving Seth with a lot to think about. He watched as his boyfriend hopped out of the water, dripping on the deck to lean over a cart full of noodles and water barbells, choosing carefully. AJ came through the office door, surveying them momentarily in his peripheral vision as he made his way to the exit, but he didn't say a word. Seth wondered if it wasn't a little questionable for Roman to be assisting him; if it made his job with AJ more difficult or raised any strange questions and again, he was reminded of how kind and helpful his boyfriend was. 

Seth felt warm and light when Roman returned, sliding into the pool quickly to hand him a few tools. Before they could begin, Seth reached his hands out, finding Romans hips and squeezing them between his fingers.

"Thanks a lot, really," Seth said, blushing hard. "I… I wanna be better… I wanna know when I'm doing stuff wrong. I don't want to sound mean or annoying all the time."

"It's fine babe, I love you." Roman smiled huge, leaning over and pressing a big kiss on his forehead. "I know you're having a really hard time." 

"Yeah, but… it still doesn't excuse me being an ass," Seth huffed, skin tingling where Roman's lips had made contact. "I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some sprinkles of sweetness to counteract the bad times. Thanks for the reviews, as always!


	95. The Last Supper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the final loose ends are tied up for the procedure and Roman and Dean continue to keep Seth as comfortable as possible. When morning comes, will it all go according to plan?

The arthroscopic procedure for the reconstruction of Seth's knee was scheduled for ten o'clock in the morning on January the 25th and would take approximately an hour and forty five minutes. Seth paged through his instructions from the hospital. They still made him a little queasy, and he didn't enjoy seeing the diagrams showing the incisions that would be made all over his joint, but at least he could look forward to making some progress in his recovery.

Time around the house moved so slowly he was wondering if it would be worth taking up knitting just to have something to do with his hands. Madden grew boring after so many games, and Seth got sick of reading after he finished his second library book. Every twenty minutes he was sighing and rubbing his behind as it began to numb from resting his weight on one side for too long. Even Kevin seemed to be getting tired of his presence, easily overwhelmed by the abundance of affection. 

"Fine," Seth grumbled, setting the little dog on the floor as he tried to squirm out of Seth's hands. "Be that way."

Dean came home for an hour one afternoon, just to keep Seth company and drink a soda before returning to work for his evening lessons. After the huge blow up a few days ago, they were both a little overly nice, texting each other regularly throughout the day. Though grumpy when he was alone, Seth tried to shake out his bad mood as soon as he heard the car door slam and footsteps coming up the walkway. 

"Oh honey, I'm  _ home _ !" Dean said theatrically, cupping a hand to his face and smirking as he saw Seth in the living room, laying on the couch and peeking over his book. "We got the time off for the surgery and your friends wanna do dinner the night before, so we're gonna go to Joe's."

"What friends? Cesaro?" Seth asked. "Sasha?"

"Yeah… n' Bayley… Sami said he might come too I think, I dunno." 

Dean bent down over the couch and kissed him between the eyebrows. Seth tented his book over his chest and hummed. Thursdays meant both of his boyfriends had to work a little late and Seth's only real task for the day was adding water to the crock pot at six so their roast didn't dry out. 

"We got like, the day _ of  _ off," Dean explained, sitting on the armrest of the couch and picking at his fingernails. "And then we're gunna do it like, I take the first day off and then Roman takes the second day, and then we'll pick your ma up from the airport and she'll watch ya."

"Okay," Seth said softly, trying to think if there was anything else that should be accounted for. "T-thanks for… making the time for me and all…"

"No sweat babe, I feel like I've been living at work lately anyway," Dean sighed, scratching Seth's head. "I'm gonna put my feet up too."

Dean and Roman were at White Water quite a bit, and Seth knew it was because he'd left so many holes in their work schedule. Neither man would complain to him, but he knew when he heard them grumbling upon waking that the extra work was getting rather tiring. Roman had taken over most of his classes while Dean readily switched and traded guard shifts to fill Seth's morning spots and lifeguard in the afternoon between his programming areas. 

"We haven't had to do any close-opens, so it's not that bad." Roman grinned, setting a plate of roast in front of Seth and sitting down to eat. "That's what coffee's for anyway." 

Nevertheless, Seth thought they all looked a little worn and grey these days. Dean's hair and beard were growing overlong and he kept wiggling his head to keep his bangs from getting in his way. Roman's eyes looked exhausted, dark and lined with fatigue. Seth himself had been avoiding the mirror quite a bit, as he looked generally disgruntled and vulnerable, his eyes a little hollowed out and sad.

The worst part was that his well kept physique was starting to diminish, the definition beginning to fade as his muscles started to shrink, unaccustomed to a less enthusiastic diet and almost no physical activity. Seth sighed, catching his profile in the bathroom mirror after a shower, tracing the line of his collarbone, now distinctly obvious as his chest was no longer engorged from bench pressing. 

On Sunday morning, he almost had a fit when he found that a formerly snug pair of house shorts were a little loose in the seat, his busty bottom evidently less busty than before.

"We will  _ cherish _ your small butt." Dean laughed, watching Seth’s head droop sadly as he examined his sides with a trembling lip. Dean pulled him close, peppering his cheeks with kisses and squeezing him tight. "We'll feed you good and get you squatting again, it's nothin' you can't get back."

Nevertheless, Seth lay in anguish for most of the day, thinking in circles about how he'd be going under the knife in less than twenty-four hours. Around noon the hospital called, confirming his operation and asking if he had any questions, and then at two-thirty, his mother rang and asked him how he was doing.

"I'm okay, really," Seth sighed, forcing water down his throat to give himself something to do. 

"Are… are Dean and Roman bringing you in then?" Holly asked. Seth couldn't help smiling a little, it was still weird hearing his mom say their names.

"Yeah, they're handling all of it. Should be pretty simple."

Around four, Seth started to get ready for dinner at Joe’s, but he didn't have much of an appetite. His quad kept tensing nervously and he kept tracing over his brace at the specified regions that would be cut open the next day. The house was eerily quiet and it took nearly half an hour for him to brush his hair and pick out some clothes he could wear outside the house.

"Ready?" Roman asked cheerfully, easing him off of his bed and kissing him on his neck. Seth had never felt less inclined to be sociable, but he followed his boyfriends to the Jeep without question. 

The dinner was a very kind gesture and everyone seemed to be understanding of Seth’s quiet demeanor. Jojo the hostess had reserved the same large circle table in the back that they had used the last time, and Seth sat in the middle under the hanging lamp while Cesaro, Sami, Sasha and Bayley all encouraged him to eat whatever he liked. Roman and Dean took turns talking to ease the awkwardness of it all, fielding questions and keeping the conversation going. 

“Well, we’ve all missed you a lot, but I received  _ this _ after the swim lessons wrapped up.” Sami grinned, pulling a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and handing it over. Roman passed the piece of printer paper to Seth and he opened it, his eyes widening at a child’s drawing of a stick figure with a fish body. The doodle had a bunch of lines scribbled across the bottom portion, evidently some sort of bandage or dressing and the eyes on the person looked sad, crying animatedly.

**GET BETER SOON MISTER SETH**

**LOVE HOLLY**

“A real likeness,” Dean laughed, pointing to the yellow crayon marks that were obviously supposed to be his blonde patch. “That’s goin’ on the fridge.”

“Oh wow.” Seth smiled sadly, looking to Roman. “How… has she been?”

“Sasha actually stepped in to teach her, she doesn’t like me,” Roman admitted, pointing to Sasha, who waved in acceptance. “She was… pretty broken up about it. She didn’t want to do the first day-”

“She’s doing okay now, we bribe her with stickers,” Sasha explained. “But she asks about you! We’re trying to assure her that she can still have her mermaid birthday even if you're not there.”

“Ugh.” Seth’s eyebrows creased, feeling terrible. Luckily, the food came out rather quickly and the attention of the table focused in on the meal. Seth tried not to think as he moved the hot pad of his fajita plate and loaded meat and vegetables onto a tortilla. Roman and Dean obviously didn’t want to tell him about Holly or anything else he was missing at work, but he felt like the odd one out as the group talked about log rolling classes and some new hires that Hunter was trying to employ before the park would reopen. 

Stuffed with chips, meat and some fried ice cream, Seth felt like a death row inmate about to take his final walk. His friends took a long time hugging and reassuring him, explaining that they would be happy to see him as soon as he felt well enough to be accepting company.

“I’ll help with your physical therapy, it is really no problem.” Cesaro nodded, putting his sweatshirt back on. “I want to be more knowledgeable about those sorts of things for my practice, so it works out great.”

“As soon as you can stand up again, we’ll go to a show or something,” Sami promised, saluting him. 

Dean and Roman helped Seth to his feet and they paid the bill, heading home just as the last bit of sunlight started to die out. Propped up on the back seat and leaning against the door, Seth heaved a huge sigh, anxious and fearful, but too full of food to really follow a single thought to it’s logical conclusion.

“You wanna sleep with us tonight?” Roman asked, looking in the rearview mirror for a moment as he drove down the main road, turning on his lights. Seth peered up, unsure.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep really…” he mumbled, rubbing his face. “I’m trying not to think about it all but it’s tripping me up.”

“That’s fine,” Roman said lightly. “We can cuddle or read or just watch TV.”

However, a bath was first as Seth’s instructions regarding his operation strongly advised thoroughly cleaning the area to be operated on. Roman plopped him in the tub with some lavender extract soap that thoroughly confused Dean, and Seth sat, slowly scrubbing himself with a loofa, wondering how he would be able to clean himself when he wasn’t able to stand or soak a surgical incision. His hair hung in wet strands around his face, dripping slowly onto his chest and making him shiver.

He knew he was being stupid, knew that the operation would be a success and his boyfriends would do everything possible to keep him comfortable. Seth wasn’t even that squeamish about blood or needles, he was just needlessly scared.

“Uce is setting up the couch bed so you can just chill,” Dean explained, cracking the door and poking his head through. “You about good?”

“Yeah... “ Seth sat up a little, clutching the edges of the tub and hoisting himself up on his left leg. Dean gave him a hand, steadying him to step onto the bathroom rug and leaning over to pat him dry with a towel. 

“You still got a couple more hours if ya’ wanna snack on somethin’,” Dean said, patting his behind. “Anythin’ sound good?”

“I’ll just… lay down…” Seth said quietly. “I’ll be fine.”

There was a marathon of  _ Vikings _ going for most of the night and Seth alternated between fluttering his eyes open to watch the screen for a while and trying to nap. He was spread out on the pull-out bed, wearing a pair of shorts and a bathrobe. Roman sat in the armchair, clicking away on his laptop while Dean was knitting on the opposite side of the bed. The slight clicking of Dean’s needles, usually obnoxious, was somewhat calming and Seth’s anxious thoughts subsided enough to give him some time to rest. 

Around midnight, Seth woke with a start to Dean standing over him. All the lights were off and he sat up quickly, confused. In the faint sliver of light, Seth could just make out a cup being extended to him in the darkness.

“Rome’ wanted… thought you should have a cup of water.... before you can’t.”

Seth took the cup and gulped it down, realizing the nap had made him rather thirsty. Dean refreshed his glass and Seth plopped back down, jittering awake from the cold beverage. 

“Is Rome’ asleep?” Seth asked blearily, rubbing his eyes and trying to make Dean out clearly as he returned.

“Mmm? No, we’re just layin’ around. He’s lookin’ at stuff on his computer.”

“What stuff?” 

“School stuff I think, like… looking for college classes or something.” 

“Mmm…”

Dean sat on the edge of the bed and Seth curled in next to him, feeling his leg throbbing strangely at the angle. There wasn’t really much to do or say- Seth could hear Dean breathing close by in the darkness and feel the heat coming off his body. The frame creaked and Seth reached out blindly, trying to find something to hold.

“What you doin’?” Dean asked.

“Where’s your arm?” Seth said, grabbing onto something that felt almost right.

Dean moved under Seth’s hand. “That’s my side,” he said.

Seth said, “Oh.”

Dean put his hand up to Seth’s face, tickling his beard. Seth grunted, grabbing his wrist and nearly poking himself in the eye. He didn’t know what he was doing, but now that he was waking up, Seth was realizing that he probably only had a few more hours to sleep before they’d be heading to the hospital. A chill ran down his spine and he held onto Dean’s fingers, rubbing the knuckle.

Dean sat over him, watching with half lidded, tired eyes. He tenderly rubbed Seth’s hand with his thumb.

“Have you ever had surgery before?” Seth asked, nuzzling his head into his pillow to make it more comfortable, keeping one eye on Dean’s outline. 

“Nah, not really,” he sniffed. “Not like this.”

Seth relaxed his palm and Dean continued to knead at his hand, tickling. “You’re gonna be okay,” Dean said.

“I  _ know _ ,” Seth sighed. “It’s dumb.”

“What are you scared of?”

“Nothin’, I don’t even know.” Seth shook his head. “Just… it’s surgery.”

“We’ll be there.” Dean hummed lightly, tracing up his arm to find his head and his loose bun flopping back on the pillow. “We’ll make sure you’re okay.”

“I  _ know _ ,” Seth repeated, yawning,.“Just… just wanna get it done and get it over with… hopefully nothin’ goes wrong.”

“What’s gunna go wrong?” Dean teased, sliding to the other side of the pull out bed and spooning him quickly, pressing his scraggly beard against Seth’s neck and making his skin tingle. “Nothin’s gunna go wrong…”

“I _ know _ nothin’s gonna go wrong,” Seth mumbled stupidly, feeling another yawn coming on. Dean’s hands held his forearms and Seth scooted back, trying to close the distance as much as possible. “I like when you hold me…”

“I like holdin’ you too.”

“I remember...” Seth scratched his nose. “The last time we were on here…”

It was ages ago now, the first time Seth had been at Roman’s house. The night of the park party where they’d all gotten wasted and fucked for the first time. Seth had been so scared, stinking of pool water and full of pizza. Dean had had his nipples in his mouth… 

“Yeah that was fun,” Dean sighed, pressing a soft kiss against his neck. Seth breathed hard, feeling his dick, some long forgotten object, vibrate against his thigh. It was a strange feeling, conflicted as he was still so overwhelmed with worry. Seth was sure he wouldn’t be able to come properly, but the instinct was still there, feeling and smelling Dean all around him.

“I miss sex,” Seth whined, angrily pressing on his knee. Dean grabbed his hand and pushed it to his chest, grunting. "I wanna… do stuff… but everything's too stressful…"

"Too stressed for  _ sex _ ?" Dean laughed. Seth grumbled and Dean cooed, scratching his scalp. "You poor dear."

"'M serious! I probably can't even get hard!" Seth whined, rolling his hips back and forth. "It's horrible."

Dean sighed, sinking down to kneel on the floor, leaning his body weight over the bed and humming as he pulled Seth closer. Confused, Seth turned, reaching out for Dean in the darkness and making a surprised sound as warm fingers found his sides and began to tease his shorts down. 

"You don't have-"

"I feel confident… in my skills…" 

"I'm not gunna come…"

"Just relax."

Dean pulled Seth's briefs down his thighs and he shivered slightly at the cold, his dick laying soft on his leg. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to get his cock messed with, it was just that Seth was afraid of disappointing his boyfriend and making things more awkward than they already were. 

"Maybe… I just miss tastin' you," Dean mouthed, bearing down on Seth's lips and prying his mouth open carefully. "Maybe _ I  _ want it."

It was very tender, so tender Seth wanted to giggle, not particularly used to Dean treating him like a wounded baby bird. Their beards barely brushed one another and Seth relaxed, closing his eyes and exhaling softly as he felt a hand wrap around his sleepy dick, minding the sensitive skin and barely squeezing. It took a few moments, but Seth stopped being self conscious as Dean kissed him hypnotically, and slowly, as though by magic, his cock began to peek out, thickening up with excitement. 

"Don't stress it," Dean sighed against his teeth, swallowing before edging down. "Just enjoy yourself."

Seth hummed and lay flat on his back, allowing Dean to work his dick into his mouth, wetting up his shaft and kissing, not unlike how he'd just made out with Seth. Finally allowing himself to relax, and painfully aware he hadn't jerked off or come in many days, he was able to give way. Dean drew little circles on his thighs with his fingertips, drooling in his lap as Seth shivered and actually yelped, shooting off into Dean's mouth with enough intensity to cramp his stomach.

"Glad you're having fun," Roman said with mock annoyance, striding down the hall and into the living room with a small towel. "Suppose you gotta get it out..."

* * *

When dawn came and broke through the window in Roman's room, Seth turned to avoid it, facing the opposite wall and moving out from under Dean's arm. Everything was very still and quiet, the slight wind and the birds outside seemed far off, tertiary to the warmth inside. Dean and Roman snoozed softly, but Seth lay with his eyes open, watching the leaks of light spread across the floor.

He felt like he was watching his body from afar, comfortably numb to whatever was going to happen that day. In less than an hour, they'd be getting up and driving downtown to the hospital. Roman had put Seth's mother's number in his phone to call her after Seth got out, and Dean had graciously helped him gather his Sola Care information and his grandfather's contact information for whatever paperwork they'd need to fill out. They were as ready as they could be.

Crispy crowed loudly from the backyard and all three men jumped, groaning and sighing as the chicken clucked and screeched close to their window, probably resting in a tree.

"I'll get it," Seth mumbled, easing himself out the bed and hobbling toward the door. Both Dean and Roman stood up immediately, but Seth waved them off, holding the wall to make his way to the sliding back door. "I want the fresh air..."

Crispy didn't stop crowing until Seth had made his way to her tree and surveyed her, squinting against the sunshine. The golden bird was inflated and puffed up, clucking anxiously as she hopped to the ground and began pacing the backyard. 

"Stoppit," Seth said stupidly, waving his arms and making Crispy burst into a feathery mess, running faster to her coop. She ran into the little house and rested on her roost, letting out a low angry noise the entire time. 

Seth sat at the glass table, pulling his robe close to his chest and wishing he could drink some water or juice. A few clouds dotted the sky but the breeze felt luxurious on his face. He closed his eyes, breathing evenly, finding some sort of peace in toying with Dean's cigarette butts in the little ceramic ashtray.

Eventually, Roman grabbed the parking instructions from Seth's information packet and they stockpiled the living room with blankets. Sitting and watching his boyfriends gather all the stray cold packs in the house, Seth was again assured he was going to be alright.

"Not too hungry?" Roman asked, kissing him on the forehead. Seth just shrugged, realizing he was being weird and quiet again.

"I'm good."

The ride to the hospital was mostly silent and he watched the highway pass by with a sort of anxious appreciation. Dean tried listening to the morning radio, but everything was barbarically loud and awful, so he turned it off.

The Orlando Orthopedic Surgery Center connected to the general hospital was easy to find and Roman pulled up to the parking robot for a ticket, pushing the paper into his wallet as they pulled forward to find a spot. Seth insisted that he didn't want a wheelchair, intent on walking for as long as he could, so Roman and Dean moved slowly to the elevator, giving Seth the time to crutch around as he pleased.

"Checking in?" a male receptionist asked, smiling up at the three men from behind a desk. Seth nodded and promptly signed his name on an electronic document. 

Immune to the stares of strangers, Roman put an arm around him the moment they sat down in the lobby and Seth graciously accepted it, heaving a huge sigh and breathing in his boyfriend's armpit. Dean kept eyeing signs for the gift shop, which apparently was just a short walk down the northern hallway. Nurses and patients were all walking around the carpeted floor, but most looked like they were visiting family. 

"Rollins?" a nurse asked, and Seth's blood ran cold. But apparently, he was just due to sit in a different waiting room. 

"Wouldn't it be funny if you like, just got shuffled around the hospital for five hours and then nothing ever happened?" Dean chuckled, sitting down in a smaller waiting room next to his boyfriends. A computer screen mounted to the wall was constantly updating with codes and times. Occasionally, the people sitting in the chairs would look up at the display, checking the information. 

"Ha ha," Seth muttered sarcastically. 

"We can stay with you as long as you want," Roman offered, squeezing his hand. "It's up to you." 

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm sure the hospital doesn't have much better to do anyway..."

"Rollins?" A nurse poked her head in through the main door. Seth's heart raced again and he nodded, rising to his feet. Instinctively, Dean and Roman followed, looking a little like a protective gang. 

"We'll just get you started down here-" she said sweetly, examining her clipboard as she moved to allow Seth to amble inside. It looked like an ER bed, with a very complicated set up of screens and monitors lining the side railing. Seth eased himself up to sit and Roman and Dean made themselves comfortable in the two visitor's chairs. 

"Full name and date of birth?"

"Seth Rollins, May 28th, 1988."

A hospital band was fitted on his wrist and a gown and socks were pulled from a sterile plastic bag. 

"Go ahead and get changed, we're on schedule for you," the nurse instructed, smiling awkwardly to Roman and Dean. "Just make sure you put all of your belongings in this bag here so you have them when you're all finished."

Seth nodded quickly, slightly nauseous. The nurse left and Dean hopped up to give Seth a hand with his clothes. 

"You don't think I can keep my underwear?" Seth asked tentatively, pulling his shirt over his chest and tossing it in the bag. "My man's gonna freeze…."

"Nope," Roman said sadly. "You're not gonna feel it though, if that's any consolation…"

"What are you… what are you guys gonna do while I'm…" Seth asked, his throat a little thick and dry with the words  _ being operated on _ .

"Hospital's  _ definitely _ have soft serve machines in their cafeterias," Dean explained, grinning. "After that, I dunno."

"Gettin' work done." Roman shrugged. "My laptop's in the car. I'll get a coffee probably and then meet you wherever you end up."

"What work are you doing?" Seth asked quickly, trying to keep his mind off of his knee and the surgery. He wasn't feeling much pain but the whole environment was uncomfortable. Dean tied his gown shut with a little bow knot at the back of his neck.

"School things, I'm trying to see if I can't start a summer semester somewhere, but I need to track down all my transcripts from Georgia Tech." Roman rolled his eyes, smoothing some stray hair behind his ears. "Boring stuff."

"Do you know what you wanna do yet?" Seth asked, wiggling his toes. Roman smiled, blushing slightly.

"I think… at this point… I wanna try going to UCF and studying chiropractic medicine…" 

"Really?" Seth's face brightened. "That's awesome!"

"Thanks." Roman's face reddened further. "I dunno yet though! It all depends on if I can get in. I'm trying to see if I can't get an acceptance before my mom comes down."

"That would be so cool," Seth said. "You could crack our backs…"

"That's what Dean said-" Roman laughed. Dean grinned from his seat, tapping Roman's thigh.

"Rollins?"

Another nurse came in, this time with a cart and another assisting specialist. Seth nodded fast, turning a little pale. 

"Name and date of birth?"

"Seth Rollins… May 28th 1988…"

"Excellent, we're just going to go ahead and get you prepped." The nurses brought the cart into the room and began working as a team, one quickly assembling a saline bag while the other pulled Seth's gown up over his thighs and began to shave his right knee. Seth's legs twitched, cold and tickled by the razor. 

"Was… Dr. Bloom going to see me?" Seth asked carefully, shifting to give the nurse better access to the inside of his leg. 

"He's in the OR right now, so you'll meet him there," the specialist explained. "We're going to need to pull your hair back-"

Seth tugged his hair into a high bun at the top of his head and frowned slightly when one of the nurses tugged a blue cap around his hairline. A needle was removed from its packaging and Roman grunted, immediately turning to face the wall. Dean snickered.

An IV was fitted into his hand and Seth licked his lips, smiling back at the nurses nervously. 

"Just a few more minutes here while we get everything finished for you," one of them explained, sticking the saline bag to his bed before they both left.

Roman looked over again and sighed, watching Seth fiddle with the medical tape on his hand, now effectively tied to his bed. Dean's leg began to jiggle.

"Thanks… for the millionth time," Seth managed, heaving a huge sigh and rubbing his face. "Hopefully this can all… go okay and I can get back to normal and we can forget all of this shit happened."

Dean and Roman laughed and Seth smirked, pushing his hair cap back some. He wasn't sure if there was anything in the IV that was putting drugs into his arm, but he began to relax some. His shoulders drooped and he sort of wanted to lay back in the bed and get comfortable. 

"We love ya," Roman asserted. "Whatever happens, we'll make sure you're as comfortable as you can be. My mom is going to baby the _ shit  _ out of you when she comes to town, believe that." 

"Yeah, here." Dean pulled out his phone and pointed the camera at Seth. Awkwardly, Seth gave a thumbs up with his IV hand, looking sheepish. "For the moms."

" _ Please _ don't film me if I'm all weird later," Seth pleaded. "I don't want… I don't want anyone to see-"

"Ooooh… but I  _ so _ want to…" Dean laughed, squinting and biting his lip. "Fuckkkk-"

"We won't," Roman chuckled, elbowing Dean. "As soon as you're out of surgery I'll just give your mom a call."

"Rollins?"

The same nurse poked her head in again and Seth shivered. 

"Seth Rollins… May… 28th 1988," he recited, certain he was about to be prompted. An assistant propped the doors wide and Roman and Dean stood, sure that it was time. 

"We're all ready now, so your friends here are going to go and wait for you, okay?" the nurse said, nodding to his boyfriends. Without thinking, both Roman and Dean were on him, nearly bumping heads.

"We love you a bunch, it's okay," Roman said, kissing him up his neck to his ear. "We'll see you soon."

"Love ya," Dean sighed. "Love ya love ya love ya."

"Love you too. Thank you," Seth sniffed, head turning as the nurses were at his bedside and slowly easing the surface flat. They had strange expressions on their faces from the display of affection, but didn't acknowledge it. 

"Just go ahead and lie down-"

The last he saw of his boyfriends, they were grabbing Seth's clothes bag and stuffing it into the appropriate bedside container the assistants were showing them. He lay down, turning to see the thick arms of the nurses wheeling him to the door and hear them talking with each other to communicate their turns. With no incline, all Seth could see above him was the ceiling tile slowly passing by. In the hallway, doctors were being paged and nurses were walking by at a sedate pace. Tilting his head to his chest, Seth saw the longest hallway he thought he'd ever seen in a hospital and his heart began to pound hard. 

This was it, this was happening. He was going to be fixed. 

Pushed through several sets of doors and into a new room, Seth was overwhelmed by the light and the voices of several people, all talking and moving around him, unseen. It was disorienting to only be able to look up, but the sheer array of instruments and machines that were being wheeled to his side were rather intimidating. A nurse looked over him, grabbing over his chest and moving something before she met his eyes and smiled behind her surgical mask. 

"Can you tell me your name and your date of birth for me?"

"Seth Rollins, May 28th, 1988." His voice wavered but he swallowed, trying to appear cool and unaffected. Another face popped into his peripheral vision and Seth recognized the voice.

"Hey champ, you excited?" Dr. Bloom asked. "We've got your MRI's here, this should be a really straightforward morning."

"Okay," Seth said quietly, not really sure how he was supposed to reply. More and more people were surrounding him and just as he was wondering if he was supposed to be falling asleep yet, a doctor was at his head with a mask that was blowing air from a mouth piece. 

"Okay Mr. Rollins, you're just going to take a few breaths from here okay? I'm going to have you count for me in a moment here."

"Mnkay-" Seth mumbled, relieved as the mask was being fitted over his face. The anesthetist smoothed his beard flat, trying to get a solid seal and Seth licked his lips, forgetting he was supposed to inhale.

"Big breath, yep-"

In an instant, Seth's whole body unclenched and he felt as though his face and his body, everything was unravelling like a string from a sweater. Reflexively he laughed and breathed again, his vision spotting and blurring. It was an insane feeling, and rather than getting very tired or sleepy, it became abundantly clear in his mind that nothing really mattered and he could shut his eyes or leave them open, it was all the same.

He didn't count and he didn't hear another word, perplexed, perhaps even slightly offended that Seth couldn't recall being asked to do so. It was stupid, all of it, all the worrying he had done about something as ridiculous as a knee when he couldn't even feel his knees, or his hands, or anything at all. 

His body was gone, and then, just as he was done laughing about it, his mind broke apart, fragmenting from sentences to words, to sounds and noises, and then, nothing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sponsored by reader donations! Thanks for the gratuity, your tips make bi-weekly updates happen! I feel like PBS... haha. 
> 
> We also broke 20k hits a little while ago. I appreciate it as always. Reviews, kudos, whatever you can give this. Next time, Seth wakes up! Is his knee repaired? Is everything the way it seems? Will Dean film him when he's anesthetized regardless of how he feels?
> 
> <3


	96. Wobbly Woozy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth wakes up. Did the surgery go as planned? Prescription Painkillers may not be as fun as initially described.

An airy whirring pervaded through the darkness and occasionally some noises grew closer, shifting across a surface before receding back, wherever that was. There was no singular focus and the absence of any light made the sounds shift strangely, unable to be pinned to an area or a purpose. A louder noise, like a beeping, was heard with an unintelligible mess of syllables, confusing and slow.

"Dookkkterrrr Reissses tohe oooh rrrrrerrrr….."

From below a creeping bite gnawed, some unwelcome awareness that spread slowly, giving feeling and sensation to areas that weren't yet known. It was heat at first, but then a twinge, a burning bite breaking over his leg.

Leg, he had a leg. He was a he and he was a  _ legged _ he and he was laying down. A rising whine was creeping out of his throat and suddenly he was able to connect the two.  _ Pain _ , there was pain and it hurt. Something touched his face and a whirring stopped, ripping him away. He moaned louder in response.

"Yooou dnnnt ndded tanymr-"

_ What the fuck is tht supposed t'mean _ he thought, his face folding inwards angrily. The pain wouldn't stop and he was readily becoming aware of all of his limbs, as though the feeling was radiating into his other joints. 

"Timme't wakeupp-"

He moaned louder and fanned his hip, as though trying to shake the pain away, but it only intensified. Before he could try again, there was pressure on his thigh and a voice struck through the darkness and fog, loud and clear.

"Are you feeling pain Mr. Rollins?"

"Mmyahhh-" he croaked, wincing when the effort made his throat hurt. His voice was very low and gravelly, not at all usual. With some effort, he swallowed, sure that the problem would be fixed. A few moments passed and suddenly the pain vanished, falling through the floor and flooding him with a cool numbness once more. 

Seth sighed, his head rolling back, peaceful. Everything felt so nice and calm; he couldn't really feel a temperature, but he would have guessed he was warm and well covered, firmly wrapped and ready for another nap. If there were sheets, Seth would have liked to wrap them around himself, but his hands were still very heavy and tangled.

"We gotta wake up now," the voice prodded, annoyingly clear and chipper. "Can you open your eyes Mr. Rollins?"

Seth whined, screwing them shut tighter.  _ Why couldn't he just be left alone? _

And then, another hand reached out and touched his, just teasing the surface, trying to rouse his attention. 

"Can you hear babe? It's time to get goin'."

"Roooooomannnnnn," he sang, head whipping to the side of the bed, hearing some excitable noise like laughter.

"It's  _ Dean _ ."

He hummed, not particularly sure what it meant. He'd forgotten all about his boyfriends until just now. Forgot about everything really.  _ What was he doing again? _

"Babe, you gotta open your eyes though, can you sit up?" 

More serious this time, firm.

Seth's eyelids fluttered and the world revolved in light and color, overwhelming. He shut them tight again, unable to sit his head up properly, but not before seeing Roman and Dean at his bedside. Both of them had been grinning, holding his hand and clearly trying not to laugh at how stupid he looked.

"Don' laugh at me," Seth grunted, trying to flutter his eyes open again and give them a stern look. However, his eyelids didn't seem to be working in tandem and every time he tried, the room shifted uncomfortably fast.

"We're not laughin' at you, we're just glad you're okay," someone said, rubbing his hand. "They said everything went really good."

"Of courseit did," Seth said drunkenly. "I'm fine. I knew…. I knew it was gonna be… okay…"

"Of course babe."

Seth was positive they were both teasing him, probably laughing about him behind his back and he frowned, eyes still closed as he sat up, head swaying. 

"I'm gonna wallkoutaa here..."

Things were becoming clearer and more focused, but at the same time, everything was more confusing and disorienting. Seth tried to keep his eyes open, hearing Roman and Dean talking amongst each other, but it was all too much to understand so he closed his eyes again. Shutting everything out was wonderful and his brain hummed as he sank back into his bed, trying to snooze. But as soon as he began to slump, hands roused him, trying to keep him present, making him whine. This happened several times before a nurse returned to his bedside.

"Hello Mr. Rollins, we're just going to take out your IV and get your clothes on-"

"Nooo," Seth moaned, eyes blinking, unfocused. Roman and Dean stood up, moving away as a few more nurses came, holding his hand to quickly disentangle him and work his shorts over the thick surgical dressing.

"There we go."

"Yup, here-"

"Can you raise your arms for us? Good job!"

It was a flurry of movement and Seth screwed his eyes shut tight, unable to process it all. Like a puppet, his limbs were mangled into his old clothes and the IV was removed from his hand. His skin was yellowed and blotchy, probably from the anesthetic working its way through his system. Seth groaned, falling back down again, face going slack.

"Is that normal?" Roman asked from his side. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine…"

"Seth, how're you feeling?"

The booming voice of Dr. Bloom cascaded over him and Seth opened an eye, squinting to the man above his bed. 

"Just wanted to catch you before you left, the operation was a big success," he continued, clearly not anticipating a response. Dr. Bloom turned to Roman and Dean, nodding quickly. "Everything was fine, the reconstruction was a success so there should be a full recovery if all the physical therapy goes well. You did a great job Seth." 

Seth didn't respond, unable to really understand what was being said. Instead, he tried to focus on the papers that were being handed to Roman from Dr. Bloom's hands. 

"We'll be seeing you again then for your post-op in February and then we can get you moving again."

"Thank you," Roman said, nodding to the doctor. "He'll be well taken care of."

Leaving the hospital was a blur and Seth was beginning to get upset with how difficult it was to process anything. All he wanted to do was lay down and sleep, but anytime he closed his eyes, it seemed that he was being asked a question or jostled in some other direction. Getting to the car took ages and Seth hung limp in his wheelchair, gliding down a long hallway before he heard Roman and Dean talking to each other.

"The hospital pharmacy was on the east wing, we were just at the north."

"I thought the north was the heart center..."

"No, it's right next to it, where do we need to go? Can you ask?"

"No, it's fine, we just… Let’s walk this way…."

Seth shifted in his seat, perking his head up when he felt a cold breeze on his left leg. They were in the parking lot and Dean was sitting in the back seat, holding out his hands.

"Okay babe, we're gonna haul you in, okay?"

"Mmh?"

Seth grit his teeth as he felt pain, he tried lamely to not move or flex his leg as Roman helped pull him from his seat to sit him inside the car. He laid into Dean, smelling the familiar musky scent and then the backseat of the Jeep as the car started and pulled out from the garage.

It wasn't until Seth got home that he felt an iota of relief from the surgery going successfully. Everything was overwhelming, too quick and colorful to really be understood, but it was beginning to sink in that he'd had the operation and it had all gone according to plan. His head and his stomach were starting to feel uncomfortable, and closing his eyes was now difficult as his sense of balance was entirely disrupted, but he at least knew, somehow, it was all worth it. 

The pull out couch was open and waiting in the living room and Seth sank down onto it the moment he was inside. The familiarity was a huge relief and he nearly fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillows, mumbling incoherently. Roman elevated his knee and pressed cold packs to the huge dressing while Dean poured a glass of water from the sink. 

"You get Hydrocodone,  _ sweet _ ," Dean remarked, pulling out two tablets from one bottle and some ibuprofen from the other. Seth barely heard him, but bit his lip at the sight of the pills.

"You still have an hour or so," Roman said, rubbing his arm. "Why don't you take a little nap?"

"What time issit?" Seth asked quietly, looking to the window and the shadows cast across the room. 

"Almost six."

"I haven' eaten 'n a day," Seth mumbled, eyes flickering. Before he could make out a response, he passed out, fading fast. 

"You gotta take your pill," Roman asserted some time later, rousing him again. Seth wasn't sure if he’d slept for five minutes or another hour, but he obliged, half sitting up and trying to drink from the water glass. He felt a little more clear headed, but still nauseous and groggy.

"Why’s my throat scratchy?" Seth asked, coughing a little as he just barely managed to swallow the drugs. He massaged his neck, pressing against the skin.

"You had a tube in there to make sure you were breathing I think," Roman explained, taking the glass and easing him back down. "Does it hurt?"

"Na…"

The evening was a dreamy haze and Seth quickly learned not to worry much about his body or potential pain, as he was likely to forget anything in about ninety seconds anyway. Dean obliged to lay with him, providing a chest to nuzzle as he snored and drooled, mouth gaping like an infant. Every twenty minutes or so, he snapped awake from a deep sleep, smacking his lips and squinting. Nothing really made sense and his vision was wobbling a lot, but all he could do to combat it was fall asleep or get distracted. 

They tried watching TV for a while, but Seth screwed up his face and moaned from the noise, distressed by all the stimulus. The light and color gave him a headache and Dean rubbed his shoulder, trying to keep him calm. 

"Music?" Roman suggested, putting on his iPod and playing some mellow hip hop. Seth muttered something about his distaste for R&B and Dean smirked, watching Roman roll his eyes and turn off his bluetooth. Kevin hopped on the bed and lay between Seth's legs, rolling into a furry ball and passing out as spectacularly as his owner.

Around 8:30, Seth woke and struggled to fall back asleep, feeling Dean's hand rubbing his head carefully. He tried sitting up and drinking water, but just the slight shift in elevation was difficult. His head throbbed and his vision blurred, trying to adjust.

"Mmm?" Dean hummed, opening his own eyes and looking up. Seth rubbed his face, sighing. "Uce, what time did he need to take more pills?"

"Not for a bit." Roman walked in from the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel. Seth could faintly smell food, but couldn't imagine trying to eat anything. "Soup's almost done cookin'."

"Chicken noodle?" Dean offered, nudging Seth. "You'n drink it through a straw if you want."

"No." Seth shook his head, immediately regretting the action as his stomach turned. His whole body felt so weak and strange. Dean rubbed his side tenderly. 

"I was gonna call your mom in a bit too," Roman explained, "She wanted to hear your voice when you were a little more awake."

"I'll... give a shout out," Seth mumbled. "I just… I don't wanna move."

Roman regarded him carefully for a moment, actually going to the kitchen again and checking through the packet of papers from the hospital. After some shuffling around, he came to the bedside with his phone and a can of pop for Dean. Seth relaxed, slightly off put by the faint scent of Coca-Cola, but feeling much more stable laying in the crook of his lover's arm.

Roman's cell phone began to dial and he held it to the air on speaker phone. After just a single ring, Seth could hear his mother's voice loud and crisp.

"Hello!"

"Hey Holly," Roman began, "We're doin' good over here, we've been home for a little bit and Seth's still pretty tired, but he wanted to say hi."

"Hi," Seth mumbled stupidly. Holly laughed.

"Hey kiddo, you feelin' okay?"

"Yeah m' good,” he said, clearing his throat a little as his voice was still raspy. "I guess everythin' was good. I'm on… pills…"

"Well so long as nothin' hurts that's good," Holly said sweetly. "I was a little worried… just 'cause I wasn't there and all, but I'm glad your… boyfriends are picking up the slack for me."

"Absolutely," Dean grunted, ruffling Seth's hair. "An' I'll be with 'im tomorrow so… we can get you my number or whatever. Really, you can just call Seth's phone too… We'll have it pretty well handled."

"Okay, that sounds good. I wanted to just ask you boys if we couldn't get some dinner when I come in and we can meet each other properly for the first time. I was planning on just staying at Seth's apartment, but I don't really know where on Google Maps-"

"Seth lives kinda in Edgewood," Roman explained, going into a confusing explanation of the general neighborhoods of Orlando. Seth was sure Holly didn't understand, but she made affirmative noises, listening carefully. "...My house is kind of close. It's in Oakridge."

"Okay, well, I'll call you a little closer to the time and we can figure out what's going on. I don't really have the money to rent a car, but, Seth, if you're okay with it…"

"Yeah'a you can drive the Caddy," Seth mumbled. 

"That sounds great!" Holly chimed. "Okay, well, I love you son, give me a call if you need anything. Or if any of you boys need anything. I'm putting my phone by my bed while I sleep now, so I'll answer quickly..."

"Love you too mum," Seth muttered. Dean and Roman also said their goodbyes. As soon as the phone was out of sight, Seth tunneled back into Dean, giving off a low moan and sagging.

"You sure you're okay?" Roman asked, tapping his left foot to rouse his attention. "Do you wanna lay down in the bedroom?"

"N'no I'm good," Seth said into Dean's hip. "I'm all… everything is dizzy..."

Respecting Seth's wishes to not be relocated, Dean rested his own bowl of chicken noodle soup high on his chest, spooning the broth into his mouth and trying not to jostle his boyfriend. Seth just lay, breathing heavy and trying to sleep, numb to his whole body. Roman sat in the armchair to be sociable, eating from his own bowl and clearly fighting his instinct to smother Seth with questions and suggestions.

"Soups good," Dean noted, setting his half finished bowl on the opposite side of the bed and stroking Seth's shoulder. "You want a couple bites?"

Seth just shook his head, tunneling deeper.

"Little chicken?" Dean offered. "Protein?"

"M not hungry," Seth muttered. Roman frowned and Dean shrugged, picking his bowl back up to finish his own meal. 

At ten, they roused him again to take more medication and Seth winced at the light, swaying slightly as he sat up, hanging his head. By all accounts, he looked miserable. Dean kissed his forehead as he tried to drink the water and swallow the large pills, coughing hard and gagging on the ibuprofen.

"Here babe, four crackers," Roman said firmly, putting them in Seth's hand. "You gotta get something in ya."

Weakly, Seth allowed the saltines to be pressed into his hand. The only other time he could remember feeling so weak and shaky was when he'd had the stomach flu years back. He supposed it was just the effects of the anesthesia working its way out of his system, but it was pretty disconcerting. Seth put a cracker in his mouth and chewed with his eyes closed, barely tasting the meager snack.

Rather than trying to carry him across the house, Roman set up some pillows and blankets to let Seth sleep on the couch, refreshing his cold packs while Dean took a shower. From his bed, Seth screwed up his face, looking across the room to focus on the display on the blu ray player, grounding himself in his surroundings. Closing his eyes completely threw him for a loop, making him feel like he was going to puke up his crackers.

"We're going to wake you up around two and give you more meds, okay?" Roman explained softly, bending down to kiss him on the cheek. "You're a trooper. I wish I could be here for you tomorrow."

"Mmm," Seth whined, trying to make his weak hand form a fist around Roman's palm. "M'okay."

"Do you want me to camp out with you? I don't want to bump you… but…" 

Seth blinked slowly, looking up at his anxious boyfriend and cracking a little grin. There was no way Roman was going to sleep if he tried to lay down next to Seth and observe him all night. It wasn't logical.

"M'okay," Seth repeated, tapping his lover's hand. "I'll holler'if I needa."

Sleep didn't come easy, but when he finally lost consciousness, Seth slept hard. All the lights in the living room were turned off and Roman and Dean had settled into the bedroom with a phone alarm to wake them to dispense more painkillers. Some four hours later, Dean gave Seth his next dose of medication and stroked his hair some more. 

Come morning, Seth was completely out of it. The sun rose and the living room was dark and quiet, but he had tilted his head off the side of the couch, head swimming hard. He had just enough instinct to aim himself away from the bed if he was going to puke, but now his balance was even more disrupted, sagging off the frame. All night, he'd swam in and out of alertness, unsure of the time and exhausted. When Roman came down the hallway at around 6:30, buttoning his work polo, he swore and ran to his side.

"Babe, sweetheart, are you okay???" he asked loudly, trying to move him back onto the frame. Immediately, Seth whined from being jarred around.

"Dizzy," he repeated again, unable to elaborate beyond single words. The medication had dulled any sense of urgency or articulate thought he could muster and if it wasn't for Roman's woeful expression, Seth wouldn't have thought anything was wrong.

"I think he's having a bad reaction…" he heard Roman suggest.

"To the anesthetic?” Dean asked, appearing at his side from the bathroom. “That would've been right away, you think?"

Seth's eyelids flickered open and shut, feeling hands on his forehead. Though empty, his stomach was churning dangerously, his vision sharpening and blurring.

"I think it's the medication,” Roman said. “He should be eating when he takes it, but it's probably the Hydrocodone."

Dean shook his head. "Man, we're just all awful with our substances, aren't we?"

"'M puke," Seth warned, feeling his throat kicking up desperately. Roman dashed to the kitchen for a garbage can, swearing loudly as Dean worked to turn him over. Seth gagged, coughing around a bit of bile and spit on the surface to the bed, moaning miserably while Kevin barked from the floor, running around the house. 

Too little too late, Roman returned with a plastic bag, as Dean rubbed Seth's back. His gaze flickering to the clock on the wall, then to Roman. 

"Uh… I'll… I'll figure this out," Dean said, a little unsure as Seth dryly hacked again, trembling fiercely. "We can… I'll give him the meds one more time and if he can't keep them down… I'll… call you…"

"I can just  _ stay _ ," Roman said quickly. "Or… you could… go in for me…"

"You're already dressed, nah," Dean laughed, tugging at his pajama shirt. "I can do this Uce, you go, he's not gonna _ die _ on us."

Seth's eyes burned and his throat wouldn't stop jumping. He didn't have any moisture in his body to hurl but his eyes still leaked with tears from the effort of coughing. 

"Do you want to go to urgent care?" Roman asked, bending down to Seth and smoothing back his hair. "Babe, do you feel better now?"

"I dunno…" Seth said truthfully, pushing himself away from the small droplet of spit he'd left on the bed surface, trying to breathe evenly. He was still a little dizzy, but mostly he was just fatigued from the whole ordeal. His arms and legs trembled, weak and limp.

"It was… probably just his body like, rejecting everything," Dean reasoned, shrugging to Roman. "Look man, just go to work, I can drive him to the hospital if I gotta."

"You're  _ sure _ ?" Roman asked, dead serious, staring at him and looking at Seth protectively. "I don't wanna leave and then just-"

"Roman, I swear to  _ god  _ I'm capable," Dean said sharply, tapping his pointer finger right up to Roman's chin. "I'll fuckin' call you if I need to, but I'll feed him some and see if that helps and we'll see where we're at.  _ Trust me _ ."

Seth peeked his head up, rubbing at his eyes and nodding to Roman carefully. 

"I'm 'kay."

"Call me," Roman repeated, sighing deeply and going to the door to grab his bag. Not bothering to wait around and grab breakfast or a coffee, he gave Seth a hug and nodded to Dean before leaving the house in a huff, peeling out of the driveway quickly.

"Drama queen," Dean sighed, sitting down next to Seth on the bed. "Man, if we just had some sprite and a big blunt of weed, you'd be fine."

Seth laughed breathlessly, allowing Dean to squeeze his hand and attempt to tie his hair into a sturdier bun. The sun was rising higher in the sky and the house was beginning to warm. They had nothing really to do all day except sit around and wait out pain and boredom. 

"Leg hurtin' at all?" Dean asked, lightly resting his hand on the thick dressing. Seth shook his head, accepting an allowance of crackers and more medication. "How you feel now?"

"Everything is weird, I don't like it," he whined kneading his face with weak hands. His hospital bracelet was still on his wrist, and the band aid from the IV looked more healthy and tan than his current skin color. His head was pounding hard. "I think it's the medicine…"

"Well…" Dean patted the bed, frustration creeping into his voice. "You could try  _ not  _ taking it too, see what happens..." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's alive! Kind of. I'm sure for some of you guys, this is probably an intimidating amount of updates to keep track of, but I'm only updating on Fridays whenever I get substantial donations for this fic. Nearly 100 chapters in! Oh boy! I kind of want to do a goofy filler chapter from someone else's perspective. Is that a dumb idea? Who should it be? I feel like Crispy is definitely a contender, she's due for a big character arc.
> 
> Review if you're so inclined, it makes me feel less like I'm just sitting in a corner mumbling my ideas to no-one. Much love to Kenjideath my beta reader <3


	97. My Boyfriend, The Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean problem solves with Seth's condition. Does Seth need to go back to the hospital?

Because Seth had never sustained a substantial injury before, he’d never taken a painkiller that was stronger than 800 mg of Ibuprofen. All through the lead up to the surgery, Dean had joked that he was going to have ‘a lot of fun’ being prescribed opiates, and Seth had just frowned at the idea. He’d never liked taking pills and the thought of having to take them just stressed him out more. 

Laying on the pull out couch and groaning into the sheets, Seth could safely say Hydrocodone was awful and he was in no great hurry to take another dose. After Roman had left, Dean decided to test the medication and gave Seth a half of a pill, cutting the pill with a knife and giving him a piece of toast to eat with it. Now, about an hour and a half later, the room had only stopped spinning slightly, but the pain in Seth’s knee had kicked up a notch, making him more uncomfortable.

“This sucks,” Dean said simply, tossing his phone to the side of the couch as Roman texted him for the fifth time. “It would help if you ate more… but if you’re feelin’ awful…”

“I can’t,” Seth said weakly, just focusing on his breathing. His cognitive awareness was returning a little, only making him more present in his crappy situation. “Feel like… I wanna hurl again…”

Dean sighed, putting a hand on Seth’s abdomen and rubbing lightly. It was clear that the last thing they wanted to do was take a trip to a doctor, but Seth also knew that he didn’t want to feel any worse. Acute pain in his knee might be a better tradeoff than feeling sick to his stomach, but just turning from his side was incredibly difficult. With multiple incisions across his joint, his thigh would shake from the pain, making him breathe sharply until he was settled.

It was all a far cry from the relief he thought he’d feel. The idea of returning to work in a matter of days was laughable. Seth felt like an idiot, thinking the surgery was just going to be some magical event, with the pain contained to a single day. 

“Do you… want me to call your mom?” Dean offered tentatively, holding up his phone. “I dunno if she would have any ideas...”

“No…” Seth muttered. “...She would just… feel bad… it’s fine. I dunno if there’s really anythin’ to do here… I’m just gonna suffer…”

“Well you  _ shouldn’t _ .” Dean sniffed. “This is supposed to be the fun part where you don’t feel nothin’ and everything’s all tingly and shit!”

“That’s  _ not _ fun,” Seth said blankly. “Maybe to  _ you _ it is… but not me...”

There was a faint tapping noise coming from the kitchen area and Dean frowned, looking up. Kevin was standing by the patio door and Crispy was on the other side, cocking her head curiously and pecking the glass. Dean grunted, patting his leg to call Kevin off.

“I’m gonna look in Roman’s meds and see if I can’t find anythin’,” he explained, standing up and walking away from the bed. “There’s gotta be something…”

Seth sincerely doubted it, but he continued to lay flat. His head was pounding and he was sure that he was probably dehydrated, but even sitting up to take a sip off of a luke-warm cup of water was a trial. The lights peeking through the window silhouetted the bushes outside that were rustling softly in the wind. The shadows moved constantly and Seth just moaned, pushing a pillow over his eyes so he couldn’t see the visual display.

Dean’s phone continued to buzz, even as Dean himself was shifting around, looking at pill bottles in the kitchen before making his way to check the bathroom. Bored and curious, Seth groped around blindly at his side, pulling the phone into his pillow sanctuary and squinting at the bright screen. It was worse to stare at than the cast shadows, but Seth didn’t care. He wasn't sure of Dean’s password and had his own moral boundary for trying to break into his lover’s phone, but reading from the notification screen was enough to make him roll his eyes.

**Seth has to eat if hes going t take his meds, if u need to order something, go ahead n do it. Grubhub has Chipotle, it might be to much food, but he at least likes that**

**Pls call me at noon if he’s puking again he has to go in**

**I might be able to leave early**

There were two other messages, but Seth couldn’t see them. He flung the phone back to the general area where Dean had left it, a little flattered, but mostly annoyed by Roman’s worrying. Seth was sick enough without any focused, constant anxiety surrounding him. If he was still feeling dizzy the next day, spending a whole nine hours with Roman might suck. 

It was then that Seth heard a loud “ _ OH SHIT!” _ and Dean came barreling back into the room, running to his phone and startling Kevin enough to make him bark. Seth’s head throbbed and he stared, disgruntled, as Dean scrolled through his contacts with a huge grin on his face.

“What?” Seth asked, sure that there was no great catastrophe. Dean just smiled, patting Seth on his good foot. 

“I got this,” he explained. “I figured it out.”

Dean took the call outside and Seth sat waiting for an explanation. The pain and nausea kept steady and he picked at the thick dressing, wondering when he could take it off and try to clean the area. His whole body was still so weak, his hands shook anytime he tried to close his fingers, and his head hurt too much to focus his eyes for very long. By the time Dean returned, Seth was laying on his stomach, trying to nap again for lack of anything better to do.

“Whatssit?” Seth asked, annoyed as Dean came back to his bedside, checking on him. 

“Don’t worry about it...” he assured him. “...Getting you some  _ alternative _ medicine.”

At about ten thirty, Seth was due to take more meds and he was dreading the prospect of trying to swallow pills. The experiment of taking half a dose had sort of worked- Seth hadn’t puked again, but his head and knee were beginning to hurt a lot more. Light was hard to handle, and moving was dreadful. A whole day of more pain and discomfort lay ahead of him, and Seth felt like crying, even though he was physically unable to produce tears.

However, Dean seemed bubbly, almost excited as he took Kevin for a walk around the block and ate some tortilla chips, pacing around the kitchen with his phone in hand. Feeling slightly more conscious and spurred on by how obnoxious the sound of footsteps was to his aching brain, Seth sat up, face set in frustration.

“What’re you waiting for?” he demanded, voice shaking and raspy. “Can you stop that?”

“Oh, sorry,” Dean said. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I can’t even sleep... I feel like  _ shit _ ,” he began, ready to complain to anything or anyone. It was just then, though, that the front doorbell rang, and Seth squinted, having never actually heard the noise before. Dean clapped, striding to the front and eagerly receiving the new guest. If it wasn’t for his boyfriend’s joyous expression, Seth would have been sure it was just a random solicitor, door knocking early on a weekday, trying to sell something.

“Hey hey,” Randy’s voice was heard and Seth turned sharply, completely confused as the man from White Water came in, looking around awkwardly. “Hard time?”

“Yeah, we need the pharmacy,” Dean said, his lip curling as he looked to Seth, slightly nervous. “He’s uh, he can’t really take the Hydro the doc gave him-”

“You have  _ Hydrocodone _ ?” Randy looked to Seth, eyes glimmering as he eyed the surgical dressing with a strange excitement. “I could flip that in ten minutes if you wanted it...”

“Not… lookin’ to trade,” Dean explained. “Just… just buy.”

Seth watched with utter confusion as Randy set his bag down on the coffee table and pulled out a bunch of small white bottles that looked like they contained pills or supplements of some sort. Trying to listen and form a response was too difficult, so he simply sat in a daze as the two men compared bottles and Dean asked questions. 

“Just, for pain,” he kept reiterating. “Medical grade pain stuff.”

Randy only shrugged and set aside a few containers. He was already wearing his work polo, looking as casual and carefree as he did at White Water. It occurred to Seth suddenly what he’d meant about ‘flipping the Hydro’ and he shook his head stupidly, suspicious of what was going on. As far as pain management went, Seth didn’t think there was anything much stronger than what he had, unless Dean was buying him pure Morphine….

“Cool, that’s fine.” Randy nodded, taking some bills from Dean and standing up again. “Pleasure doing business… If you want to sell me those pills, let me know man…”

“Yeah, uh, sure,” Dean said. “Thanks a lot dude.”

Randy left out the front before Seth could summon his energy to throw a tantrum. He had no real idea what had just transpired, but Dean’s lack of explanation throughout the ordeal was insulting. 

“I’m _ not _ taking drugs,” Seth said staunchly. “I don’t wanna do that.”

“You’re  _ already _ taking drugs,” Dean argued, opening one of the pill bottles, drawing out a small pink object and walking to the couch. “This will be a lot better.”

“I don’t want it, what is it?” 

Dean opened his hand and Seth frowned at what looked like a piece of candy, complete with a sugar coated exterior. If he had to guess, Seth would have said it was a gummy treat from the gas station. 

“Medical grade edibles,” Dean said proudly. “Randy told me he got them, knows some guy that goes to Denver a lot and does wholesale shipments of these. I bought a bunch of the ones for pain.”

“But how do you know it’s safe?” Seth snapped, staring at Dean incredulously, caught off guard by the revelation that one of his bosses at work peddled drugs. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“Look man, your shit from the hospital doesn’t work,” Dean huffed. “I trust Randy and he’s taken them himself, just for  _ recreation  _ obviously, the dude doesn’t have pain problems… but this shit is safer than what the doc gave you. It’s not gonna make you puke, it’s probably not as  _ strong _ , but if you don’t like it I’ll fuckin’ take ‘em, I don’t give a shit.”

“ _ You _ probably just wanted them.” Seth sniffed, feeling crabby as his headache intensified. Really, he knew he was running out of options that didn’t involve going to a doctor. “When I smoked weed that one time, it didn’t… take away any pain…”

“This is made in a lab by science people,” Dean said firmly. “This is the only thing I could get ya and unless you have any better ideas, I’d  _ try _ it. You already feel like shit, what are you going to lose?”

Seth’s forehead wrinkled. Dean was right. Everything about this sucked. Really, he knew there was some science to using marijuana and even though he’d never considered it an option for himself, Seth knew it was stupid to be close minded about something that was manufactured as a medicine. Begrudgingly, he opened his hand and Dean handed him the little gummy, also offering the cup of water in case he wanted it. 

“If this doesn’t work, you just wasted a bunch of money,” Seth said chewing on the candy and willing his stomach to not become even more upset.

“And if it works-” Dean chuckled. “You’re never going to hear the end of it.”

* * *

When Roman arrived home in the late afternoon, the house was serene and calm, vastly different from the tense energy that he’d left that morning. The television was playing Jeopardy softly and Dean was making toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a late afternoon snack. Kevin was laying belly-up in a sunbeam and Seth smiled at Roman as he came through the door, sitting upright and responsive as his lover's head whipped in his general direction.

“You feeling better?” Roman asked, eyes brightening as Seth waved lazily. “I was so worried!”

“We’re kickin’ it,” Dean explained, standing in the entryway shirtless with a huge plate of sandwiches. Roman sighed, shooting Dean an exasperated glance and snatching a piece from the stack. 

“You need to answer my texts with more than just  **_K_ ** and  **_sounds good_ ** ,” he said, grabbing Dean’s hair and giving it a tiny tug. “I was givin' myself an ulcer all day trying to figure out what was going on.”

“I told ya I got it.” Dean smirked. “Look at him! He’s great!”

The television squeaked as one of the Jeopardy contestants activated a daily double and Seth let out a soft  _ wooooo _ , drinking from a large cup of water and giggling a little when some of it slopped down into his beard. Roman stared, starting to grow suspicious. 

“Did you get him to eat?” he asked quietly, walking into the living room and looking between Seth and the television. Dean began chewing a sandwich, wiping jelly off his bottom lip. 

“Okay, ‘tho- don’th be mad ath me-” He swallowed, walking across the room and offering Seth a piece. Seth’s eyes widened and he eagerly accepted one, bringing it to his lips and looking to Roman with a sort of uncomplicated delight. “But I spent like… eighty bucks on some of those weed gummies from Randy’s stash and we’re both like… blazed as  _ fuck  _ right now…”

Roman’s mouth hung open, looking to Seth in an instant, connecting the dots. Seth nodded, licking his lips carefully. Instinctively, Dean drew closer to him, preparing for some sort of argument to erupt.

“See, that’s what I thought  _ too _ -” Seth grinned, looking at Roman’s purpling expression. “But now, I’m not sick!”

“Look how  _ not  _ sick he is!” Dean exclaimed. Roman grit his teeth as Seth grinned into his sandwich, getting crumbs all over his front. “Look man, we coulda took him in and they could’a billed us for a bunch of BS and given him some crappy other pill that probably would’a had some other side effect. But we didn’t have to do that!”

“Okay, but why are  _ you _ high?” Roman asked angrily. “You’re supposed to be taking care of him! What if he needed to go in and you had to drive him??” 

“Okay buttttt-” Dean said, pointing his finger in the air. “I waited, okay? I only took  _ half  _ and I was like,  _ take this and see what happens _ and he took it and like, an hour and a half later he was starting to perk up, so I  _ rewarded _ my genius-”

“You’re the worst.” Roman sighed, rubbing his face. “Seth, sweetheart, are you  _ really  _ feeling good?”

“Yeah,” Seth said softly, blinking a few times and nodding. “I still feel a’lil’ dizzy, but way less… I think that’ll go away once all the pills are out of my system… plus my knee still hurts some if I move it…” He looked to Roman, as seriously as he could with bloodshot, dopey eyes. “I can eat now and… I can think… kind of... “ He smiled. “Everything’s better...”

“Uce, I have  _ so _ many of these-” Dean pointed. “You can take one too! We can all like, lay down and feel good and chill!”

“Are you going to be good for work tomorrow?” Roman asked crossly, picking up the bottle and examining the label with mild disgust. “This is ridiculous.”

“I’ll be 100%, no sweat.” Dean sighed. “Look man, you can be mad if you want, but it just seems like a waste of time is all ‘m sayin’.”

The final Jeopardy music played and Roman snapped his fingers, trying to keep his boyfriend’s attention on the conversation as hand. 

“Tell me… when you’re going to do shit like this, ‘cause it’s important, yeah?” Roman said firmly. “We just talked about this!”

“Okay, but admit you would have  _ not _ been about it and you would have been super mad if I told you and you like, told me no and I did it anyway,” Dean countered, pointing.

“Okay… but…” Roman paused, watching Seth lick peanut butter off his hand, looking blissful. “It’s still… it’s still not cool man…”

“Maybe... you gotta trust me a little though?” Dean tried, grinning mischievously. “Admit it’s a little bit genius, yeah?” 

“We….” Roman’s eyes narrowed and Seth giggled. He was clearly caught between what he thought was best and how entirely content Seth looked, quiet and fond, as pain-free as possible. Dean’s glee looked downright sacrilegious. 

“We… are not telling my mom about this,” Roman amended, grabbing another sandwich and making for the door to take off his shoes. Dean sagged, relieved, and Seth hummed, drinking off his water again. 

As soon as Roman was done looking at the two of them as though they'd gotten away with murder, he seemed to lighten, relieved that Seth wasn't suffering unnecessarily. Dean went to take Kevin outside and Roman checked on Seth's cold packs, making sure his knee was being elevated properly. Seth pulled a face slightly as his leg was moved, but mostly he just hummed, not particularly troubled or upset.

"So… this is better?" Roman asked, holding up one of the bottles containing the edibles, looking to Seth seriously. "Dean didn't  _ force feed _ you this, did he?"

Seth blinked, looking up at Roman curiously. His head was buzzing and every noise he heard was slightly disconnected from his surroundings. The television was overly bright and Seth felt his skin tingling strangely, but for the most part, he was feeling alright. 

"Yeah," he said softly, "I didn't want to at first… but I was so sick…" He swallowed, his throat felt very dry. "I don't like pills."

"So long as you're comfortable babe," Roman said, kissing him on the forehead. "Did you want anything? More water?"

"I needa pee," Seth laughed, looking at his perfectly propped leg. "Sorry… I should have told you earlier... "

Roman half carried him to the bathroom and Seth grimaced, entirely unaccustomed to the raw soreness beneath the gauze and the Ace wrap. Carefully, he was placed onto the toilet, and Roman immediately went to help him with his shorts, making Seth laugh again.

"I can do it," he murmured, easing his shorts just far enough down his thighs to allow himself to piss. Roman ruffled his hair.

"You're all giggly, you're making me want to take some too…"

"You can'f you want." Seth shrugged. "I'm really fine… I don't need to go to the hospital…"

Dean was about the smuggest that Seth had ever seen him, watching Roman imbibe in an edible gummy as well. The three sat on the pull out couch, flipping through the channels and snacking on a variety of foods. Kevin had snuggled between Dean and Roman, and Seth had a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's in his lap, hypnotically drawing the spoon to his mouth and staring at the television. 

"Don't act like I've never smoked weed before," Roman complained, rolling his eyes as he chewed the gummy. Dean wiggled his eyebrows at him. "You forget I went to college."

"Admit I'm right though!" Dean insisted. "I. Am. A. Great. Boyfriend."

"You're a great boyfriend," Roman said flatly. "I just… I didn't appreciate not knowing what was going on. You just assumed I would freak out."

"Okay, but you  _ woulda _ ," Dean said. "All I'm sayin' is, I can handle myself fine."

"I never thought you couldn't." Roman stole a chip from Dean's bag, looking to him seriously. "I just… you know how I am."

"Well, it's all over now..." Seth cut in, leaning on Roman's side and looking up to his face pleadingly. "You got your turn tomorrow."

"I do, you're right," Roman agreed. "I'm… I'm sorry if I sound whiny here..."

Eventually Roman's edible kicked in and Seth's began to wear off. A twinge started to creep through his joint, and he frowned slightly, biting his lip as the living room began to appear less rose colored and his stomach started to feel overfull of food. Roman was now laying beside him, his face was a little droopy and tired, while Dean picked at his fingernails, apparently bored with sitting around.

"I might… need more…" Seth said after a half hour of slowly coming down off his painkiller. He squinted from the sensation warming up his leg. "...Is it okay to take another one?"

"Yeah, want two?" Dean laughed grabbing the container and popping out another pink gummy. "Uce looks like he got a good one..."

"I'm gonna pass out." Roman yawned. "Fuck, I always get so  _ tired _ ." 

Becoming more aware of his knee and feeling his back throbbing from laying down for so long, Seth shifted, testing his ability to turn and readjust. Roman purred deeply, allowing him a moment of separation before snuggling against him again. Seth’s body didn't feel nearly as weak as it had before, but he was unable to express the restlessness that was growing in his limbs. Roman's heat and presence were slightly suffocating, but the worst feeling was the stiff bed frame under the thin mattress pad.

"Maybe... " Seth sighed, rubbing his eyes and breathing deeply. "Maybe I could go to the other bed for tonight…"

"You wanna sleep?" Roman asked, pulling his head out of his neck. Seth smirked at how physically affected his boyfriend looked, face red and slack.

"I guess…" Seth shrugged. "Seems like i's all I do… Not like I actually get any rest…"

"Tomorrow will be better," Roman said softly, rooting back into Seth's ear. "We'll get your brace on… do stuff…"

Dean came to sit on the bed, turning the TV off and scratching Kevin behind his ears. The dog panted happily, sitting at the foot of the frame.

"Whadda think?" he asked, pushing his hair back and looking from Roman to Seth with amusement. "Party over?"

Roman's bed was obviously the most comfy, but the men were in mutual agreement that it was probably best Seth had his own space, lest someone might accidentally kick him in their sleep. Roman usually kept to himself, snoring on his back, but he  _ had _ accidentally rolled onto Seth once before. Dean was an unrepentant thrasher and blanket stealer, so the two eased Seth into the guest bedroom and propped him up in the usual fashion. Temporarily lacking a body to cuddle, Roman leaned into Dean as they said their goodnights. 

"I'll leave the door open," Dean said to Seth, patting Roman's thigh to give him a moment. Seth nodded, eyes half winking as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Yell if you're sick," Roman urged him. "We'll help."

"I feel good," Seth muttered, nodding. "Thanks though."

Kevin shuffled up onto the bed next to him and Seth sighed, wondering when his edible might kick in and possibly offer him some quality rest. His mind was dulled and quiet, and he couldn't help feeling stupid and strange, relying on his boyfriends so heavily.

Dean had definitely come through for him in his own weird way, and Seth began to relax as he scratched Kevin's ears, glad at least that his bed was slightly more comfortable. He hoped tomorrow would be better, but at least he hadn't spent the day at another doctor's office or feeling unrelenting nausea.

"I wanna apologize," he heard Roman say lowly in the other room. Seth's eyes were half open, watching the cracked door where the light from the adjacent bedroom was pouring in. There was some rustling around and the distinct noise of the closet being shut, so their words were difficult to hear.

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry if I'm like… acting super stressed out…" Roman continued. There was the soft  _ fwump  _ of him plopping down on the mattress. "I'm actually pretty good, I just… If Seth was gonna get really sick I didn' wan' him overthinkin' it and like, freaking out again."

"Yeah, no... I get it," Dean mumbled. Seth could picture him sliding out of his sweatpants, probably just dropping them on the floor where he stood. "I know."

Seth swallowed, feeling a pang of guilt. However, nobody seemed upset or annoyed. Roman's voice was honeyed and soft from being high and Dean’s was as low and gravelly as ever, but neither one bore any ill will.

"I love you," Roman said, his voice growing fainter as though he was pressed against a surface. "'M really… proud of you and I know I can trust you…"

"You're sweet." Dean laughed awkwardly. Seth could hear them kissing and felt slightly jealous. It took a moment for the fact to register that he'd spent almost all day being held and kissed and pampered by both of them, and he slowly cooled. For all the work they were putting into helping Seth, Dean and Roman needed some time where they weren't caretaking him if they were going to stay sane.  

"I'm high or whatever." Roman snorted. "But like… You're amazing and I don't know what we'd do without you…"

"Worry yourselves to pieces?" Dean laughed, the bed creaking as he flopped onto the bed with his boyfriend. Seth could imagine his face burning, probably embarrassed from all the kind words. "I mean, it's not like ya put us both up in your house and make us amazing food constantly."

"Yeah but…" Roman said something Seth couldn't make out and they both chuckled, sheets and blankets rustling as the two men got comfortable. The light died and the house was now pitch black and mostly quiet. Seth's eyes fluttered, still not particularly tired.

"I feel like I'm figurin' this out..." Dean said some time later, somehow heard clearer through the darkness. "I dunno how good at it I am… but so long as you guys will put up with me…"

"I love you a lot," Roman said firmly. "Seth does too, we don't  _ put up _ with you, fuck, you think we're any better at this stuff?"

"You guys got more  _ experience _ ," Dean explained. "But… It's like I said… I'm figurin' it out..."

"We need you," Roman assured him. "I wouldn't want you anywhere else…"

"God, you're high." Dean chuckled. Seth smiled in the darkness, but he felt his heart growing warm from all the love. He obviously agreed with everything and was happy Roman wasn't trying to scold Dean or demand that he be more communicative with his actions. As loopy and dull as he felt, Seth just wanted everyone to get along and be understanding. 

"I love… you guys-" Seth called across the hall, immediately feeling stupid as his voice echoed strangely off the walls. There was a tense silence before Dean and Roman’s laughter echoed down the hall. 

"Love you too babe-" Dean called down the hall, with Roman’s “Love you,” trailing behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was laughing with Kenjideath my beta about how this chapter reads like pro-weed propaganda. I mean, I guess that's how it is, but they're not all turning into stoners if you were at all worried.
> 
> I am now graduated from college! I'm all done with school forever! (Fuck grad school, no way man) It looks like I'll be keeping busy, but I'm open for commissions and things so don't hesitate to ask. Chapter 100 I'll publish the index for this work, plus some sort of special bonus chapter <3
> 
> Review if you can, thanks much.


	98. Everything All At Once

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth doesn't really like taking painkillers of any variety but Roman's got cures for cabin fever.

Waking up in the morning, it was difficult to say if Seth really felt any better, since he was usually in so much pain it was difficult to articulate. Similarly to a cold, the early hours of the day were always a miserable adjustment period. On Wednesday, Seth began to wake, still bleary from taking the edible the night before, but very conscious of his leg throbbing under the gauze and bandages. It wasn’t as tender, but he gasped audibly when he turned, gritting his teeth and breathing sharp. 

"You wanna take two for real?" Dean asked before he left, frowning as Seth fought back pained moans from moving to the bathroom. Roman was making breakfast and Dean held out his hand for Seth to stand, allowing him to grasp feebly at his wrist.

"Not really," Seth panted. "Fuck…"

However, Seth was nearly crying as he sat down at the table to eat breakfast. The edibles took much longer to take effect than the prescription painkillers, but Roman was as patient as ever, plopping him down on the sofa and pausing the meal until he felt a little relief. Dean wished them goodbye and Seth graciously accepted two gummies, breathing hard and cursing as Roman covered his leg in ice packs. 

"I could bring you a waffle," Roman offered, smoothing Seth’s hair back and fussing with his overlong sideburns. Seth just shook his head, licking his lips. Nothing was particularly appetizing and he could hardly focus on anything other than his body. 

That was at least until an hour and a half later, when a comfortable numbness eroded away at the pain he was feeling. Seth blinked hard, watching as the commercial playing on the TV seemed a lot louder than usual, arresting his interest. He wasn't particularly fond of the weird side effects of getting high, and he was starting to feel self conscious with how slow and dumb he probably sounded. But even in his slowed state of processing things, he was sure it was better than feeling the pain or taking the Hydrocodone. Now that his appetite was back, Roman brought him a waffle with some strawberries and Seth dug in eagerly, unable to pay much mind to the SportsCenter Super Bowl predictions. 

Close to the end of his meal, a smile flickered across Roman's face and he leaned over from his spot on the couch, pushing a length of Seth's hair off the sticky breakfast plate he was hunched over. Seth laughed for a moment, but a feeling of strained dread began to fill him and he quickly set the plate down, staring at the wall. He didn't want to panic, but his mind began to race, imagining what other embarrassing things his boyfriends were being witness to while he was so out of it. His whole body felt like it was burning up and his eyes widened as he realized Roman was trying to get his attention.

"Did you want to shower soon?" he repeated, slower and louder than before. Seth's mouth twitched and he stared at his knee. "You feeling okay?"

"I don't… want to look stupid…" Seth said, already regretting how dumb he sounded. Roman raised an eyebrow, coming closer.

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry," Seth apologized reflexively, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know..."

"Babe, it's okay, just chill." Roman smiled, rubbing his hand carefully and talking quietly. "It's just the medicine... Let's go shower and stuff, you'll feel better."

He was right of course, but Seth was sure that he was babbling incoherently, giving voice to his anxieties as he allowed Roman to guide him to the bathroom. He quieted when he was finally rested in the tub and Roman's hands carefully wound a sheet of plastic around his thick surgical wrapping. The dressing was starting to itch around his thighs, but Seth recalled that Roman had said that they wouldn't be able to take it off until his first post-op appointment. Unable to soak the bandage, Roman pulled down the adjustable shower head and handed it to Seth as he slowly turned the water on. 

"Is that nice?" Roman asked, his hands fiddled with the tap, trying to get the right temperature.

"I think," Seth mumbled. It was difficult to tell because his senses were so affected. He knew he liked hot showers, but at the moment, he felt so warm he knew he needed something colder. 

After some time where Roman allowed him to fiddle with the temperature of the shower head, Seth began to relax, the gnawing paranoia dissipating into a sort of empty blankness. The television had probably overstimulated him, as the resounding quiet of the bathroom seemed to assuage his paranoid thoughts. With some product and soap, he felt a lot less greasy and oily, and his hair smelled nice and clean. Roman splashed the shower head over a soapy sud he had missed and Seth sighed, closing his eyes and leaning against the tub. 

He felt so strange and useless, he had no idea what day of the week it was anymore. Seth was wondering if his body was simply going into some sort of hibernation until he was healthy again. 

"Nap?" Roman offered, grabbing a towel and sitting at the side of the tub. "Probably would be more comfy in bed…"

"Am I just gonna sleep for a month?" Seth asked sadly, pushing his hair back away from his face. "I'm sorry for complainin'."

"You can complain," Roman said, offering him a smile, "but I'll bet these next few days, you'll start feeling a lot better."

"I feel like I'm  _ dying _ ," Seth said, sure that he was sounding like a dramatic idiot. Even he knew that he was feeling substantially better than when he'd come home, but the lack of structure and engagement in his life had been present since he was initially injured. What did he have to do that wasn't eating, sleeping, and huffing and puffing to get to the bathroom?

"You're doing everything you need to do," Roman assured him, ignoring his sensationalism and rubbing his shin carefully. "This whole thing just sucks is all. But you got your post-op appointment coming up… we got  _ Valentine's Day _ ." He emphasized the holiday was a sugary sweetness in his voice that Seth couldn't help smiling at. "Plus your mom will be here tomorrow! You'll be going home!"

The mood changed and Seth nodded darkly, a disquieting feeling filling him as he allowed himself to be assisted out of the tub. He knew he was supposed to be pleased, excited even that he would be back in his own space. But there wasn't anything at the apartment he particularly needed. All of his things that were important were now at the house on Grant Street and his mother would soon be witness to the complete disbursement and dishevelment that was his life.

Caught in a quiet panic, Seth tried to push aside the thoughts as Roman carefully helped towel him off and locked the brace around his leg. Seth knew the edibles were exaggerating his mental state and he couldn't articulate his thoughts without admitting he was overreacting.

"I was looking in the garage," Roman began, trying to fill the silence with something. "I was lookin' for the adjustable shower head and I found my big camping hammock. It's a lil' muggy out, but if you wanted, we could go down to Lake Eola and you could relax outside…"

"Maybe," Seth muttered, swallowing hard against his dry throat. "What would you do?" 

"Probably jog around the path or something." Roman shrugged. "Doesn't matter." 

As indecisive and anxious as he was, it was still easily the best day he'd had since leaving the hospital. The house was boring and borderline depressing, and as soon as Roman had packed up a bag with a few snacks and tucked Kevin into his harness, Seth actually felt enthusiastic to crutch down the walkway to the car, despite the discomfort. It was a little humid outside and Roman had stripped down to a thin tank top and some cargo shorts, blasting the air conditioning as soon as they got in the car.

"It should be a lot cooler by the lake," Roman thought out loud, smiling to Seth in the rearview mirror. "How's the leg?"

"M'okay," Seth said quietly, lazily watching the block roll by in his window. "Two gummies is… a lot."

"Yeah, it's not fun to get too high," Roman agreed. "Worst is over though, yeah?"

Seth nodded hypnotically, his skin tingling from being back in the sun. He knew he needed to leave the house, that much was sure, but going out in public and being around other people was daunting. The injury and subsequent depression had turned him into a hermit, and being under the influence made him timid to be seen around town. Seth had to remind himself that what he was doing was perfectly fine and in no way socially unacceptable. 

"If you're feeling weird, it's okay," Roman assured him, drumming his hands on the steering wheel. "Just let me know, we'll do whatever you want."

"Okay... thank you," Seth said softly, examining the nylon bag with the hammock inside. Kevin licked his elbow and Seth jerked, tickled from the sensation.

Parking was a breeze on a Wednesday afternoon and Roman helped untangle Seth from the back and set him on his crutches to walk across the street. On the immediate path, there were a few trees on a very slight hill in the shade by the water and Roman looked around, surveying the area. Seth became fixated on a pair of ducks that were floating around the shoreline, trying not to make eye contact with any of the joggers passing by.

"This good?" Roman asked, pushing on a tree to check its stability. "I think anywhere else and we'd have to walk for a bit."

"It's fine," Seth murmured, easing himself down to lean against the tree as Roman pulled out the hammock. Kevin snorted, picking at something on the ground until Seth leaned over and yanked a piece of plastic from his mouth. After checking to see if the hammock was properly secured, they tied Kevin's lead to the tree and Roman helped plop Seth down into the cozy yellow cloth. 

"Ah! And it doesn't raise your leg too high! Yessir!" Roman grinned, tossing a cold pack over his knee brace. "How do you feel?"

"Like… a banana," Seth said stupidly, pressing one hand to the cloth and holding his other hand up to mimic the bowed shape of the hammock. "Cause… it's yellow… and…"

"Yeah no, i get it," Roman chuckled, leaning down over the hammock and pressing a kiss to Seth's forehead. "I'll come bug you in an hour or so, I dunno how long it'll take me to run around this lake, but I got my phone-" Roman tapped his jogger's band around his arm. "Love ya."

Seth nodded, hearing his boyfriend trod away on the grass and Kevin's lead jingling to follow him for a few steps. The trees rustled overhead and Seth blinked, watching the leaves dance above his head. Everything smelled fresh and he was a lot more comfortable than he had been, laying in bed with his back flat. Suspended by the thick trunks, it was easy to let his eyelids flutter shut, his brain buzzing peacefully.

* * *

Dean skipped out on his library visit for the evening to help clean the house and assist Roman in gathering the majority of Seth's things. They'd all arrived home around the same time and after his nap, Seth was more awake and alert. He'd slept off most of his gummy medication and was a little antsy and aware of the pain he was feeling in his leg. The rest had been very relaxing and Roman seemed to enjoy the jog around the water, driving home a little sweaty and more tan than usual. Dean had had a relatively normal day at work, but was elated to share with them the news he'd heard about his former landlord being brought to court for a long list of illegal activities.

"They're in the paper in everything, I hope they get sued to  _ hell _ ." Dean beamed, tossing one of the local papers White Water distributed from their lobby onto the kitchen table. "Maybe I can get in on it and get some cash!"

"Don't count on it." Roman snorted, examining the headline. "That's nice though."

Seth was sitting across the kitchen island with his leg propped on a stool. He was drinking a glass of water and staring at the various pill bottles on the countertop trying to make a decision. After taking his ibuprofen as scheduled, he was wondering if it wouldn't be smart to start weening himself off of the edibles before his mother arrived. 

"You have a good lake nap?" Dean asked Seth, running a soft hand up his spine and looking at the pills over his shoulder. "Excited to see your ma?"

"Kinda." Seth shrugged, biting his lip. "I dunno…. obviously wish it was for better reasons."

Dean rubbed his back a little longer before grabbing a drink from the fridge and skirting around Roman while he made dinner. The kitchen smelled like soup and bread and despite the growing pain in his leg, Seth just wanted to sit through dinner with his lover's as lively and awake as he could manage. The papers Dr. Bloom had given to them before they left the hospital were in a haphazard pile under the day's mail, and Seth pulled them closer, holding them to his face so he could read the small type.

He hadn't actually read any of the paperwork yet, too drugged up and sleepy to really look over the instructions when he'd arrived home. Dean continued to prattle on about his old landlord while Seth looked down the discharge sheets, resting his head on his palm. 

Copies of Seth's MRI were stapled to the front and he frowned, looking at the illustrated diagrams of the ligaments shown for comparison. It was all too difficult to understand, Seth had never taken anatomy in high school, but the fraying muscle in the pictures was enough of an indication that he'd really hurt himself. Flipping ahead to the care instructions, he blinked at the bolded sentence.

**YOUR POST-OPERATIVE APPOINTMENT IS SCHEDULED FOR FEBRUARY 7th, 11:00 AM with DR. BLOOM and DR. DELRAY at EOLA SPORTS MEDICINE CLINIC.**

"What day is it?" Seth asked, looking up quickly. Dean stopped talking.

"Wednesday," Roman answered. "The 27th."

Seth sighed, looking back down at his papers without explanation. Roman shifted, turning off the burner and pulling the lid off the pot to examine his stew. It would be a whole eleven days until he could do any real rehab or take off the bandage that was keeping his knee clean. Not that Seth really felt like he could do any work- but he wasn't sure how he would occupy himself for over a week. 

"If you wanted to change out of your clothes, we could wash 'em tonight in a load," Roman said, pulling him from his thoughts and setting a bowl of soup in front of him. "We'll pack your bags too, not like it'll matter if you forget anything…"

Seth just sighed picking up his spoon and biting his lip as his knee began to throb harder. Dean sat down on the end of the table and regarded him carefully.

"What's up?" he asked, leaning over and speaking softly. "Same shit? Hurtin'?"

"Everything, same shit, I dunno." Seth rubbed his eyes, trying to think. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, just tell us," Roman said calmly. "Do you wanna take a gummy?"

"No," Seth grumbled, head in his hand. "I just… I'm all dumb and my mom's going to be here tomorrow…" he began, staring at the marble countertop of the table, feeling his blood pressure raise. "I didn't… I don't want her meeting you guys just 'cause I'm all messed up and this whole thing just makes me look like an idiot."

"Would you rather… we don't meet her?" Roman offered, sitting down, but leaving his food untouched. Dean sat with his cheek resting in his hand, listening.

"No… I dunno…" Seth sighed. "It's already just weird… she's weird… about gay stuff. Not in a bad way, just like, a mom way." 

Dean snorted but Seth shook his head; even though he wasn't feeling the immediate effects of the edibles, he felt like his mind was foggy from using them so much. His head hadn't been normal in ages. 

"Plus… I'm fricken' takin'...  _ weed _ meds." Seth huffed, his voice raising slightly. "I dunno what the hell I'm supposed to do with her! I don't want her to come down! She's just gonna watch me and be sad and I'm just gonna feel like shit 'cause she's here!"

"Well, it seems… like she wants to." Dean shrugged. "She's a mom, so she wants to do mom stuff. She'll just take our place, yeah?"

"Yeah I guess…" Seth fiddled with his spoon. "I dunno. Maybe I'm worried she'll want to see you guys a lot… ask you questions or something…"

"Like what?" Roman grinned. "Like we'll all just embarrass the shit out of you?" Seth blushed and Roman raised an eyebrow, smiling warmly. "What do you want us to tell her?"

"I don't need you to  _ lie _ about anything," Seth said darkly. "The truth is already embarrassing enough…"

"Look, babe, it's totally okay if you don't want us to all be around each other when your mom is here. I sorta told my mom that we'd all eat with her, but if you're not about that idea anymore, we can adjust accordingly. If you just want us to help you pick her up from the airport and ditch, that's  _ fine _ ." Roman put his hand to his chest, talking firmly. "I mean, I think we both would be into meeting your family, but it doesn't have to be now."

Seth looked to his boyfriends, breathing deeply to try to contain the pain in his leg. Neither man looked insulted or upset by Seth's thoughts and slowly his chest came untangled. Dean uncrossed his legs, as cool as ever.

"I just want BBQ sooner than later, so long as that happens I'mma happy camper," he added, winking to Seth. 

"My mom has her own plans for shit anyway," Roman admitted, finally picking up his spoon and taking a bite. "She wants to take me to the dentist and then do  _ float therapy _ , whatever the hell that is…"

"Dude,  _ what  _ is that?" Dean laughed, looking at Roman, who shrugged animatedly. 

"I just said I had no idea..."

"I wonder if AJ does that," Dean thought aloud, scratching his chin.

"I think it's it's own thing, like there's tanks that you float in or something. We couldn't do it at our pool…"

Seth listened to the two go back and forth about what float therapy could possibly be, actively trying not to jar his leg at all. Halfway through the meal, his body was starting to vibrate from the pain and he leaned over the table, reaching for the gummy container and wincing hard. 

"Feelin' it?" Dean asked as Seth tentatively pulled out another gummy, gritting his teeth.

"I don't want to feel all high," Seth whined. "I don't want to be weird around my mom…"

None of the men seemed to have an appropriate response. Roman looked sympathetically to Seth, watching as he regarded the gummy somberly. Dean drank from his drink, stirring up the contents of his soup. Eventually, Seth popped the edible into his mouth, licking his lips strangely from the clash of tastes.

"Well… If we just get your  _ mom _ high-" Dean joked. Seth nearly spit up his water and Roman snorted and all three of them laughed. Kevin came into the kitchen to investigate, his tail wagging expectantly. 

Seth felt better knowing that his boyfriends had little to no expectations regarding Seth's mother and as the night progressed, he surrendered himself to slip into the sleepy malaise of the edibles. Roman repeated the itinerary for the next morning so everyone was sure of the times, and Holly called to confirm everything was in place. 

"I'm still a little… funny from painkillers," Seth explained to Roman's speakerphone, having paranoid delusions of his mother insisting he explain his sleepy demeanor. The three men were camped out on the couch and Dean paused his knitting to listen attentively. 

"That's okay kiddo, I expected as much." Holly's voice crackled over the receiver and Roman rubbed his shoulder. "I thought I could just make you some good food and drive you anywhere you need to go if you needed to get anything done."

"I don't… have any food in my house…" Seth mumbled stupidly.

"Well then we'll go get ya some!" Holly insisted. "I wanna see your sweet little dog too!"

The night ended early as Holly's flight would be coming in around 8:30. The living room was clean again and Seth's things were all packed and ready to go by the door with Kevin's food and toys. After gathering up a few empty cups and placing them by the sink, Roman settled Seth in his bed in the guest room with another cold pack.

"Don't worry about us, yeah?" he instructed, stroking Seth's hair softly. "Family comes first, we're not gonna hassle you." 

"It's fine," Seth sighed, closing his eyes as a kiss was planted on his forehead. "Love you."

"Love you too."

But despite the gummy in his system and the darkness outside, Seth couldn't get comfortable, wincing to turn and trying to lay on his belly after his back began to twinge. Shifting the pillows and the sheets, he moved restlessly for hours, frustrated. 

The brace on his leg was locked to zero degrees, so he couldn't move it an inch, and the mechanisms snagged the sheets and suffocated his limb. Hoisting himself out of bed, Seth desperately tried tugging a sock over his right foot to keep it warm, struggling to see if he couldn't sleep with his leg exposed. Unfortunately, he couldn't manage sleep with a single sock on his foot and Seth groaned, resisting the urge to beat his fists against the mattress.

The house was completely dead except for his own labored footsteps and Kevin's excited shuffling to inspect the guest room. Without much of a plan, he limped to the kitchen to grab a glass of water, staring out to the dark backyard. The stove clock read 1:30 AM and Seth rubbed his eyes, wondering if he shouldn't just take another gummy now so he wouldn't wake up feeling like his leg had been mangled.

He leaned on the kitchen island, flexing his quad and groaning lowly. His hair hung around his face, falling out of his sloppy bun.

_ The moment I can rehab, I'm doing it everyday  _ Seth thought, determined. He tensed his leg harder and the muscle bulged under his shorts, still fairly large and strong.  _ I'll shave off a month of recovery, I fucking hate being this useless.  _

But then, another, slightly snarkier voice piped up, punching a hole in his thought:

_ Wasn't overworking hard like that what put you here in the first place? _

Before he could despair from his thoughts, footsteps were heard down the hall and Seth turned to see Dean walk into the kitchen. He was wearing Roman's bathrobe, looking half awake with tousled hair.

"Hey," Seth mumbled. 

"Jus' hangin' out in the dark?"

"Yup," Seth hummed. "I can' sleep."

Dean went to the water filter and got a cool glass, grunting a little as some splashed on his hand. Seth stood up taller, taking the tension out of his thigh, at a loss for what to say or do. Dean joined him at the kitchen island, the light vanishing from the room as the refrigerator was shut, reducing them to thin outlines cast from moonlight.

"Sorry if I woke you," Seth muttered, rubbing his eyes. "It's hard to be quiet with a shit leg."

"I's fine, I normally wake up to pee around now anyway." Dean yawned. "Wanna watch TV?" 

"Not really." Seth shook his head. He was actually tired and didn't want a lot of light in his face, waking him up. For his last night at the house, he really wished he could just yank off his brace and get some decent sleep before he met his mother.

"It's gonna suck when you're gone," Dean said playfully, tapping Seth's hand with a ballpoint pen that was on the counter. "Uce is gonna  _ pontificate _ nonstop about how okay you are… we're not gonna have ice cream in the house probably... " He stopped, evidently thinking of other possible annoyances. "No dog... "

"Yeah." Seth half smiled. "You'll have to watch football with Uce cause I won't be here."

"Exactly."

The two continued to stand, but Seth began to grow tired, leaning heavily on his left foot. It was stupid, he hadn't even been up for long, but he'd spent so many days on his butt that he wasn't used to the effort. The air lingered with some other conversation that was yet unsaid, and Dean cleared his throat, putting the glass in the sink. 

"Well, it was fun, even when it wasn't," he said. "This month just kinda sucked, yeah?"

"Definitely," Seth concluded. "Garbage."

"You want me to read to you again?" Dean offered, rubbing his forearm. "That book is kinda cool."

"I already finished  _ Fight Club _ ," Seth said. "But… if you liked it… I still have it, it's my own copy. Not the library's."

Dean grabbed the paperback book from Seth's bag by the door and then followed him back to the guest bedroom, pulling the door shut lest their voices might wake Roman as well. Seth settled, laying down on his back while Dean scooted behind him. It was slightly awkward and required a lot of moving and resettling, but eventually Seth laid his head on Dean's stomach and Dean rubbed his scalp sweetly.

"That good?" Dean asked, eyeing Seth's leg which was sprawling under the sheets. Seth just nuzzled closer, mumbling against his front.

"What?" Dean chuckled.

"Your stomach is sloshing around." 

"That's gross."

"It's fine, I don't care." Seth sniffed. "I don't remember where we were."

"Not that far," Dean said lowly, finding a page that looked familiar. "Something about… ass cancers…"

"Oh, lovely." Seth yawned, his eyelids drooping shut as Dean's low rhythmic voice echoed through his ribs and hummed against Seth's ears. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This early update is donation sponsored! I had a lot of work this weekend so I couldn't quite manage a double update, but I figured I'd toss this out early before Monday. 
> 
> Chapter 98. Whoa.


	99. Liquid Visions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth's mother comes to Orlando. What's the worst that can happen?

The next morning Seth was more anxious than sore as Dean and Roman sleepily walked around the house, gathering some last minute things and humming with a continuous mantra of  _ it’s kay babe, it's alright…  _

Taking a gummy and drinking a large cup of coffee did little to ease his nerves, making his feet jitter and his eyes stare at random objects for a strangely long time. Seth bit his nails, sitting in the back seat with Kevin on his lap, watching the road roll by as Dean tried his best to navigate Roman to the second terminal of the Orlando airport. It was a humid, overcast day and there wasn't much sunlight to wake them up properly. The last time Seth had seen his mother, he'd been happy and healthy and eager to share how well he'd been doing. Seth had managed to prove to all his relatives that he was responsible and determined, carving out a new life after such an embarrassing breakup.  

With a wince, he bit his nail a little too deep and his ring finger began to bleed. He immediately stuffed it into his mouth, sucking the blood off his finger until Roman caught his eye in the rearview mirror. Neither man said anything, but Seth blinked and blushed. Roman tilted his head up to give a careful nod.  

The airport wasn't busy and the pull-up lanes were mostly occupied with a handful of tourists trying to cross the street for their theme park hotel shuttles. All three men received identical texts from Holly, stating that she was waiting under an awning by the taxi cab pickup.

"She has blonde hair, right?" Dean asked, squinting and rolling the windows down. Roman nodded, letting the Jeep inch forward at a crawl. Seth blinked and sighed hard, sitting up a little straighter to pull his knee off of the seat so his mother would be able to sit next to him. Just before Seth could ask if anyone had thought to tell his mom what their car looked like, he heard a familiar laugh and Kevin barked. Dean broke into a grin and Roman tooted the horn excitedly as a woman holding a thick winter coat over her shoulders jogged over to them.

"Hello!" she sang. Seth tried to lean over to pop the opposite door open, but Dean had already slid out the front to receive her. Without a second thought, he embraced her and she eagerly accepted. Kevin kept barking excitedly and Seth had to shift him around to stop him from charging the door.

"We can put your junk in the back," Dean said, nodding. "Nice to uh... meet you for real..."   


"Yes, yes!" Holly said, sounding excited, peering in the windows as Dean took her bag. Seth waved foolishly and she threw the door open, crawling over the seat and letting off a lilting cry. 

"Oh  _ sweetheart _ ..." 

Seth made a strained nasally whine, blushing as his mother nearly suffocated him, kissing his cheek, rubbing his back and staring woefully at Seth's braced knee. Kevin squirmed around and Dean slammed the hatchback, quickly clambering into the passenger's seat. Roman cranked the wheel and slowly the car moved away from the curb. 

"How are you? It's not hurting too bad though, not right now?" she asked, quickly shifting apart to locate her seatbelt. "I'm so sorry…"

"Mgh-nah it's… it's fine." Seth shook his head. "The surgery went well… everything's… it's all been okay." 

"So long as you're not suffering, I guess that's all we can hope for." Holly sighed, putting a hand on his leg and wiping her eyes a little. Kevin hopped on her lap and began to lick her hands and she smiled, cooing at the little dog. "We were all really worried- but I've been looking up that CrossFit thing and it's so  _ dangerous _ !" Her eyes grew serious and wide. "They did a special on it! On the news, they were talking about it and there's this condition called… Oh… what was it called? Rhybdo… or Rhabdo...myosis… ANYWAYS-"

Seth blinked, brow furrowing. Dean and Roman went quiet, letting Holly loudly express her distaste for Seth's choice of exercise. 

"It's this disease the CrossFitters get and it can ruin your kidneys! Seth, if you EVER start to go to the bathroom… and… well, if you _ pee _ and it's brown-"

"Mom…"

The car stopped at a red light leading onto the highway and Roman turned in his seat, his face set very sweet and kind. Holly paused her scolding, immediately going doe-eyed.

"Sorry, I just wanted to introduce myself too, it's so good to meet you," Roman said, holding out his wide hand. "Roman Reigns."

"Oh... yes!" Holly blushed red and leaned forward to shake his hand. Seth's lip curled, sure that all thoughts of reprimanding him were evaporating from her mind at the sight of his hunky boyfriend. Roman nodded before pulling away to pull through the intersection and Holly was left with a sort of quiet bemusement, watching the back of Roman's head.

"Were you hungry, Holly?"

"Oh… I'm alright. I had a snack on the plane…"

They were quiet for a moment as Roman began heading north, in the direction of Seth's neighborhood. The sun was still struggling to appear, but Holly began to pull away from her son to observe the lush palms and tropical trees lining the highways. He wasn't sure if his mother had ever been to Florida before, but Seth remembered how different everything had seemed when he first arrived. His mother was obviously overdressed for the humid, sweaty weather, and she had to remember to pull her watch from her wrist to set the correct time.

"Our pool is just up ahead." Roman pointed to the right exit that would take them to White Water. "It's in a little nicer area than where we live. There's a big galleria just west of here, too."

"Where's Disneyland?" Holly asked playfully. "Are all the theme parks spread out?" 

"Not really, we just passed Universal," Dean said, turning in his seat. "Mostly it's by the airport. South of here."

"Have you gone there yet?" Holly turned to Seth. He shook his head and bit his lip, glad that Roman and Dean were quickly picking up the slack in conversation. His worries were mostly ebbing away, but he still felt disconnected and strange with two seemingly separate entities in his life now crammed into one vehicle. 

"It's really expensive," Dean said, continuing where he'd left off, looking to Roman. "But… don't your family have passes to some of 'em?"

When they reached Seth's apartment complex, Dean and Roman parked out front and insisted on carrying all of Seth and his mother's things, loading up on bags while Seth slid onto the sidewalk and accepted some crutches. Holly hovered, holding her purse and looking morose at the sight of her son so tired and hobbled.

"This cooler's full of food, too," Roman said, holding up a large insulated container and flipping the lid for demonstration. "You said you didn't have much… so there's some leftovers and your Ben and Jerry's."

"Thanks," Seth mumbled, half smiling as they made their way to the front and he pulled out his keys to let everyone inside. Kevin followed behind them, his leash trailing on the ground as they made their way through the entrance. To everyone's surprise but Seth's, the elevator was still out of order.

"How long has it been like that?" Holly asked, walking slowly behind Seth as he crutched up the stairs. 

"A while, I dunno," he panted, actually sweating by the time he reached the top step. 

The apartment was stuffy and lifeless. Holly quickly made to go to the balcony, opening the door to look out on the courtyard view. Roman and Dean set down all the bags and stood for a moment, examining the space.

"Well, we'll be at work most of the day…" Roman said, scratching his beard and watching as Seth set the cooler inside the mostly empty fridge. "If you need anything, you can text. If you wanted to do dinner, we can do whatever you want."

"Okay," Seth mumbled, accepting a stuffed envelope from Dean.

"I's got all your meds and junk, plus all the sh-stuff from the hospital," he explained, lowering his voice awkwardly, remembering not to swear in front of family. Seth just nodded, suddenly realizing that he was home again. For almost two weeks now, he'd been gone, but the property was  _ still _ in his name and this was where he really lived. Roman's house, while frustrating and gloomy for much of the time he'd spent, had really been quite the blessing.

Now they were leaving and he'd be alone again.

"I can set up the air mattress in the living room, if that works," Holly proposed, coming back inside and shutting the door so the air conditioner could begin whirring. "Would that be best?"

"Yeah, I guess." Seth nodded. Dean and Roman smiled and each took their turns to hug him, planting a chaste kiss on his forehead and nodding to Holly.

"Thank you... so much for all your help boys." She blushed, looking slightly unsure and nervous. 

Quiet, barely mouthed _ I love you's _ were passed from mouth to ear and Seth felt strangely numb, shutting the door behind his lovers, hearing their footfalls down the hall, fading into silence. Kevin's lead jingled as he made his way around the house, catching on the carpet behind him.

Seth and his mother caught up rather quickly, unpacking and cleaning as much as they could with Holly doing most of the work and Seth directing from room to room. As soon as the initial shock wore off from being reunited, Holly quickly went into a summarization of the few weeks time since Seth had left Iowa. He nodded on and on, head still buzzing blearily as he leaned on his dresser, stuffing his socks back into the top drawer. 

"Oh, let me help sweetie," Holly encouraged, stopping him from having to limp across the room to grab more clothes and continuing on with her story. "-but everyone at work seemed really understanding, it was just bad timing and so I got a lot done the last few days. I feel like I've barely slept at all!"

"Well, it's nice that you could come," Seth mumbled, wiping some sweat off his forehead. "I feel like… I dunno… It's getting easier. If you hadn't come I probably just would have been at Roman's house for more time, but I'duh gotten home pretty soon anyway." 

They heated up some soup and Seth laid out in the living room while Holly pulled out the air mattress she'd packed. With permission, she moved the coffee table and surveyed her work, deciding to attach the motor and inflate it a little later when she was sure it wouldn't lose air over the course of the day.

"We could go grocery shopping I think," Holly suggested, sitting down with a cup of soup, finally relaxing into her seat. The corners of Seth's mouth twitched and he sighed, feeling stupid.

"I… haven't really looked at my bank account in a while," he admitted. "I got rent paid… but other than that…" He swallowed. "I'm pretty sure things are going to bounce soon."

"I'll pay, don't you worry about that," she insisted, "Were… were Roman and Dean paying for food when you were with them?"

"Yup." Seth stared at his soup.

"Well, I ought to get them dinner as well," Holly said, mystified. "How'd you find  _ two _ boys that are so nice?"

"Beats me," Seth laughed. "I don't get it either."

After the small meal, Holly could probably sense he was tired and a little overwhelmed. Seth didn't want his mother to feel unwanted, but with his mind as foggy as it was, he was having trouble keeping up with her small talk. Finishing up the dregs of a pint of Ben and Jerry's, he yawned, rubbing his eyes as his mother continued to talk at length about her concerns for Brandon moving out of the house. After she caught Seth zoning out on a question, she half smiled, considering him.

"How about I go to the store and pick up some things and you can get some rest?" she asked, checking the time and eyeing Seth's keys on the coffee table. "Does your leg hurt at all?"

"Mm? No… not really…" he said, scratching his thigh. "Are you sure? I'm tired all the time… it's... the meds…"

"It's no problem kiddo, I know what you like." She nodded, standing up. "Where's that car parked?"

Seth off passed his keys and barely moved an inch before falling fast asleep in his bed. The blankets smelled slightly foreign, without the now familiar smells of Dean or Roman filling up his nose, but Seth was too sleepy to do much more than punch his pillow into the right shape and nod off. 

Occasionally he woke, unsure of the time, but cursing his stupid brace for getting tangled up in his comforter. He rearranged himself and frowned, adjusting his shorts around his thigh and nuzzling deeper into the sheets. It seemed like ages since he'd had the little quickie blowjob with Dean on the couch-bed, and even longer since he'd had proper sex. So many parts of intercourse seemed to mandate functional knees, and all the stress and medication had turned his dick solely into a modality for pissing. However, caught in a napping day-dream, Seth hummed in his sleep, remembering a time when his knees hadn't been so cumbersome. 

He just wanted to be fucked, fucked  _ properly _ . 

_ Marek had proposed it, just as something to spice things up. Seth had been slightly hesitant, completely satisfied with their usual routine. _

_ "You said you did it when you jerked off before!" Marek whined, poking Seth in the butt as they put away groceries. Seth turned, raising an eyebrow and laughing. _

_ "Mare', a finger and a dick are two very different things…" _

_"Just promise you'll do it once! C'mon!" Marek argued, his tone turning serious. "You're great at blowjobs, but a guy wants more every now and then…"_  

_ Once they'd finished putting away their food, Marek's flirtations couldn't be ignored for much longer and Seth sighed, heaving the smaller man up and tossing him onto the couch. He thought he could maybe get away with just sucking his boyfriend off, just getting him to come so the urgency behind the argument would pass. But after some hurried kissing, Marek's hands began kneading his backside cleverly. _

_"C'mon man, I'm no monster," Marek said softly. "I just wanna fuck your ass a little..."_  

_Seth wasn't really sure how to articulate his hesitation, it was just that he was so wrapped up in the belief that he was the top in every situation. He was only a little taller than Marek and their mannerisms were pretty similar. No one was ever rude enough to ask, but for whatever reason, Seth always wanted people to think he was the one fucking. Taking it in the ass… well… it was just gay… Seth didn't have a better way of putting it, but even though he enjoyed the sensation of teasing himself, he was a little afraid of taking a whole cock._  

_ "I'll be really nice," Marek assured him, rubbing his bum and pausing slightly at the dark fuzz on his backside. Seth sighed, propped up on his knees, shivering as he felt lips kissing around his entrance. He would have like to have showered… it had always grossed him out a little when Marek wasn't clean. _

_After a few minutes of careful tongue work and labored sighs, Seth blinked, slumping a little on his elbows as warm lube was smeared around. The couch creaked and Marek laughed, toying with Seth's cock from behind, feeling his firm dick and head leaking pre-come all over his shorts._  

_ "I told ya!" he jeered, giving Seth's rump a playful slap. "You didn't believe me!" _

  _"You've eaten me out before, I know," Seth hummed, tingling from the touch. Marek continued his work, sliding a finger inside him and testing the sensation before adding another. Seth winced, but exhaled, a little surprised by how easily he seemed to stretch._

_ "You like it," Marek breathed, slicking up his cock and letting it kiss his entrance. "You know it…" _

_ Seth didn't really know it until he gasped, feeling the pressure of the biggest thing he'd ever felt in his ass before. It was overwhelming, and he felt as though Marek weighed a thousand pounds, filling his entire body. Every inch mounted and Seth bit his lip, letting out a strained whine.  _

_"Yeah?" Marek asked carefully, bottoming out and running his hands down Seth's back, trying to gauge his reaction. Slowly, he rotated his hips, moving his sheathed dick in a circle and expertly massaging Seth's prostate. Seth let out an unsure choked sound, not comfortable being so loud and dramatic during sex._  

_ "It's fine it's fine-" Seth breathed, nodding quickly when Marek leaned over to check and see if he was okay. "Fuck…" _

_ "Told ya," Marek repeated. "Whoo… you're tight…" _

In his sleep, Seth squirmed, languidly rolling his hips and mumbling as his dick rubbed against the material of his shorts.  

_ He had to clench his teeth together to stop himself from moaning as Marek slowly began to draw back and forth, coming in to tap lovingly before drawing away, hands fixed on his sides. Seth was sure his dick was leaking everywhere, not used to such sensations and he struggled to rally himself. Everything was full, so stuffed up and heavy that he couldn't define any focused pleasure, but rather a whole onslaught of stimulus that was both 'too much' and 'very good'. Marek's cock was burning him from the stretch, but it was a good feeling. The tip of his dick was ringing his bell every time it hit him right, but he never felt prepared for it.  _

_"Yeah?" Marek breathed, sweating from the effort as he picked up the pace. "That… good…?"_  

_ Seth didn't answer, but rather exhaled deeply, screwing up his face and shivering. Just as he got used to the tempo, it increased, sending him higher. Marek came closer, grabbing at his chest as he pumped into a sprint and Seth squeaked, completely unprepared to feel his stomach and dick come fully unwound in the span of about five seconds. _

_ Breathing like he'd swam 200 yards at a sprint, Seth collapsed, coming all over his thighs and pants. Marek cursed and continued to pound away, trying to get his own due. It was almost painful, so sensitive and compromised, but about twenty seconds later, Marek gasped too. Quickly he pulled himself out, jacking into his hand and letting his head nuzzle around in the sweat of Seth's back, sighing hard. _

Seth twisted in bed, whining and clenching his jaw. His belly and his legs were quivering and his groin tingled. Confused and disoriented, he bucked, cringing at the pain in his knee, which engulfed the pleasure he was feeling, tainting the sensation. For a one wild moment, Seth was sure that Marek was still draped over him, hovering nearby and ready to tease him for coming so undone. Blinking his eyes, he realized where he was and what was happening. He was in Florida… Marek obviously wasn't there… 

"Seth?" Holly rapped on the door and Seth's whole body went numb. "Were you awake dear? I got some food and I can throw in a pizza if you're hungry!"

"Yeah-m…. One sec… " Seth blurted, shaking his head and staring wide eyed around his room. He stuck his hand down his pants experimentally, his head drooping with private embarrassment as he felt a sticky puddle of come all over his leg.  

"One sec like, you want the food or  _ not _ ?" Holly laughed. Kevin's collar jingled by the door and Seth could hear her bending over to pet the dog, probably picking him up to give him some attention.

"Yes… please... thank you..." Seth said loudly, wiping his hand crudely on the inside of his pants. Slowly he got up, chuckling to himself and shaking his head. He'd regressed back to a teenager- having wet dreams about Marek and navigating his mother's wish to care take him. What a disaster. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Memorial Day to my American readers! This chapter felt short and fast. Because I like to ramble and take awhile on everything, the special extra chapter won't be coming out with #100 because it wouldn't make much sense. It'll come in the next few weeks though. 
> 
> Index should be going up as planned though! Currently I have subsections of: Seth/Dean, Seth/Roman, Seth/Dean/Roman, Hurt/Comfort, Drama, Fluff and Misc. If you can think of any other subsections you wanna see, lemme know! Every sex scene will be filed under the pairing, so they're easy to access.
> 
> Thanks to KenjiDeath my beta and all y'all who read this and write me nice reviews <3


	100. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The healing power of family. Two moms are better than one, but Seth has his reservations. Cheeseburger pie and visits to the spa?

Despite unpredictable bouts of sexual frustration, Seth would say that being back in his apartment with his mother was a good thing. 

Having a change of scenery was helpful, and the foggy cloud that had been hovering over him since the surgery slowly began to lift. Seth felt like he could actually think and plan things in order. He was able to crutch around his unit with a little purpose. Waking up wasn't quite so traumatic, and the pain was easing into something manageable that didn't require a lot of drug mediation. On Friday morning, Holly woke him around eight o'clock for some eggs and hash browns, and Seth listened patiently while she complained about Kevin trying to lick her face at night. 

"But other than that, that bed's a lot comfier than it looks!" She smiled, passing her son the half gallon of milk and watching him swallow an ibuprofen. "The way you talked about it, I thought it was going to deflate overnight!"

"That was the one we had before this one I think," Seth said, covering his hash browns in ketchup. "'Cause we had the one I would take to shows, and then Brandon took it camping or something and it got a hole…"

"But that's when we got those camping cots I thought!" Holly's eyes narrowed. Seth just shrugged, eating. His phone was buzzing in his pocket all through the meal, but he knew his mom got snippy if he used it too much. 

In addition to Roman and Dean checking in, Cesaro had texted to see when his post-operative appointment was and ask how he was doing. Sasha and Bayley usually sent him a general snapchat as well, but Seth was pretty sure they sent them to a lot of people. It was nice to be considered, and even though he was sure that he wanted to give his mother priority, Seth did want to break away a little, especially since Holly insisted on going over his finances for the majority of the morning.

"Bob thought it would be a good idea," she explained, pulling out the thousand year old calculator Seth had watched his mother use to balance her checkbook for the majority of his life. "I think it would be a good thing to do if Grandpa is going to lend you any money."

"I don't want Grandpa to lend me anything." Seth shook his head, faltering. "I mean, I don't want any cash, the whole… the surgery bill thing is one thing, but I want to get back to work before I'm in trouble…"

"Well let's crunch some numbers then, okay?" Holly said, passing Seth the calculator. "Maybe you won't have to."

It was sort of demeaning and annoying, having his mother looking over his shoulder as Seth logged into his bank account, but he knew he would have had to reign in his money with or without her watchful eye. Thankfully, his balance still reflected a positive number and Holly didn't chide him for any expenditures listed on his checking account. Canceling his monthly CrossFit membership felt like a knife to the heart, but even Seth knew that there wasn't much logic in paying for a gym he couldn't use. 

**Let me know if u want to do a little light workout** Cesaro offered as Seth went through and canceled a few less than necessary streaming services (sure that Roman would gladly offer him his account passwords).  **It is maybe a little naughty to do so before ur doctors appointment but we can be very careful.**

"Do you think…" Seth looked up from his phone and his computer, craning his neck to see his mother, who was cleaning the breakfast dishes in the kitchen. "Mom, do you think I could meet with one of my friends? You could take the car and see some sights."

Both of them wanted to get out of the house a bit, but Seth half lied, pumping up the importance of the meeting as an opportunity to jumpstart his physical therapy.

"Was this the friend that got you into CrossFit?" Holly asked carefully, following Seth's instructions to drop him off at a Starbucks by one of the gallerias. 

"N-no, different guy," Seth lied again, tightening his quad. "I'll just be like,  _ two _ hours, okay?"

Holly agreed to meet Seth again at the same Starbucks at three in the afternoon. Sensing her son's wish to be left alone, she didn't wait around for Cesaro to show up. Honestly, Seth felt like it was for the best, as he was sure his mom wanted to do more than just be his babysitter for the whole time she was visiting a new place. 

Sitting outside and waiting at one of the patio tables, Seth forgot how happy Cesaro made him until he saw his friend striding up the parking lot with his usual sunglasses and big stupid grin on his face. Immediately, Seth grinned back, heart soaring as the tall man raised his arms in the air and sped up. 

"There he is!" Cesaro sang, sinking down and reciprocating something like a handshake and a hug all at once. Seth smiled back eagerly, his bad leg dangling away from being jostled. "How are you?"

"Better," Seth said, kicking out the spare chair and sitting up straighter. "Today… well, the pain's finally chilling out a bit. My mom's hanging out at the mall and I feel like… I'm finally coming down off all the meds and stuff."

"Awesome!" Cesaro said brightly. "Let me get you a drink."

The two chatted for most of the time, nearly forgetting the initial idea to do a little strength training at the tiny home gym that was in Cesaro's condominium complex. Cesaro bought Seth a croissant and his usual latte and Seth recounted his hospital experience, explaining how awful the effects of his medication had been, and Dean's unique brand of problem solving for pain.

"So that worked well?" Cesaro asked, helping Seth into his car so they could quickly jet over to the condo. Seth laughed, strapping on his seatbelt and waiting for his friend to get back in the vehicle so he could hear. 

"I mean, I hate meds, I don't like feeling all weird no matter what. But I  _ did  _ stop puking so I guess it did the job." 

"Excellent."

The home gym was mostly dumbbells and yoga mats, but there was an old bench with a handful of free weights and a single well-loved bar. The whole room smelled a little musty, but Seth plopped down on the bench happily, stretching out his arms and smiling. He felt more whole than he'd been in weeks.

"You should ask your PT, but I think you would really like to do a skierg machine while you cannot do lower body things," Cesaro explained, sinking into a squat and warming up his hips. "It is something the nordic skiers use to train and it is all upper body." 

"I haven't heard of it," Seth said, shaking out his wrists and making to grab the unloaded bar over his head for a few practice reps. "I'd def check it out."

They didn't have much time, but Seth worked his chest and benched some weight while his knee twinged a little from being dangled to the side of his body. With just a few minutes to work out, Seth tried to balance curling some dumbbells and having the breath to carry on a conversation. His body was very weak and he tired quickly, but Seth found that he was just as enthusiastic to talk with his friend as he was to be exercising. 

"I can't do pullups, can I?" Seth asked deviously as he held his arms out to the pullup bar attached to the 4 stack machine in the corner. Cesaro frowned and shook his head, coming over to the bar to grasp it in his own hands. 

"I have to be careful too," he explained, rolling his shoulder awkwardly. "I think I am feeling impingement in my rotator cuff or something, my snatch is very bad lately." 

"Well, be careful," Seth said wisely, thinking fast. "Do you have insurance? Cause… you're from another country…"

"Nope!" Cesaro laughed darkly. "It would be cheaper to fly home and sort it out there anyway."

Leaving his friend at three, Seth felt warm from the physical activity and the coffee. Roman had frantically texted him, anxious at the news that he was trying to work out, but Seth assured him he was fine and wasn't pushing it too hard.

**:/ Okay. Dinner tonight?** Roman asked, adding to their group conversation.

Seth blinked, trying to think. He wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea, but he was actually pretty exhausted from leaving the house, even for just a short time. It was a little strange, not having Dean around to rest his chin on his head and weirdly grind his jaw against his skull, or feel Roman trace his shoulder blades from behind. The absence of contact was giving him more random erections and Seth wished he could cross his legs for once. 

"I didn't get much at the mall- they had a wine store so I got a nice Pinot that was made in Alabama, would you believe that?" Holly said, flicking on her turn signal about half a block early, looking over her shoulder carefully. "I thought I could make cheeseburger  _ pie _ tonight…"

" _ Mmmmm _ ," Seth hummed. Holly laughed and waited in her lane as Seth turned back to his phone. Cheeseburger pie was about the most home-y thing he could imagine, something his mom had made all of his life, often as a sort of hearty dinner for cold or sick days. 

**i think we r figured out for tonight** Seth texted back  **tomorrow?**

Before Roman could reply, Dean had supplied a random picture of a knitted piece of fabric, resting on Roman's kitchen counter in dim lighting. Seth raised an eyebrow before realizing it was the completed chicken sweater for Crispy.

**Hey nice!** he messaged. Roman continued typing.

**Tomorrow is fine but my mom will be here too so so long as thats cool it should work. We were gunna go bbq for that day.**

"Seth?"

"Mmyah?" Seth jerked his head up, looking to his mother.

"Was this the turn?"   


"Oh, yeah, sorry." Seth set his phone down, pointing. "Up here, and then on the left... is where we're at..."

They returned to the apartment and Holly helped settle him on the couch with some more ibuprofen and cold packs before going to the kitchen to make an early dinner. Seth scrolled restlessly through his Xbox apps, feeling conflicted, before he remembered he'd just canceled his Netflix.

He wasn't really scared of his mother meeting Roman's, but after the whole Christmas fiasco, he was sure it would be a little awkward. Seth had sort of mentioned that Roman's family hadn't reacted positively to the news of their unconventional relationship, and he wondered if their mothers would really have any sort of chemistry. Obviously, Seth hoped so, it would be nice if they got along, but again, it felt strange that they were meeting, considering so little time had yet elapsed in their relationship.

**Did u want to meet up?** Roman texted, shaking Seth out of a cat nap as his phone buzzed on his chest. He rubbed his eyes, thinking hard.  **Im looking at activities rn because my mom cant do the float therapy thing she wanted to and maybe we could get your ma a spa day?**

And then, maybe a minute later:

**U dont have to, sorry if that sounds like too much.**

"Hey, Ma?" Seth called from the couch, sitting up. "What did you want to do tomorrow?"

Holly apparently had no plans, coming from the kitchen, holding a wooden cooking spoon in her hand and shrugging. His mother had always been a rather plain woman, not used to a lot of attention or primping. Seth wondered if she would even be interested in manicures or milk baths. 

"Well..." Seth wiggled his nose. "Roman, his mom is coming to town and I think they're trying to put together some plans for stuff they want to do while she's here. Would you want to… do anything with them?"

"I'll do whatever you want to do sweetie, that's why I'm here." 

Holly half smiled and Seth nodded; he could tell his mom probably wanted to really go out and see things and explore, and he felt bad for being unable to really show her the area in which he lived. If he'd been healthy, Seth would have liked to take his mother to Lake Eola or on an airboat ride like he'd done with Sasha months ago. Florida was a travel destination, after all.

**How much is the spa thing** Seth asked, wondering if it was worth the cost. By the time the cheeseburger pie was pulled out of the oven, he'd managed to purchase a modest spa package for his mother and sat smugly at the dinner table, confident he was going to surprise her. Even though he was low on money, it would be well spent on his mom. 

* * *

The next morning was hectic, as a last minute change to Roman's mother's flight meant that Lisa got in about an hour later than they'd initially planned. Roman himself had a dentist appointment at nine AM sharp, and so Seth sat by his phone, watching his boyfriends sort through the whole ordeal over their group chat. In the end, Dean picked up Lisa from the airport, Roman worried through getting his teeth cleaned, and Seth waited for any instruction to leave the house with his mother. Holly was quiet and patient, but by ten, both mother and son were getting antsy just sitting around. 

Drumming his fingers on the side of the couch, Seth was glad Roman had made the spa appointments for their mothers later in the day, but was now anxious that everyone would be in a sour mood by the time they'd converged on the house. The texts he’d watched unfold between Dean and Roman had been a little snippy and quick in the early hours of the day, and Seth imagined Dean would probably be churlish and tired from being up before 8:00 on his day off. 

Finally getting some indication that his boyfriends were ready, Seth directed his mother to Roman's house easily, trying to ignore his jittering left leg. He was mostly anxious because if some crazy fight broke out between Roman and his mom, Seth wasn't sure he could pretend it wasn't strange for his mother's sake. When they got to the front door and knocked politely for manners’ sake, Seth was relieved to see Dean answer with a grin on his face. 

"Welcome to the party," he said jovially, holding out his hands as a means to hug Holly in greeting. Lisa appeared at Dean's shoulder, happily yelling her hellos. She was wearing white capris and a blue blouse, tanned and ringed fingers clutching a bloody mary. 

"You're Mrs. Rollins! It's so good to meet you!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, and you too, I'm sorry-" Holly faltered, smiling politely.

"Lisa!" Lisa beamed, pulling Seth's mother into a hug. Seth blinked, feeling Dean squeezing his hand at his side. The whole scene seemed surreal. Looking around, the house had been cleaned so thoroughly, Seth would have thought Roman had hired a professional service to come and dust every one of his possessions. The pull out couch bed that had been Seth's home away from home had been restored to a regular furniture piece, its cushions slightly brighter than normal. There wasn't a stray Dean-sock anywhere in sight and the kitchen table had a covering topped with a vase of fresh flowers. 

"Oh good, we're all here." Roman appeared, also holding a drink. "Did you want one, Holly?"

"Oh! Oh, sure." She paused, looking slightly overwhelmed, as Seth grunted, plopping down on the tiny bench by the shoes to begin the struggle of taking off his sneakers. It was difficult to imagine a less likely group, but luckily Lisa broke the tension, clearly more lubricated for socialization.

"I just  _ love _ this mix," she said, pushing her straw around in her glass. "I first made these for our Easter brunch last year, did you have one then Dean?"

"All I remember is deviled eggs," he muttered, eyeing Seth carefully. Roman returned and Holly shifted her purse, accepting the drink.

"Did you help, sweetheart?" she asked, about to stoop over her son with her occupied hand. Seth kicked off his shoe, leg twitching slightly from pain. He shrugged, easing back up to his feet.

The five of them obviously couldn't comfortably fit on the living room couch and Seth's leg mandated he be settled on the armchair with the footrest pulled close to his seat. A few cold packs had been conveniently left behind and Roman fetched one, offering him a drink which he refused. As delicious as Lisa made it sound, Seth was tired of having his mood and alertness dulled. Instead, he simply sat low, hands in his pockets as Holly did her best to get comfortable on Roman's lush furniture between Lisa and Dean.

As soon as the initial shock of both of the women being together had worn off, Seth grinned, watching his mother's eyes trace Roman's possessions, flitting with interest over his gardening books on the shelves and Dean's canvas bag full of yarn and knitting needles. Lisa kept asking Roman about his dentist appointment and then turning to the rest of the room as though it was a very interesting story. 

Roman himself sat down next to his mother, clean shaven and showered with his hair pulled into a tight bun. He was wearing an old Georgia Tech shirt and some jeans that looked like a newer pair. 

Dean just zoned out, sinking deep in the chair at Holly's side, tonguing the side of his mouth, looking about the same as ever. Holly's gaze eventually fell on him and she smiled, regarding the larger man warmly.

"Does your mother live in Florida too?" she asked. Dean shook his head lightly.

"Nah, I'm from the Midwest," he explained. Seth's chest kept tingling strangely, watching them talk. "I grew up in Cincinnati and I moved down here like… five or six years ago."

"Seven, I thought," Seth corrected. Dean just shrugged.

"Mmgh somethin' like that," he said, matting his hair to the side. "Needed a change."

"Well, Florida is very different," Holly concluded, laughing slightly and taking a sip of her drink. Roman nodded to his mother from the far side of the sofa, leaning into his hand and shifting his eyes to Holly as a means of directing both of their attention.

"I don't like Orlando." Lisa sniffed, setting down her drink. "Ever since Roman's been here, I just don't get it. Pensacola is so beautiful! And Atlanta- well, it's actually come a long way since Roman was in school, but  _ Orlando _ …"

"It's a little... trashy," Seth agreed, sitting up straighter and fighting off a yawn he felt coming up his throat. "But… it grows on you I guess. It's no Davenport though."

"I've never been to  _ Iowa _ , I don't know." Lisa gestured, eyes lighting up as she seemed to just connect Seth and his mother in her mind. "But for me, I guess anywhere wouldn't be as good as home- does that ever bother you?" Lisa looked directly to Holly. "Having your son so far away?"

"Oh…" Holly blinked, a little taken aback by such a question. Roman was stunned, clearly underestimating his mother's potential for personal inquiry. Seth wasn't particularly worried, but looked curiously as Holly began to form her thoughts. "Well, I guess it's not such a great thing right now? Is it?" 

She laughed, waving to Seth's knee for emphasis. Lisa laughed too and the tension seemed to dissipate slightly. Dean grinned and Seth sort of wanted to pinch him- the look he was giving both women was almost suspect.

They continued to drink and talk, and Seth relaxed considerably as time went on. Lisa liked to talk most and direct the attention of the room, and Holly was too polite to really oppose it. A cheese plate was produced from the refrigerator and Dean gave Seth his own little plate of brie and crackers so he wouldn't have to move from his stationary position.

"I had to talk to one of the managers at the gate," Lisa explained, going into detail about her flight mishaps that morning and pouring herself a new glass of sun tea from the kitchen island, practically yelling so everyone could hear her. "I was worried- do you remember, the last time, when me and Sika went to Samoa, and they changed our flights around only a day before and ended up not honoring any of my points! It was ridiculous and we had to call them afterwards and get it all sorted out?"

"Did you want any tea babe?" Roman asked Seth, on his way into the kitchen. Seth nodded, pursing his lips just slightly as some stand in for a kiss they weren't going to follow through on. Roman smiled back.

"I want to thank you boys again," Holly said seriously, putting a friendly hand on Dean's knee at her side. "I was so worried when he got hurt, but…" She looked around, nodding to Roman as he returned with tea and meeting his eyes. "Well, when he told me his… boyfriends were helping him… I was just worried it would be some  _ frat house _ or something…"

"Ma, when have I  _ ever _ partied?" Seth snorted. Dean wiggled his eyebrow, stuffing crackers in his mouth. 

"In any case..." Holly sighed. "You have a wonderful home, I was just asking Seth how he could have found two guys that were nice enough to look after him so well."

"Well, I like to think I raised a good kid," Lisa said, drawing her arm over Roman's back and rubbing his shoulder. "But Seth is like family now! When Roman told me what happened I didn't think twice about giving my blessing. Poor Dean's been through so much trouble..." She nodded to Dean for emphasis. "We just can't go adopting any  _ more _ ."

Roman's face looked mottled, as though he wasn't really sure whether to blush or look pale. Dean was too busy making cracker sandwiches to really appear affected, but Lisa's grasp around Roman made him the more accessible of the two. 

"Did you get hurt too?" Holly frowned, watching Dean. "Seth didn't say-"

"My apartment was awful, nothing life threatening." Dean laughed carelessly. "But luckily I got 'yall."

"Do you knit?" Holly asked, clearly unable to contain herself from asking. "I crocheted for a long time when I was younger, but I never did much knitting…"

Seth couldn't help feeling sleepy and he was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that the sun was creeping in through the window, making him comfortably warm and slightly blinded to the living room. He squinted, watching Dean cross the room and shyly display his knitted wares while Holly asked him about his interests in textiles. It was undeniably cute, but rather than shrinking in the attention, Dean seemed confident, passing some of his first knitted squares to Lisa to examine.

"Have you ever done any felting?" Holly asked, sitting on the floor with her glass and picking through some of the yarn. Roman turned the TV on low for some background noise.

"Nah, what's that?"

"It's where you shrink the wool-" Holly tried to explain, balling her hand into a fist. "It's… well, it's nice when you're first starting to make things. You can make really big hats or mittens or whatever and then shrink them down. It's good because if you make any mistakes, they sorta disappear."

"It's too bad it's so warm out, you can't wear anything woolen!" Lisa laughed, checking her watch. "What time were we going to go to the spa?"

"Pretty soon, the traffic will pick up in a while here," Roman said, picking up empty glasses. He patted Seth's head sweetly and Seth blinked, trying to stop himself from dozing off. "You tired?"

"Mmm, I'm okay." Seth yawned, rubbing his eyes. "I… I can't help it… I dunno why I'm so sleepy…"

"Pain… meds..?" Dean proposed, clearly not wanting to go into much more detail. Seth just shook his head.

"I haven't taken any in a while, the ibuprofen's been fine, I dunno what it is..." He yawned again. "Just… tired…"

"You were sleepin' all day for days," Roman said, continuing to scratch at his head softly. "If you wanted to rest for a bit, you can stay here."

"But I got…" Seth grunted, sitting up and trying to be alert. "Ma, I got you a spa package."

"What?" Holly snorted nasally. "Where?"

"This place we're going to," Seth explained, "Rome'... you had the link on your phone." 

"It's alright, the place is clean enough." Lisa came down to the floor as well, snatching Roman's phone from his hands and showing Holly the facility website. "I've only been there one other time, but we had purchased some float therapy sessions at another place, where was it? It was in the suburbs I think, but when I tried to call and make appointments with our package purchases, they told us they were closed all weekend for repairs!"

"If they have a sauna, I'll sit in it," Dean mumbled, stuffing his things back into his bag.

"They have a pretty good steam room," Lisa said, nodding. Roman sipped from his tea, thinking. 

"Did you want to do anything there babe?" he asked Seth. "The pedicures are actually fun, but… if you can't bend your leg…"

"I don't need a pedicure," Seth laughed, vividly imagining Roman picking out colors to paint his toenails. Really, Seth had no reason to go other than his mother and he would rather just lay down and sleep, but he knew he should spend time with his mom while he could. Holly seemed similarly conflicted.

"Well, I don't need to go if you don't want to go sweetheart," she said, standing up. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't want to drag you anywhere…" 

"You're not dragging me, it's a treat! For you!" Seth frowned. "Don't worry about me."

Dean got back to his feet and pursed his lips thinking. He wasn't jittering or shaking hair out of his face, but considering the women carefully. Lisa just looked bored, watching the TV, waiting to leave.

"How's abouts I take the ladies out," Dean proposed. "Seth gets a nap and Uce can light the grill for when we get back."

"Oh… you don't… it's really no-" Holly began, but Dean snuck a hand around her waist and pulled her close. 

" _ Nonsense _ , we're gonna have a blast. You flew all the way down here for your son, now ya gotta treat yourself."

"Amen to that," Lisa laughed, grabbing her purse. Seth's eyes narrowed, not really sure what he thought of this situation. On one hand, he really didn't want to drive downtown that much with Roman's mom and sit around while the ladies got their nails done. But Dean was… Dean… He didn't know how Holly would react without himself there as a sort of buffer to his boyfriend. 

"That good with you, Mom?" Roman asked Lisa, pulling her into a hug. Lisa was already fitting her sunglasses over her face, nodding. Holly came over to Seth, a little confused, but smiling.

"You're sure you're okay? I don't… you know me, I don't need a lot of pampering," she said, leaning over her son. "I came down here to help you."

"You have, it's okay." Seth smiled. "Dean's a goof, but he's a lot of fun… Just enjoy yourself. My treat."

Holly hugged him and Dean hovered, pulling on his sunglasses.

"Don' worry, I'll only corrupt her a little." 

"Mmmgh," Seth grumbled, accepting a chaste hug from his boyfriend. Lisa pulled in as well, not one to be left out.

"It's good seeing you again Seth! We'll be back soon enough." 

"Yeah, you too." He pulled a smile. "Thanks."

Roman passed off his keys and Lisa talked excitedly to Holly about her last spa trip as they slipped into their shoes. Dean saluted the two men, and in all of a few minutes, the three left. The house was quiet again, only broken by the TV playing softly, and Roman collapsed onto the sofa opposite him, groaning.

"You worried?" Seth asked, laughing. Roman turned his head to the side, pushing a stray hair out of his mouth. 

"No, ugh, my mom just can't shut up," he sighed, sitting back up again. "This morning was a clusterfuck. Just me laying back getting my mouth rinsed out while my phone kept going off. What about you?"

"I'm good," Seth leaned back, his shoulders drooping. "That all sounds awful, but I dunno… my mom can handle herself. She's just very… modest…"

"She's sweet," Roman said softly. "You're definitely her kid."

"How's that?" Seth mumbled, humming happily as Roman got up and came to sit on his foot rest. He really was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, but his body was so starved for contact, he knew he'd have to snuggle a little before he nodded off. Roman leaned closer, diligently avoiding his right leg.

"Your eyes, your faces," he said, shrugging. "Your voices. You guys talk a lot alike."

"Mmm."

They kissed and Seth purred, pulling his arms up around Roman's neck and nuzzling his fuzzy chin against his lover's. 

"You guys both talk through your noses."

"I sound whiny, whatever," Seth scoffed, bouncing his hips up a little. "Carry me to bed?"

"Sure, lil' Uce."

Pressing his face back into Roman's mattress relieved some tension Seth hadn't been aware of and he hummed, breathing in that collective smell of love and familiarity. The room was messy, a far cry from the perfection of the rest of the house. Kicking back a sheet, a pair of Dean's boxer briefs fell out of the folds and Seth laughed, tossing them in the hamper. 

"I suppose you guys had to bone like crazy before your mom got here." Seth giggled. Roman sank down next to him, nodding and pulling him close. "You going to nap too?"

"Mmmaybe," Roman rumbled, kissing Seth's forehead and squeezing him tight. "We missed you."

Seth didn't know what to say, but settled on just squeezing back, taken off guard a little by how gentle and sweet his boyfriend was being. It had just been a few days and Seth had obviously missed them both as well, but laying there and feeling it was all they could do. 

The knee beneath his brace was aching dully, but Roman's fingers kept squeezing his side, warming him up as they both breathed wide and calm against the cool hum of the air conditioning. Seth's eyelids drooped, but his mouth flapped around sleepily, trying to get his words out.

"L-love you," he sighed. "Love you and Dean too."

"You and Dean too." Roman smiled back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got another generous donation, so I have an early update for you guys! There will be another update on Friday as well, so keep your eyes peeled. Cute stuff abound. 
> 
> 100 chapters in the can and I can't believe it. I imagine there will be maybe 200 total then? By the time this finishes the shield will probably have reformed and broken up again lol. 
> 
> Big thanks to my beta, readers that can donate, review, share or just enjoy! The special bonus chapter is coming soon, but the next chapter will be somehow even more cute.


	101. For the Birds [Part: 1]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What kind of trouble can Dean get up to at the spa? Roman makes dinner for the group. Exciting news, but Seth isn't sure what to make of it. [Part 1 of 2]

When Dean, Lisa and Holly returned to the house around five thirty, Seth jumped to full alertness in Roman's bedroom. His nap had gone over long and he was alone, sweaty, and confused, but he heard laughter from the living room and the smell of the grill was wafting in from outside. Quickly, he glanced at himself in Roman's floor length mirror, pulling his hair back into a tighter bun and grimacing at how sore his knee had gotten over the past few hours. All the while, Lisa and his mother's voices echoed off the walls and Seth hurried as fast as he could manage, trying to figure out what was going on. 

"Oh Seth!" Holly said, her voice lowering as he came down the hallway and into the living room. Lisa was still giggling, leaning on Dean's shoulder, who was standing proudly in the middle of the two women. "We didn't wake you, did we honey?"

"What? No." Seth shook his head, still a little disoriented from sleeping. "How… how was it? How did it go?"

Roman had apparently heard the hilarious story already and simply sighed, rolling his eyes and walking back into the kitchen. A familiar jingling was heard from the floor and Kevin came trotting up to Seth eagerly, wagging his tail manically. 

"It went great, we got your dog so he wouldn't be alone," Dean explained quietly, picking Kevin up for Seth so he wouldn't have to bend over. "We got lots of wine and little cheeses and then we went to the shoe store." 

"There was a sale!" Lisa exclaimed, rotating her ankle so Seth could see the rhinestone sandals she'd purchased, glittering in the light. Looking to his mother's feet, she too had a new pair of nice, serviceable flip flop sandals with a fabric band. Dean apparently hadn't participated. 

"Yes, it was a lot of fun," Holly admitted, falling into fresh giggles as she looked to Dean. "I really appreciated the thought, sweetheart."

"Yeah, yeah no problem." Seth pet Kevin, letting him lick his nose and beard, still somewhat suspicious. "What's so funny?"

Both of the women just continued laughing, rosy faced and excited as Dean stood with his lips tight. Seth was starting to get annoyed, denied any explanation.

"It's-" Lisa laughed, patting Seth on the chest. "Oh my lord, it's-"

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell you later," Dean said, shaking his head. Seth frowned. He was glad that his mother seemed to have enjoyed herself, but he was immediately suspicious of whatever could have occurred. His boyfriend patted the ladies on the back and walked to the sliding glass door to check on the grill, leaving the snickering women and Seth to sort themselves out. 

"What is it?" Seth demanded of his mother. "Why are you-" 

"It's just… it's silly," Holly sighed, wiping her eyes. "We had a lot of wine, well, Lisa and I… Dean was our chauffeur." 

"They were doing… waxes," Lisa snickered, leaning into Seth hard and then recoiling, forgetting his leg was injured. "Oh, I'm so sorry dear! It's just-" She tucked her mouth to his ear, whispering, "Dean… got… a _brazilian_ -"  

The ladies broke into fresh laughter and Holly removed her glasses, rubbing her face. Seth blinked, watching Dean through the door as he and Roman cleared off the glass table out back. Nothing said surprised him, but it was still a lot to take in.

"Why're you getting your _dick_ waxed around my mom?" Seth grumbled lowly a few minutes later when he entered the back patio. Roman snorted, nearly dropping the cooking tongs. The women were still inside getting refreshments and Dean was sitting with his legs up on a chair, cool as ever.  

"They dared me," he said, shrugging. "I didn't really know what is was until they ripped the thing off and I was like NNGHEAH-" Dean acted like he had been shocked, flapping wildly. Seth just grit his teeth, staring. 

"They… seem like they had fun," Roman supplied, coming over and offering Seth a little taste of meat from the grill. Instinctively, Seth snatched it into his mouth, but he wasn't distracted from pouting. "That's what's important. I'm just glad you could entertain 'em Deano."

 "No prob," Dean said, saluting Roman from his seat. "I'll show you how weird and alien it looks later." He rolled his eyes, seeing Seth's angry expression.  "Don't worry! I didn't let 'em _watch_ or anything!"

"Well... good." Seth sniffed, licking his lips. "I guess."

"Why don't you have any cucumbers?" Lisa demanded, pushing the sliding door and coming out with a glass of water. "Being at the spa made me remember how much I liked cucumber water." 

"We got lemons." Roman shrugged. "And Mio powder."

"What are you growing in your garden?" Holly asked, coming out and immediately zeroing in on the contained rows of greens popping up from the soil. "Oh, I miss nice weather!" 

"Bunch of things," Roman said, popping the top of the grill down again and wiping his hands on his apron. "Seth was helping me weed a lot when he was here, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done, but a lot of the backyard is veggies and stuff. We try to keep the flowers up front."

"Did you say you had a chicken too?" Holly laughed, pointing to Crispy's chicken run on the far side of the yard. Seth was leaning on the awning post, but nodded, ambling over to the coop. There wasn't as much bird poop in the yard at the moment, but he didn't want to step in any mushy patches of grass with his bare feet.

"She's still all broody right now, watch it," Roman advised as Seth pulled open the little door. "She hasn't been coming out much."

Crispy began to cluck in a sort of warning way, sitting on her roost and puffing up. Holly cooed, looking in over Seth's shoulder and chuckling softly. 

"I saw a sign on the way back here for the farmer’s market. Do you ever go to that?" she asked. "You remember when I used to take you to one when you were a kid?"

 "Kinda," Seth mumbled, pushing the door shut again and making his way back to the patio. "I remember berry picking more."  

"I bet the ones here are really something," Holly said, sitting down next to Lisa and Dean at the table. "Lots of oranges I bet!"

"That might be fun," Roman said suggestively, looking to his mother. "You wanna go to the farmer's market, ma?" 

"We could, I guess." She shrugged. "What do you wanna  _ do _ there?"

"Just do it, I dunno," he sighed, sitting down. "That's where I got Crispy and the other chickens. There's fresh food and animals and stuff. I bet you could get some really nice soap and stuff there, it's fun." 

"You aren't going to get _ more _ chickens are you?" Lisa asked, frowning. She looked to Holly and half rolled her eyes. "When I found this property, well, we got it and I thought it would be perfect for Roman to fix up, so when he sells it and moves, we could get a big return on it, right?" She sank back in her seat, clearly warming up. "Now, I know that almost  _ every  _ property on this block has a pool and when I looked at this place with Sika, we were sure we'd have to put the money in and get one dug out. Which isn't a big problem or anything for us, but we thought we'd get the interiors done first-"

Holly and Dean nodded, following along. Seth looked to Roman, fighting back a grin. His boyfriend's face began to set, realizing he was essentially going to be scolded through a complicated, diverging narrative.

"Now, once Daniel- that's his _ ex _ \- after Daniel moved in, we had started looking up contractors that would get the job done and he-" Lisa pointed to Roman, "He tells us 'sorry mom, we had a whole garden plot with chickens and bees and a compost bin, no pool!" 

"We _ did _ tell you we didn't want to tear up the backyard for a pool because we both  _ worked  _ at a pool-" Roman sighed, looking to Holly to make his defense. "Plus, well, my boyfriend at the time had vitiligo really bad, so the last thing he wanted to do in his off time was be in a chlorinated bath."

"But it wasn't FOR you, it was for the property!" Lisa argued. "All you had to do was maintain it!" 

"But it's the biggest money suck ever!" Roman laughed. "Anyways-" 

"Well, _we_ _want_ to put a pool in," Lisa said, shaking her head, clearly looking to Holly for some support. "I swear though, when he told me he wanted to have bees here…" 

"Did you ever make honey?" Holly asked excitedly, clearly missing the point of Lisa's story. Dean grinned, but Roman just shook his head.

"No, they kept swarming, we weren't very good beekeepers…"

It was a nice evening and Seth was happy to listen to Roman talking about flowers and vegetables, pivoting between the grill and the table to visit with his mother and guests. There was a very slight breeze and Kevin sat on the concrete, panting and winking, content to lay at Seth's feet. After taking an ibuprofen and icing his knee, the swelling and soreness had subsided some, so he wasn't too distracted by pain as Roman pulled the steaks and pork chops off the grill. 

"Li’l Filet Mignon," Roman said, passing Seth's plate back with an aluminum wrapper of onions and potatoes. Everything smelled amazing and Seth had to stop himself from digging in immediately, sensing Lisa's watchful gaze. 

"Did you want to say grace Dean?" she asked politely, shaking him out of his slouch. Seth's cheek twitched, he knew he would disappoint everyone if he was asked to do some sort of evening prayer and Holly gazed at him from the corner of her eye. Seth had always been a staunch Atheist, and even Roman's mother wouldn't shake him from his platform. 

"I think _ you _ should do the honors," Dean said, tilting his head back at Lisa. "You'll do it the best."

Roman sat and offered up his hands. Everyone joined, holding on to their neighbor and Seth sat, miming along, as Lisa said the Lord's Prayer. 

The food was great. Roman had been marinating the meat for hours and a carafe of sun tea had been made as a late day alternative to alcohol. Kevin begged for scraps and Seth gave him little pieces of gristle from his plate while Lisa worried aloud about her flight home on Sunday night. Holly would also be leaving in the evening the next day, but after checking their itineraries, they were leaving from different terminals of the Orlando airport.  

"Back to work," Holly said, shrugging as she worked to cut the meat from the bone of her pork. "It was nice to come down! I really should try to get Bob to come out for Easter or something." 

"We'd have you at our place anytime," Lisa said, smiling wide. "We still need to figure out our Easter plans. I don't think Nia will come back right away, and the kids were talking about going camping at some point on their spring break, I'm not sure." She frowned, thinking. "Well, and then… once Roman figures out his work and such, we're hoping to see you boys more often anyway."

Roman tilted his head up and opened his mouth for a moment, thinking. It seemed as though he was trying to give Lisa a chance to get any last words out, but he took out his phone, opening the device and looking around the table. 

"I got this Friday night, but I didn't see it until a few hours ago." He handed his mother the phone and Seth could see an email on the screen. "I got into UCF."

Seth's eyes widened and Lisa shrieked happily, throwing her arms around her son and giving him a hug. Dean beat his fork on his glass softly to make the cup ring loudly. 

"Oh honey, that's wonderful!" she said, shaking his shoulder. "When do you start again?"

"The semester doesn't start until May, but there was a few online courses that I'm going to start in March to get some of the foundation requirements figured out right away." He grinned, blushing red. "Yeah, so… I'm going to step down from my position and I'll be a little more available…" 

"Congratulations!" Holly said warmly. Kevin was running around the table, roused by the noise and energy. Seth immediately wanted to know what Roman meant by 'stepping down from his position', but he didn't push the subject. Roman's mom was always getting caught in little details and Roman looked happy enough, he didn't want to ruin the moment. Dean looked unfazed and calm as usual, and Seth wondered how much, if at all Roman had confided in him. 

Dessert was blueberry cheesecake, but everyone was too stuffed to eat it right away. Quiet and full of food, Seth pulled Kevin into his lap and pet his dog while Roman walked Holly around his garden, showing her the different rows. Lisa got a call from Sika and hovered by the garden gate, talking quietly while Dean balled up aluminum foil and toyed with the temples of his sunglasses.

"I'm sorry... if I like, snapped," Seth sighed, nudging Dean's foot under the table with his good leg. "I just thought, like… you  _ flashed _ my mom or something."

Dean snorted, chuckling softly. Seth shrugged.

 "It's fine, I get ya," Dean muttered. "Just thought you were too tired to entertain."

"Yeah, nah, I was... Thanks."  

Dean nudged his foot back and Seth relaxed, allowing the errant shoe to press against his toes softly. As soon as they'd finished the meal, Seth and Holly would be going back home to the apartment. He'd have to hobble up three flights of stairs and probably sit up with his mom for a few more hours before she went to bed. They only had one more day together, and Seth was thinking about what would happen when she was gone... The pain was getting better, but he still couldn't walk well or drive at all. He'd be all alone in his apartment without really anything to do but wait until his post op appointment and it was a little depressing to consider.

"Your mom likes us, I think," Dean noted, eyes flitting over to where Roman and Holly were squatting, setting their drinks in the dirt to examine the plants growing there. Seth nodded, a warm fuzzy feeling gathering in his chest.

"Yeah, I don't know why I was worried..." 

"We're pretty awesome."

"I never said you weren't." Seth laughed, lowering his voice "I just… after all the Christmas stuff… I didn't know what to think. I think I thought they'd ask more questions or something." 

"She asked me how you were doin' but that's it," Dean said, stacking all the dirty silverware on his plate. A stronger wind picked up, blowing some of the porch chimes hard enough to clang. 

For maybe the first time since he'd been injured, Seth felt grateful, looking around to all the people in the backyard that made up his support system. Roman's mother obviously had her own reasons for visiting, but she was a nice enough woman that was sympathetic and generous. Taking everything into account, Seth had all the best possible outcomes for having been injured. His grandfather was helping with money, he'd been able to get surgery fairly quickly, his boyfriends had been kind and understanding every step of the way and his mother was assisting him where he could. Seth wasn't sure he could ever repay all of them for their compassion.

Before he could awkwardly try to voice his sentiments, Dean's attention was diverted, checking his phone and licking his lips.   


"When do you think the market thing opens tomorrow?" he asked, scrolling through google. "I got lessons to teach in the evening."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued in Part 2


	102. For the Birds [Part: 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang goes to the farmer's market and they don't leave empty handed. [Part 2 of 2]

The farmer’s market was actually hosted by the park at Lake Eola so Seth had no problem guiding his mother to the area the next day. Parking was a little frustrating since Holly worried over Seth's ability to crutch several blocks away from the lake area with a small dog in tow, and eventually she just pulled up to the front of the park and put her flashers on.

"Mom, I'm fine-"

"You got it?" she asked, about to get out in order to hand Seth his crutches. Seth grimaced, kicking his legs out of the door and going to grab them himself. Kevin looked confused, but Seth was quick to jerk his lead toward the door and he followed, hopping onto the concrete. 

"I'm going to loop around and see about parking over there, okay?" she explained, pointing back as Seth strained his eyes against the sun. Cars were idling behind them and one honked their horn loudly.

"Oh, for pete's sake-"

"Mom, it's cool, I'll see you in a sec."

Seth stood, grouchy and annoyed until he was found by Roman, Lisa and Dean, who apparently elected to Uber instead of bothering with parking near downtown. Just before he'd gone to bed, Roman had messaged to ask him if he felt capable of being outside and moving around for most of the day, and Seth felt slightly insulted. His pain was a fraction of what it had been and he was eager to prove he could partake in outings since he'd ditched on the spa the previous day.  

"Wanna sip?" Dean asked, offering Seth some iced coffee. "Where's your ma?"

"Parking," Seth said simply, shaking his head. "It might be a minute."

Lisa expressed some urgency to find a bathroom, so she and Roman parted, entering the market and walking down the brick walkway and out of sight. Dean stood beside Seth, sipping casually. Kevin settled on the ground, his leash slack in Seth's grip. 

"Uce said he can drive your ma to the airport later," he mumbled, watching a woman carry a huge bouquet of flowers. "We can figure it out later, but I got work so he can do it."  

"Mm," Seth hummed, craning his neck to try to see if his mother was among a swell of people coming from the other side of the road. The stress of parking began to ebb after a few moments and the breeze off the lake seemed to calm him. Seth blinked, rolling his shoulders a little as his grip on his crutches felt sweaty. "Have you been here before?" 

"Not to this," Dean sighed. "Ngh… I just want to smoke but I've been all clean and shit with the moms around…"

"How long has it been?" Seth grinned, watching Dean scratch at his beard, annoyed. He thought for a moment. 

"I dunno, day or two?" 

"I parked on Palmetto!" Holly called over the crowd, rushing to Seth's side and smiling as her purse flapped on her shoulder. "We all ready?" 

The day was heating up to be very warm, but the proximity to the lake helped as the group reunited and worked their way through the rows of tents and awnings. Holly offered to walk Kevin and Seth was immediately sour that he was the slowest, having to worm and wait his way through overly apologetic strangers that hastened to give him space. His condition also made him susceptible to being bothered unnecessarily by the pushy salespeople that wandered the rows with coupons and offers for businesses outside the market. 

"Do you want me to hold that, honey?" Holly asked, offering to grab a flyer for a home furniture sale that had been thrust upon him. Roman frowned sympathetically. 

"Nope," Seth muttered, tossing the paper in the trash and crutching faster. He began to sweat, but Roman and Dean slowly made stride with him, acting as a buffer between himself and the market. 

Despite his bum knee and the solicitors, Seth was still glad to be out and seeing the fresh fruit and veggies from the vendors. Everything looked big and organic and all of the folks selling their wares wore simple clothes and straw hats, eager to hop up and bag any produce. Sure that he couldn't really carry anything or buy much, Seth just watched, smiling as children picked up avocados and oranges with enthusiasm. 

Lisa was most interested in the ceramic bowls and cups available for purchase and Roman shuffled off as she showed him a large serving bowl with blue and green glazes. Holly lingered near her own son, similarly enthused with the environment, but not stimulated to buy much.

"Was there anything you wanted to see?" Seth offered, watching as his mother stared at a large horde of swans by the lakeside. She shrugged, smiling.

"Not really, it's all good," she chirped, locking Kevin's leash before he could move too far. "It's just nice to be outside! It's still so cold in Davenport, it's a big change being here with all the palm trees."

"Yeah, for sure," he agreed, wiping a line of sweat of his forehead. Dean had slowly migrated away, investigating a man with several exotic parrots in cages. Children were all lining up, excited to share their shoulder with a blue macaw. Seth grinned, instinctively going for the phone in his pocket. 

"Did you want to see one?" an old man with a sunburned bald head asked, smiling up to Dean. 

" _Absolutely_."  

Intimidated by an adult stealing their moment, most of the children backed off and Dean raised his arms, allowing multiple birds to perch as the man kept handing him parrots. Roman returned, carrying a bag with the serving bowl he'd just purchased, and Lisa laughed, watching Dean's flock. A huge cockatoo began picking at his t-shirt and Dean tutted, blowing on it's feathers.

"You're such an animal lover!" Lisa laughed, whipping out her phone as Seth and Roman snapped their own photos. "You boys aren't allowed to bring any _ parrots  _ home though!"

"I'm already weird enough without owning a parrot," Dean said, catching the reproachful eyes of the handler as the birds were put back on the tops of their cages. "Sorry dude…" 

"Hungry?" Lisa asked, holding her light jacket and looking to the men. "That barbecue smell is getting to me."

Another row across from the merchants was a circle of eateries, mostly owned by local restaurants. It was a step above food trucks, with all the operations exposed to the elements, and Seth delighted to see meat flipped and rotated in the open with teenagers in aprons doing most of the labor. There was a single picnic table that was unoccupied, resting in the shade, and Holly went to wipe off some stray crumbs while the rest of the group chose their lunches carefully. Seth was intrigued by the deep fried mac and cheese, but settled for a huge cuban style sweet potato burrito. 

The day was going great and he didn't even feel too tired, resting his crutches on the side of the table as he ate. Roman bought Seth a large bottle of water and Holly noticed him eyeing the mini donut stand, so they shared a bag while Kevin eagerly waited for them to spill some sugar dust on the ground so he could lick it up. 

"Did you need any ibuprofen, honey?" Holly asked at the end of the meal, digging through her purse. Seth nodded, only a little sore, but sure he'd be feeling the excursion later that day. He swallowed a pill and sat quietly, waiting for the group to come to a consensus about what to do next. 

"Mandy has a doctor's appointment at the end of next month..." Lisa was checking her calendar and nudging Roman's elbow. Roman wiped his mouth and peered over her device. "But it would be great if you could come up before you do your spring break thing."

"I probably can, I dunno." Roman shrugged. "I'll look and see- I know there's some orientation thing I gotta do for UCF, but I haven't talked to Hunter yet about my hours and all."

"Well, you should see Grandma," Lisa said firmly. "You could bring Dean and Seth too! It's no problem!"

"We are not _ all  _ getting time off together probably until the end of the summer." Roman laughed. "It's already… look, I'll go," he amended, seeing his mother's angry expression. "But me and Dean are both super behind on work right now and Seth needs to rehab his knee."

"But what about Easter?" Lisa prodded. "Does the pool close?"

"Doubt it," Roman said, looking to Dean.

"Nah…” Dean said, mulling it over. “I think… the hours change a little, but nothing big…"

"Well, we need to find  _ some _ time for family in there," Lisa said, folding up her paper plate and walking to the trash. Everyone was quiet for a moment but Roman sat calmly, thinking.

"You guys want to see the chickens?" he asked.

Dean apparently hadn't had his fill of birds for the day and Holly loved farm animals. Seth was similarly interested and so the group followed Roman's path once they had disposed of their trash. Lisa seemed to recover a little after she purchased a large lemonade and didn't mind joining the group as they headed for the livestock area. But the ladies faltered in front a table on the way, seeing some homemade soaps and hand scrubs. Roman slowed down and Dean took Kevin's leash, intending to move away from the tables, but Holly pulled him back before he could get away.

"This is felted!" she said eagerly, holding up a little soap. "Look! When you get the soap wet, the wool shrinks as the soap shrinks!"

"Huh? Oh… cool…how do you make it?"

Seth's eyes wandered as he saw two bearded men on the opposite row who were eyeing him strangely. They had a table set up advertising organic dog shampoo and Kevin barked, pulling on his leash.  

"Oh, hey!" Seth remembered, crutching over to the table. "You guys... do you guys work at that Wyatt boarding place? In Kissimmee?" 

"Yup, boarding, grooming and daycare," the enormous man said, folding his arms. Seth recognized him as the one that had kept Kevin in a carrier when he'd picked him up after Christmas. 

"We're also purveyors of organic goods," the shorter, rounder man said. Seth thought it was strange that he looked unkempt with flyaway dreadlocks and a huge beard, but was also selling exquisite shampoo and dog treats. "You had the tiny Yorkie if I remember right?"  

It wasn't too hard to tell, as Kevin kept barking strangely, trying to get away from Dean and get closer to Seth. It was weird behavior, but the man's eyes lit up, pulling a treat from a tray and motioning to the dog. Dean's attention was split, but Roman pulled the leash from his hand and picked Kevin up to bring him over. Immediately, the dog stopped barking, going calm and compliant as the man fed him a treat.  

"Yeah, uh, you guys seemed like you did a good job with him," Seth said stupidly, at a loss for what to say. Both of the guys were weird and looked distinctly out of place, tabling at the market. The tall man was so large, his head was kissing the top of their awning, nearly obscuring his face from view. The fatter man simply looked manic, staring at Kevin in an almost predatory manner, licking his lips.

"Roman, is your sister allergic to lavender?" Lisa asked, calling him over. 

"Which one?" Roman laughed, making his way back to his mother. Seth held the leash, letting Kevin lick the ground where he'd eaten the treat. 

"We have all sorts of delectable treats for the discerning dog owner," the man said in an excitable whisper, letting his hand glide over his wares. "Very affordable prices. We also have discounts on daycare and grooming-"

"Oh, I'm… uh, I'm good," Seth said, readjusting the leash so it wouldn't choke his dog as he meant to crutch away. "Thanks though."

"That'll be a dollar," the huge man barked loudly. Seth paused, staring.

"What?"

"For the treat."

Seth frowned, looking to Kevin. He'd thought it had been a free sample, but Bray was tapping a sign he'd missed on the table over the tray, advertising the price. It was a bold sales tactic, but Seth wasn't about to start a fight.

"Shoulda warned me," he mumbled, tossing a dollar at the man from his wallet. He ambled away quickly before he could be conned any further. Kevin jingled in tow and Holly hastened to grab the leash again as he rejoined the group, her hands laden with soaps.

"Get enough?" Seth laughed, watching her stick the bars in her purse. "You're gonna be real clean, wow."

"I got this one," Dean said, sticking a felted soap bar to Seth's face. He sniffed it, humming at the scent of vanilla and almond. 

The chickens were a little separate from the fair, hosted on the outskirts by a larger tent where huge basins could be attended to by industrial strength fans and heating lamps. A few hens were resting in cages by the entrance where chalk boards displayed facts about egg laying birds for children to read. A large swell of people left the tent in time for them to arrive, and a large woman with long black hair greeted them, holding a hen in her arms. 

"Her name is  _ Lazy _ ," the woman explained, allowing each of them to stroke the hen's comb. Seth laughed, watching the bird dimly acknowledge them, easily twice the size of Crispy with huge protruding feet. Lisa waited behind them, adjusting her sun hat and frowning slightly. 

"This is where you got Crispy?" Seth asked Roman, crutching under the tent and speaking a little louder against the hum of the fans. Roman nodded, crouching down by one of the basins where the tiny chicks were huddled, peeping and sleeping on top of a layer of paper towels.

"Yeah, we got her here with the other two. I should probably buy some feed while I'm here too…" He sighed, looking at a stack of bird feed and frowning. Dean was already leaning into one of the basins and pulling out chicks to inspect. 

"Do you think you'll get more chicks someday?" Holly asked Roman quietly, eyes flitting to Lisa in the corner. "If you could…"

 "Well," Roman said, "I think Crispy needs them more than any of us..."

"Crispy  _ definitely _ needs it," Dean said, pulling out a little speckled chick and petting it's head. "Unless… hens don't ever go crazy and kill the babies, do they?"

"Maybe, I dunno," Roman laughed, looking at the chick in Dean's hands and smiling wide. "...Do you like that one?"

Dean's face lit up in a way that was almost cartoonish and Seth chuckled.

"We  _ can _ get some?" Dean asked in excitement.

"Don't  _ yell  _ it," Roman said under his breath, looking to his mother who was texting nearby. "Just… let's just say…"

Seth wasn't leaping for joy like Dean was, but the idea of getting chickens was exciting. But he also remembered the dinner conversation from the previous night, and he couldn't help feeling like they were doing something illegal with Lisa hovering in the background. Dean immediately started jogging around the basins, looking to see the different breeds that were available for purchase while Holly began looking at the chicken books by the cash register. Seth leaned to Roman, choosing his words carefully.

"Is this all… okay?"

"Yeah..." Roman sighed, rubbing his beard. "Me and mom… well… I'd been thinking about it for awhile, cause Crispy is just so grumpy and I don't want to deal with it unless I'm getting eggs… but we talked about it last night... and it was kind of a fight, but I made my case and she's dealing with it."  

As Seth watched Lisa, who was ardently refusing to look at the chicken tent, he couldn't help laughing nervously. 

"You're sure?" he asked again for good measure. Roman nodded quickly, leaning in to touch the small of Seth's back and rub reassuringly.  

"Yeah, don't worry babe. She'll come around. I wanna get three… so if you're into it, you should pick one out…"

Seth swallowed, but his chest began to hum with excitement. Even with the noise of all the fans, the little peeps could be heard from all around, eager and loud. Looking into the troughs with a new sense of purpose, Seth eyed each sign showing the breeds, displaying pictures of the adult hens and chicks with some information about the eggs they laid. 

However, leaning in and getting a closer look was difficult with a leg brace. Seth had neglected to put in his contacts and he winced, trying to ease himself down to see the babies. Roman quickly came to his side, looking around to see what made the most sense. 

"There's a stool over here!" the lady managing the tent said, making to grab the seat and bring it over. "Don't want ya breakin' your other leg now!"

"I can bring you one," Roman offered, gesturing to the bins. "If you pick a breed."

"Yeah, but  _ I  _ want to chose it," Seth whined, flexing his quad and thinking. Holly came by, still holding the chicken book in her hands. 

"Were you guys getting chicks then?" she asked, beaming. Roman nodded quickly and she bit her lips, looking back into the basins.  

"Here," Roman said, gesturing for Holly's book. "Pick a breed out from here and then you can just look in one or two places quick." 

Seth sat with the book, watching Dean in the corner of his eye as he pulled a chick out from the bin furthest to the back and held it up the light, inspecting it. Seth had just gotten himself comfortable on the stool and opened to the first breed when Dean plopped a mottled yellow chick down in Seth's lap, startling him.

"Is this mine now?" he asked pushing his legs together quickly so the tiny bird wouldn't fall through. It peeped loudly, it's little body vibrating as its tiny feet scratched at Seth's shorts.  

"It's Junior," Dean said, determined. "Crispy Junior. The sign says she lays green eggs!"

"That's the one you want?" Roman said, stooping to look into Seth's lap. "Nice, okay."

"This one's awesome!" Seth said, pointing to a breed in the book that was jet black from it's feet to the top of it's head, showing no color at all. Dean's chick peeped louder. "I want that one!"

" _ That _ is a rare as hell bird from Indonesia that costs a  _ ton _ of money," Roman laughed. "You gotta pick ones that are here." 

"Well, which ones are here?" Seth grouched, flipping through the pages. He landed on a large hen that looked just like Crispy. 

"Buff Orpingtons are here."  

"This one is cute," Dean said, holding up another mottled little bird. Seth frowned. 

"They're _ all  _ cute, they're babies!"

"True."

Roman squatted over a basin to inspect the chicks, leaving Seth and Dean's chick to sit and pour over the book. Seth didn't really know where to start, thrown for a loop as he hadn't thought he would be spending his afternoon trying to choose a chicken. Holly followed after Roman, watching him pull out prospective candidates while Seth tried to keep Crispy Junior from pecking at his leg. 

"Which one is this, anyway?" Seth asked Dean as he returned, scooping up the chick and holding it daintily in his hand. 

"American something," Dean muttered, peering back at the sign "Americauna." 

Seth flipped to the  _ Americauna _ and laughed, seeing a full grown gold and black bird with a distinctive tufty beard under its beak. Skinny and absurd, Seth wanted to say it looked like Dean. 

"They have these ones," Dean interrupted, flipping a few pages back past where Seth had been. "If you… wanted a dark one…"

Seth paused, seeing a large black hen with a tiny red comb printed on the page. 

_ Australorps are calm and friendly, but a little shy. They lay excellent layers of light brown eggs and have exceptionally soft, shiny black plumage has hints of green and purple in the sunlight. Peaceful and dignified, Australorps are an absolutely delightful bird which we highly recommend to anyone who wants a pet chicken that lays dependably. _

"Where are they?" Seth asked, looking around and squinting. Dean located the basin and Roman helped Seth stand so they could relocate to the other side of the tent. Placing the stool by the chicks and sitting sideways, Seth let his knee rest as he glanced past the heating lamp to peer at the little black and yellow chicks. He really had no clue which one to chose, having no real idea what constituted a good chick, but something told him he'd know when he looked inside. 

Some of the birds were sleeping in huddles while others were fruitlessly jumping against the side of the basin, flapping their tiny, ineffective wings. One chick was standing in the middle of the basin and peeping nonstop. 

Seth rested his hand inside and waited, his heart fluttering as a single bird came closer and pecked at his finger. He pulled the chick up so he could see it, as though he was a diamond merchant inspecting a rock. The chick boldly pecked at his beard and Seth laughed, content with his decision. 

"I was going to get a Barred Rock, I thought they looked kinda cool," Roman said, smiling as Seth set the Australorp chick next to Dean's Americauna. "But I think I might be cursed after I chose a rooster on accident last time, so-"

"I'll pick it!" Dean declared, jogging over to the bin with the Barred Rock chicks and thinking carefully. Seth watched the babies in his lap begin to settle and felt his heart melt a little. In under a minute, a third bird had been chosen and the woman constructed a box to take them home in, quizzing Roman on the appropriate means for rearing the birds.  

"It'll be Peep 2," Dean said decisively, pointing to Roman's little dark chick, which was nearly indistinguishable from Seth's. "Since Peep 1 was such a disappointment." 

Roman paid for some feed for the chicks and Holly held Kevin close as he began to get anxious, watching the peeping box and letting off little barks. As soon as they left the tent and rejoined Lisa, she narrowed her eyes at the box, but simply put her phone in her purse as an indication she was ready to leave. 

Seth hoped Lisa wouldn't begin to associate himself and Dean with choices she didn't approve of, but he wanted to trust Roman's assessment of the situation. It was all very silly, but Seth knew if Lisa was upset, it directly impacted Roman's life. Regardless, it seemed the chicks wouldn't stop her from walking by her son on the way out, and Seth was glad to see her give them a smile before she left. 

The exhaustion didn't quite hit him until he was waiting for his mother to bring the car around, but Seth yawned, sitting on a bench with Dean and the box of chickens. It had made the most sense for Roman and Lisa to go separately, as plan slowly taking form was for Holly to grab her things from Seth's house and then drive over to Roman's so she could be taken to the airport from there. 

Everyone except for Seth would be working the next day, and Dean had just an hour and a half before teaching lessons that evening. Before Holly could pull up to the curb to grab them, Roman had texted their group chat. 

**Seth do u want to stay the night n make sure chicks r okay tomorrow? I dont think there will be any problems but it might b better 2 have somone there just in case**

It was as good an invite as any. Dean patted his thigh and Seth yawned again, texting **yeah sure** to their message thread. He slumped back in the seat, feeling a little sunburned on his nose, but enjoying the peaceful hum from a full day of moving and socializing. A little bubble of relief formed in his chest at the thought of staying the night with his boyfriends again, hopefully spooned up in bed beside them.  

"You excited to be a bird dad again?" Seth asked, hearing occasional peeps from the cardboard. The box shuffled slightly as one of the chicks pummeled the side and they both laughed, making sure the container was in no danger of falling over.

"Yeah, they're fun," Dean admitted, petting Kevin to distract him. "Roman's mom was mad last night, but I think she'll get over it." 

"Was it bad?" Seth asked, turning his neck to regard Dean carefully. Dean shrugged, sighing and tapping his heel. 

"Not really, just the same conversation I think they were sayin' at dinner. Just like, having different ideas about stuff. Uce just said he didn' think he was gonna leave the house soon and he didn' want to kill Crispy and eat her or anything. It was weird kinda cause I didn't even think he cared that much about the chickens... They were always Dan's thing." 

Dean trailed off and Seth sat up a little straighter, catching one of his crutches before it slipped from where it was leaning on the bench.

"Well,  _ you  _ care about her," Seth said. "You like having them around and all. Uce knows."

"Heck yeah, they're the best." Dean nodded. "I guess they're my thing now… hmmm..."

The Cadillac crept up alongside the curb where they were sitting and Dean helped Seth fit into the back before sitting up front with the chicks in his lap. Kevin kept trying to stand on the back cupholder, sniffing to inspect the bird box, but Seth pulled him away and unhooked his leash.

"Where do I go from here, honey?" Holly asked, looking to the backseat. Dean latched his seatbelt and pointed up the road.  

"If you take a left, you can get on the highway here, yeah," he assisted, checking to make sure nobody was behind them. "You're good." 

"Okay." Holly merged and turned up the air conditioning. "Baby chickens! It's so exciting… though… Lisa didn't look too happy, did she?" 

"Yeah, but it's whatever," Dean said quickly, pulling out a stick of gum to chew. "She doesn't like a lot of stuff."

"Oh what,  _ really _ ?" Holly said sarcastically. "Like I couldn't tell when she told me I painted my nails the wrong color?"

Both Seth and Dean snorted, looking out the window and blushing slightly. Holly made the left turn and continued down the road, chuckling softly to herself. 

"At least Roman seems alright," she concluded. "I've had a lot of fun boys, I didn't think I'd have this much fun coming down here!"

"It's been a blast," Dean agreed. "Me and Uce should come up to Iowa sometime. See… the corn and stuff…"

Seth blinked and blushed redder as Holly assured him they could come whenever they pleased. They continued joking, mostly about when they had gone to the spa and Seth just stroked Kevin's ears, pulling out his phone and giggling to himself at the picture he'd taken of Dean with the parrots. One handed, he cropped the photo in, making it the background on his phone.  

"Crispy Junior and Peep 2," Dean said firmly, leaning back and looking at Seth over his sunglasses. "What're you going to name yours?"

"Oh, uh." Seth squinted, trying to think quickly. He didn't really have the faintest idea. "Maybe... I have to wait and see what the personality is."

They discussed names all the way to Seth's house and then to Roman's without much luck. Holly kept suggesting cliche names and Dean's were far too eccentric, but Seth was optimistic, sure that something would turn up before long. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This early update was sponsored by fan donations! I'll be going out of town over the weekend and into Monday, so there won't be a chapter up before Raw, but there probably will one done by the end of the week. I feel a double update is a lot to chew on anyway, so I hope you enjoy! Next chapter will be a special bonus chapter, in part to celebrate 100 chapters, but also I just broke 400k words! 
> 
> I forgot to mention it, but the index is now posted in the story notes as well. I'll update the index probably once a month or so to reflect the newer chapters. It's hosted by Tumblr, so be forewarned, if you're on mobile and try to load it in the Tumblr app it might not work. Just use your internet browser. Let me know if it's an incoherent mess!
> 
> Donations to my Kofi account help me write faster, but I also would like to tip our friendly neighborhood KenjiDeath for consistently editing To the Rescue for what I believe is almost a year now! Please donate if you can and I can mail them a big pizza or something. Or, just review and tell them how great they are! 
> 
> <3 <3 <3


	103. Bonus Chapter: Crispy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An insight into the life of Crispy the chicken and the people who have cared for her.

 

Crispy was a large, golden chicken that lived in the roost of a small garden behind her owners’ house. Each morning the sun rose, and she would eagerly run out to meet it, bobbing her head and ruffling her feathers excitedly in anticipation of a new day. Occasionally, her enthusiasm would boil over, causing her to perch in the low bush by the house and crow happily, but each time she did so, someone came out to stop her happy song.

_Stop_ , the voice would say firmly, loud and direct enough to sometimes spook her from her little perch. Annoyed, Crispy would ruffle herself up and run away to make her displeasure felt. However, after a few moments, she would forget her struggle and begin foraging for bugs in the grass, wandering in small circles around the backyard until she had eaten a frugal meal and the sun was shining bright and hot, forcing her to find appropriate shade.

Crispy had a great life for the most part, and enjoyed living in the backyard and doing much of the same things that she always did. There were always plenty of bugs, food and water, and her home was kept clean and secure from most critters. It was lonely at times, but it was alright. She didn't remember very much of anything at all and she felt as though she had been valued for as long as she had been there.

When Crispy had first come to live on Grant Street, she hadn't lived outside, but had rather stayed indoors with the two other chicks that shared her small enclosure. The cage had been kept warm with a glowing orange light, and they huddled together to sleep when they weren't peeping and flapping their tiny wings.

"I still think mine is the coolest one," Dean had said, pulling Crispy into his hands and holding her up to his face, grinning. His palms were warm and Crispy settled, feeling sleepy and tired from so much activity. Huge fingers pet her head and she stilled, quiet. 

"Just a few more weeks and we'll put them outside," Daniel said from the couch, leaning into Roman and watching Dean crouch over the cage.  

"Good thing too," Roman muttered, "they're stinking up the damn house."

Crispy thought being outside was better anyway, even though it was much louder and more unpredictable. As her feathers began to come in and the cage became crowded, the chickens all started to get agitated at their small home. Moving into the run was a relief. Crispy began roosting on the end of the run, leaving Peep in the middle and Josie on the farthest side. For many days, they wandered through the yard, eating bugs and chasing each other around, and at night they huddled close, keeping warm and safe. 

That was, until one night when Crispy awoke to hear strange noises and shuffling outside. She raised her head up, alert and awake. Peep woke up and Josie flapped her wings, clucking loudly.

In an instant, they heard a growl, and Crispy squawked in warning. The moonlight shining through the entrance of the run was obscured by a dark shadow, which barreled into the structure, spitting and gurgling. Feathers exploded everywhere as Crispy desperately tried to escape, hitting the walls of the run until she came tumbling out of the door. Peep followed, clucking anxiously and running circles in the darkness.

Crispy huddled with Peep in the bush as the back porch light came on. Daniel came hurtling out of the house in his bathrobe, looking around in the halflight. Roman followed, his hair hanging around his shoulders in sleepy tendrils.

"You see anything?" he asked, scanning the backyard in the darkness. "That sounded…"

"Bad…" Daniel finished.

Crispy was relieved to hear their voices, but refused to move from her spot. The angry growling had stopped, but there was no way to tell if it was safe to emerge just yet. Daniel turned, confused and anxious.

"I'm going to grab a light," he explained. "I don't want to go over there unless I can see."

"Yeah, yeah." Roman pushed his slip ons over his feet and gathered his hair into a bun. "I was worried this might happen..."

Crispy heard the door slide shut and open again, and then a choked noise as Daniel emerged with his phone shining a path through the darkness. Blood and feathers covered the ground and Roman stood close by, rubbing his boyfriend's side.

"No… They can't all be gone..." Daniel said, sniffing. "Fuck, what do you think it was? A fox?"

"I dunno." Roman sighed. "I don't want to imagine."

Josie's whole body was never found, but in under an hour, Daniel had located Peep and Crispy in the bush, nearly crying with relief at the sight of the birds. Crispy clucked, annoyed at the light shining in her face. 

"We should keep them inside tonight," Daniel asserted, hurrying to go and grab the chicken cage from the garage. "I'll… I'll deal with it, I'll clean it all up tomorrow. Don't worry about it."

"It's no problem," Roman said as he covered Crispy in a towel to effectively capture her. Crispy herself wasn't protesting much, content to rest in the cramped cage if it meant some safety for the night. Peep continued to pant strangely, his beak open and his eyes wide and staring. Their temporary home for the night was settled in the garage with some water and food. As ruffled and excited as they'd been, Crispy began to settle as the lights were turned off and Daniel gave the birds a last look before turning to go inside.  

"Do you think they'll be all traumatized?" Daniel asked. 

"They're _birds_ , they probably don't know anything…" Roman chuckled softly. "I'll help you clean the backyard tomorrow and we'll see what we can do to keep them safer."

Crispy picked at Josie's scattered feathers the next day, frustrated as Daniel and Roman scrubbed the interior of the hen house. None of the feathers were caterpillars, which seemed an obnoxious violation of her regular foraging routine.  

Daniel looked verklempt and sad the whole time, picking Crispy up into his arms and stroking her back carefully. She fidgeted, clucking anxiously through the ordeal since she didn't particularly like being handled, but Roman and Daniel were both very kind and she knew that they were the ones that spread seeds across the backyard as treats.  

For weeks, the birds were watched more carefully and were regularly checked first thing in the morning. In the evening, sometimes the men ate outside and threw bread and fruit rinds for the chickens to inspect, laughing.

On one day, Crispy woke to Peep crowing loudly at her side and she startled, expecting another scary shadow to emerge. However, the sun was rising in the morning sky and no such danger seemed to be apparent. Roman came to the coop and raised the hinged roof quickly, catching Peep in the act.

"What's going on?" Daniel called from the sliding door.

"I dunno." He shook his head as Peep clucked, bobbing back and forth. "The neighbors are going to freak out if she keeps yelling in the morning all the time!"

"Do you think she thinks there's danger?"

"No clue… I don't speak chicken."

Daniel came over and inspected Peep carefully, pulling the bird from its roost and frowning. As the two birds had started to really grow and mature, Peep seemed much skinnier than Crispy, with longer tail feathers and a floppier comb. The two birds were different breeds, but as obvious as it was to Crispy that Peep was a rooster, it took Daniel and Roman a few more days to figure it out.

Before long, Crispy was alone. Daniel pulled Peep out of the hen house one morning and she didn't see him again. Crispy wasn't afraid and she didn't really know what was happening, but the days became much quieter without another bird next to her. There were a lot more bugs to feast on in the backyard, but she still sat determinedly on the far side of her roost, just in case Peep or Josie might return.

No such reunion occurred, but for a short time, ducks took over the backyard. Their presence quickly came to offend everyone though, and Crispy especially hated their loud quacking and messy use of the water feeder. Exhausted with caring for such messy animals, both Daniel and Roman agreed it was for the best that they should be rehomed.

The sun became very hot and at night there was little drop in the heat. Each day, Crispy took many dust baths, trying to find cool dirt to flop against her feathers as the bugs and worms dwindled. She alternated sitting in shady areas as the shadows changed throughout the day, and preening her feathers to distract herself from the temperature. Life rolled on and Crispy huddled in her hen house each evening with little to consider.

On one humid night, she slept restlessly, feeling sensations she had not felt before. It was strange and not entirely comfortable, but she continued to rest as best as she could until the sun rose the next day. Around 7:30 when Daniel went to check on her, he found her pecking the yolk of a runny, broken egg at the bottom of her nest. He laughed loudly, scaring her to flop onto the floor in a ruffled mess.

"Roman, look!" Daniel said, delighted, calling his lover to the hen house to see Crispy's first egg. Confused and anxious, Crispy bobbed around their feet as they inspected the remains of the egg, watching as Roman raised an eyebrow.

"But… she broke it. Why did she do that?"

"She pecked it, she probably didn't know what it was!" Daniel said, laughing. "I'll have to google how to stop her from doing that or something, but isn't that great though? Hopefully she'll be doing that every day from now on!"

"How about that?" Roman smiled, regarding the chicken fondly. "You're finally earning your rent."

It took Daniel leaving golf balls in Crispy's nest to stop her from poking her own eggs to pieces, but as soon as Crispy seemed to understand the importance of her eggs, she enjoyed making them. Each day for several years, Roman or Daniel came to her house in the morning and collected her gift. Dean especially seemed overjoyed anytime he came to visit.

"I told you she's the best one!" Dean laughed, holding her egg up to the light and inspecting the brown coloring. "Hardest working bird I know."

"How many birds do you know?" Daniel laughed, sipping on his coffee and watching Crispy forage around in the yard. "It would be nice to get more, as much as Lisa and Sika would hate it."

"Yeah, maybe not, but still." Dean smirked, watching his bird. "Two guys and a chicken, what else could you want, right?"

It was difficult sometimes being alone, but Crispy didn't think about it, content to eat bugs and peck grass so she could make a new egg each day. Her routine was such that each morning when the sun rose, she turned her egg to the far side of her nest, anticipating a hand to reach under her feathers to find it. But one day, nobody came to collect her egg and so Crispy sat patiently, keeping it warm under her bottom. It wasn't particularly strange; sometimes, when it rained, Roman and Daniel waited to collect her eggs.

The next day, Crispy produced another egg and so she sat on two. It wasn't until the third day that Roman came, quickly gathering the eggs and shutting the little door without a moment to spare. Crispy clucked, standing in her now empty nest, at a loss for what to do next.

For the rest of the time that Crispy made eggs for Daniel and Roman, her care slowly grew inconsistent. The grass in the backyard grew overlong and Roman and Daniel no longer spent time in the garden together, playing music and weeding the rows of vegetables. Sometimes Roman pulled into the driveway and Crispy could hear him crying inside his car, which was a strange noise she had never heard before. Waiting expectantly by the gate, Crispy clucked when Roman came through, but he paid her no mind, instantly going to the door and shuffling inside. 

Daniel came to clean her hen house once a week, but it was now a chore. Crispy sat in the shade, watching the smaller man toss dirty hay into the wheelbarrow from a safe distance. It seemed as though the men no longer had the time to be eating outside and working on their garden, and although Crispy thought she was very important, she was just an extension of that space.

It was annoying, because this meant there were no more treats to look for and Crispy often awoke to the sounds of Roman crying outside on the patio table, talking on his phone and sobbing until late. Crispy thought it was a scary shadow at first, but after some time she just learned to put her head under her wing, blocking out the noise.

Devoid of any socialization during the day, she crowed to amuse herself and took to trying to fly over the backyard fence, sure there were seeds and treats somewhere else. When Crispy felt especially devious, she decided to lay her eggs in the bushes or under the table, sure that Roman and Daniel would have to work harder if they wanted to take her creations.

But instead, the eggs were simply lost or broken and Crispy was left dismayed, angrily sitting in her nest for days. Some nights there was crying, a few times there was even shouting and on one rather chilly evening, Crispy heard both men talking lowly from the patio, sniffing and breaking into soft sobs.

"I know why, I just… I don't… I don't know what to do," she heard Daniel say breathlessly. "I don't agree, I don't know what I'm supposed to do without you."

"I just can't anymore," Roman quaked, sobbing. "I can't keep this up. It's too fucking much and you _know_ it is."

"I'm afraid. I'm afraid of what's going to happen if I leave here. I'm afraid of what's going to happen to you."

"I need you to _stop_ -"

Dean came to visit the next day and practically dumped Crispy's entire bag of treats on the ground. Crispy bolted, throwing herself at the scattered seeds and eagerly pecking them from the grass. Roman stood, his face grey and solemn as his friend regarded him carefully.

"I think I did the right thing, but I don't know." Roman sighed, monotone, rubbing his face and sinking down to the table. "It feels right but it also feels so fucking wrong I don't even… I feel like I can't breathe."

"Damn." Dean laughed nervously. "I dunno either. Sounds garbage though."

"My parents want me to go home." Roman shuddered, sniffing hard. "Telling me that I need to either leave and go back to school or work for my dad."

"That's messed up." Dean said, turning his friend. "You're… you're not though… nah?"

"I don't even know," Roman said, shaking his head. "I don't… I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I don't know anything right now."

"It's… okay…" Dean said, walking away from Crispy and extending his arms somewhat strangely. "Do you… do you want like a _hug_ or something?"

"I'm fine…"

Crispy only remembered seeing Daniel a few more times, but he looked more serious and tired each time. He cut his hair and trimmed his beard, trading in his long locks for a clean shaven appearance. After spending much of the day carrying things through the backdoor and leaving the gate open, Daniel found Crispy in the front yard, pecking for bugs in the new patch of grass.

"Thanks for the eggs, Crispy," Daniel said, picking her up and replacing her in the backyard. Crispy clucked, bobbing her head as she was returned to the garden area. Daniel's soft blue eyes filled with tears, regarding the bird fondly.

"You were a good chicken."

* * *

 

And then, it was just Roman and Crispy, all alone together. The weather stayed consistently cold, and it rained hard some days, making thick puddles in the backyard. More puddles meant more worms, and Crispy delighted at the opportunity to fish around in the puddles, but Roman seemed resolutely sad. There was no more crying, but there wasn't anything to replace it either.

It wasn't until the weather warmed that Roman attempted caring for the garden again, spending some time mowing the grassy bits and weeding what he could. When it wasn't too hot and the sun wasn't shining over bright, he came out and ate raspberries off the bush and tossed some on the ground for Crispy to eat.  

But just as things seemed to get better, Crispy found that she wasn't laying eggs each day anymore, taking several days to get the job done. If she knew herself in the reflections off the water puddles, she would have seen an older bird, large and rounded in shape with impressively strong legs. She still enjoyed running around the backyard and foraging as she always did, but it was a little strange to have Roman's hand prodding her feathers, searching for eggs that were no longer there.

"Nothin' huh?" He sniffed, wiping a bit of chicken poop off his hands with mild disgust. "Suit yourself."

Crispy clucked, pushing her straw around and reorganizing as Roman walked back into the house. She knew that if she had more time, she could probably make another good egg…

Regardless of her abilities, Dean continued to visit and feed her treats, perking Roman up on days where Crispy watched him walk hunched to his car and leave, only to return in a similar defeated state. It wasn't the same as when Daniel had been around, but it was better than nothing at all. Sometimes, she even heard Roman laugh and Crispy often came out of her run, eager to see what the fuss was all about.

“Crispy!” Dean barked one morning, making his way over to her tiny little house. Crispy paused, confused to hear Dean's voice so early, but she clucked in anticipation of her door opening to allow her access to the yard.

“Good-for-nothing idiot.”

The sun was shining bright and Crispy tilted her head, inspecting a new man in her midst. Dark haired, with heavy brows.

“Does Roman-“ he spluttered. “Is that a _chicken_?”

“Yeah, it’s Crispy,” Dean explained. “He never told ya?”

The stranger visited often and Crispy came to know him by his nasally voice and trainer shoes with bright yellow laces. His beard was longer and more grown out than Roman's, but his hands were smaller and less square. His name was Seth, and his presence was like a bubble of warmth to the house on Grant Street. Roman immediately became happy and excited again, trimming the grass and playing loud music. Sometimes all three men would sit outside and cook or talk together, admiring Crispy and the garden.

Seth had a dog that Crispy grew to love. At first, Kevin had been pushy and manic, but as soon as they understood each other, Kevin followed her everywhere, eating and rolling in the grass enthusiastically. Anytime she heard the jingling of his collar, Crispy bolted from her run, thinking of her friend and his shiny metallic collar. Seth, Dean and Roman always laughed, watching the unlikely pair greet each other as though many years had passed.

"It sucks she doesn't lay eggs anymore," Seth sighed one evening, watching Crispy peck at the ground by the concrete patio in the dying light. The men were just finishing their dinner and were sipping their drinks and slouching in their seats. It was November and the air was cool.

"She's had a good run." Roman shrugged. "There were many good omelets in there."

Dean stooped, picking up the bird and bringing her to the table, ignoring Roman's protests as her long talons tapped the glass. Seth laughed as she clucked long and anxious.

"How old is she now?" Dean asked Roman, raising an eyebrow. "When did we get her?"

"A while ago, I don't remember."

"Hey," Dean's voice softened, staring at the bird. "Hey hey hey."

"If she poops on the table, you're-"

"She's not gunna," Dean sniffed, coming closer to Crispy and boring into her with his blue eyes. "I wanna teach her how to do tricks."

Crispy stepped back and pooped on the table, hopping down and running away as Seth roared with laughter. Roman tossed Dean a stack of napkins and Dean blushed, chuckling.

"You're hitting that with disinfectant too- Don't throw it on the ground!"

"Poop goes on the ground."

"Poop does _not_ go on the ground."

Crispy sat by her run until she realized that there wasn't any imminent danger coming from the loud voices laughing and shouting in the fading light of the day. Seth was wiping his eyes as Dean whisked the bird poop into the grass with his napkin and Roman scolded them, jumping up to grab something from inside the house.

By morning, she would have forgotten it all, but at the moment, Crispy was as happy as a pet chicken could be.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little story-book tale of a pet chicken. Hope it wasn't too stupid!
> 
> Next week it will be back to business as usual. Seth's mom leaves for Davenport and he's back at Roman's house. What does he name his pet chicken? and a visit from Sasha and Bayley!


	104. Baby Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moms leave, boys stay. Good news or bad news? Seth names his chick and tries to make his own plans.

Roman graciously took up the responsibility of getting Lisa and Holly to the airport in time while Dean quickly ran around the house, trying to collect his rash guard and trunks for work. It was a little chaotic, and Lisa still seemed a little put off by Roman's choice to buy the new chickens, but Seth busied himself with watching the babies while everyone else was packing and preparing to leave.

Sitting on the floor next to the cage Roman had set up, Seth massaged his thigh carefully. Not only was his knee starting to swell and protest, but his armpits were a little chafed up from crutching around the market all day. The chicks peeped and pecked at his fingers as he slumped against the wall, trying his best to stay alert. 

"I'll bet they'll keep you busy for a few days," Holly grinned, easing herself down to sit next to her son. "You should call Grandpa tomorrow and tell him how you're doing. I bet he'd love to hear about the chickens." 

"Yeah, yeah," Seth nodded, sitting up straighter. "I got… I got those bills from the hospital too, I'll stick them in an envelope and send them to him with a card or something." 

Holly watched as Seth carefully picked up his still nameless chick in the palm of his hand, tenderly petting it's head and back with his index finger. Roman came through quickly, a little flustered from trying to adequately pack his mother's new ceramic bowl. Dean hurtled over, keys and sunglasses in hand.

"Gotta go gotta go!" He hugged Seth and turned to Holly, "It was really cool meeting you." 

"You too! Thank you so much for everything!" She grinned. "Take care!"

"BYE LISA!" Dean shouted in the direction of the living room. Lisa spluttered for a moment, running over to hug Dean goodbye. 

In the end, Seth was really glad his mother had come down, as his worries had been mostly imaginary and he continued to be surprised by how cool and unaffected she was concerning his non-monogamous relationship. She still looked a little overwhelmed and confused at times, her head rotating on a swivel to listen to Roman and Dean talk back and forth, but on the whole, she just seemed glad Seth wasn't alone and struggling with his knee. 

"Were you all ready Holly?" Roman asked as Lisa went to the Jeep to pack her rolling bag away. She blushed, pushing her hair back quickly.

"Oh, yes, I just have to move my things-" 

Roman helped Seth to his feet and as soon as all of the ladies luggage pieces were stowed, Seth limped to the front door to see them off properly.

"It was so good seeing you again! Even though it's during such hard times," Lisa sighed, giving Seth a warm hug. "Please come with Roman the next time he comes up to see us! We'd love to have you!"

 "Yeah, yeah of course," Seth said, privately wishing he wouldn't have to make the drive. "Thanks so much."

Holly moved in closer, embracing her son and rocking side to side. Seth chuckled, resting his head on her shoulder and relaxing some. 

"I love you honey."

"You too ma."

Roman squeezed his hand and winked, and then they were gone, pulling out of the driveway and heading to the airport. Seth felt his energy drop and he yawned, re-entering the house and hearing the soft peeps from the cage in the corner. The chicks had enough food and water for the time being, well cared for with a red light to keep them warm, so Seth felt confident they would be fine for a few hours if he took a nap.  

Limping through the living room, he felt a little strange to be back in the house after relocating to his apartment. Kevin was sleeping on the couch belly up, as calm and comfortable as ever and he blinked wearily, watching him snooze. Seth didn't really know when he could drive again, and walking up the three flights of stairs to his place was a real chore with his brace. Logically, it made sense to stay in the single tiered house until he could start bending his joint again, but Seth didn't know how long that was.

He grumbled, flopping down into Roman's bed, wincing as he slowly raised his legs onto the mattress. It was the last day of January and he still had a week until his post-op appointment. Time felt so slowed down when he wasn't doing anything, it was driving him crazy again. Seth took a deep breath, reminding himself that his boyfriend's were just about the most understanding and sympathetic people he knew, and would probably be excited to keep him around for as long as they could.

* * *

 

That evening, Seth slept until Dean arrived home late from work. Roman just ordered pizzas for a late supper and all three men sat around, similarly exhausted from the busy weekend. The chicks continued to peep occasionally, but as the men settled in the living room, the noise died away and Seth imagined them huddled together as they had been sleeping at the market.

The television played quietly and Seth pulled the light blanket over his lap, setting his empty pizza plate on the coffee table. Dean was especially hungry from teaching lessons and had the whole box in his hands, sitting on the chaise while Roman lounged by Seth, checking his phone for any word from his mother's landing. 

"I'm thinking once it's dark out, we can put the chicks in with Crispy and see how that goes," Roman sighed as the playoff analysis went to commercial. "Make her do most of the work." 

"Kinda col' out though," Dean mumbled through a mouthful of pizza crust. "That matter?"

"Assuming she wants to be a mom, she'll make sure they stay warm." Roman shrugged, gesturing to his phone. "I'm readin' on here, they should be fine, but we might lose one of them just because that happens sometimes. Circle of life and all that." 

"Hopefully we'll have better luck this time around," Dean said, setting the box on top of Seth's plate and slumping back into his seat and looking to Seth "You gunna be good to check on 'em tomorrow?"  

"Huh? Yeah," Seth nodded, scratching at his beard. It had grown out so long now that it was starting to get thick and chunky, irritating his skin. Seth had always thought about growing out his facial hair sometime, but he was sure it currently looked more unkempt than stylish.  

Really, the hair on his head was a mess as well- the outgrown blonde patch was now yellow-gold and damaged beyond repair. Since he'd stopped guarding, he hadn't shaved his extremities or messed with any of the irregular fuzz that came up on his chest or stomach. Now, stuffed into sweaters and made to nap most of the day away, Seth thought he looked vaguely homeless.

"Itchy?" Roman asked, watching him pick at his face. "You can use my beard trimmer you know."

"I know," he said quietly, smoothing the chin on his hair flat. "I shoulda shaved for my mom though…" 

As darkness fell outside, Dean began to vibrate with excitement, and Seth perked up, slowly easing up to stand as Roman put away the leftover pizza and Dean slipped into his shoes.  

"You wanna do it?" Roman asked Dean, "We really should have just one person do it, we don't wanna scare 'em." 

However, It was difficult to not be involved as Roman wanted to give Dean tips and Seth just wanted to get off the couch and remain included. Though, instead of rushing the coop, Roman kept his distance and helped Seth come outside for some fresh air at the patio table. Walking through the darkness, Dean carried the chicks in the direction of the chicken run.

"Your mom seemed to have a good time," Roman said, keeping his eyes on Dean's path across the garden. "She told me about your family and stuff in the car, she's really cool."

"Yeah?" Seth mumbled. "That's good… I dunno… I'm sorry if I was freakin' about it all. I never thought she  _ wouldn't _ like you guys." 

"It's cool," Roman smirked. "I understand. My mom is still a handful even when my family's not all together, but that's why we do… activities…" 

Seth laughed leaning on the tabletop and watching the spot where he'd last seen Dean's outline. Listening carefully, they could hear the creak of the chicken run opening among the hum of the night and the usual sounds of lizards and bugs zooming around. Roman craned his neck, squinting.

"You're in college now," Seth noted, remembering the dinner conversation from the previous day. "College guy."

"I _am_ ," Roman said, blushing a little before turning back to Seth. "That's me. Kinda weird." 

"Maybe, but what do you mean you're stepping down?" Seth asked, a little anxious. "You're not… quitting White Water? Right?"

"Nah, no, I'll still be at the pool," Roman sighed, looking to the glass door as they heard scratching noises. Kevin was whining and trying to get out, but both men seemed to agree it was best he stay inside. "I've been talking to Hunter about it, trying to figure out exactly what works best. I think what's going to end up happening is that I'll just be bumped down to just being a group fitness instructor again and doing most of the same classes I am now. Basically just teaching without having to do any coordinating with AJ or lesson planning crap."

"Will you… lose money?" Seth asked, trying not to sound too nosy. He wasn't really sure what was appropriate to ask and he didn't know how much Roman made. 

"A little, but honestly not much," Roman shrugged, "Unless they decide that I don't need to teach as many lessons. But I'm salary right now and so when I switch to hourly I'll actually be paid for my time again, so that's nice. The trouble is, I know that pretty soon we're overhauling all of our swim lessons and redoing the whole class structure, and that's a lot of work that someone needs to get paid to do. I've talked to Hunter about helping out where I can, but once I'm actually in school and I'm going to class and stuff, I don't wanna be obligated to do that."

"Yeah, for sure," Seth nodded, not really sure how to feel about all the news. "Big changes."  

"Yeah," Roman said softly. "It's exciting."

Dean returned, shuffling back swiftly through the darkness with tiny chicken feathers sticking to his front. Roman and Seth looked up expectantly and he grinned wide, unmistakably pleased.

"She put them right under her butt. Didn't bat an eye." 

"Awesome," Roman grinned. "Hell yeah," 

"So… I just gotta look at them tomorrow?" Seth asked, slowly easing himself up as they made to re-enter the house. Kevin bolted through the door the moment it was opened and promptly began peeing in the grass, making use of his last time outside for the night. 

"Yeah," Roman nodded, helping Seth out of his chair. "I'll make sure they have enough feed and water before I leave for work, but if you just wanna make sure they look fine and one's not getting picked on or anything- Crispy should do most of the work." 

Roman had to teach the earliest and Dean was opening P-pool for the day, so they hastened to make their way to bed in order to get a good night's rest. Seth lingered strangely, his mind swimming with all the events of the weekend, thinking about the new chicks and Roman's news. Because he'd napped earlier, he wasn't particularly tired, but all he wanted to do was be cuddled by his boyfriends after so many days spent without any physical attention.

"You wanna lay down?" Dean asked, rubbing between Seth's shoulder blades, still a little bouncy from chicken mania. Seth shrugged, prepared to follow them to the bedroom, but Dean picked him up around the waist and Seth yelped, scared for his leg.

"Dean-"

"Nah, it's cool, I got this-" 

" _ Dean _ -" Roman tried, watching annoyed as Dean led the way with Seth's braced leg, making sure it wasn't caught by the wall or doorways as he carried him into the bedroom. Carefully, he placed Seth on the bed with a soft _flump_ and patted his chest triumphantly. 

"If you dropped me I woulda beat the shit out of you," Seth grouched, watching as Dean eagerly began to shed his clothes, rummaging through the dresser drawers to pull out one of Roman's overlarge Georgia tech shirts they sometimes used for pajamas. Roman shut the bedroom door, sticking his phone on the charger and shooting Seth a cursory protective glance to make sure he was okay. 

"I'd tickle you back," Dean snorted, turning around and holding a wide stance. "Feast your eyes gentlemen." 

He'd shed his underwear and from beneath the hem of the large shirt, Seth could see Dean's inner thigh, cock and balls, all immaculately hairless and clean, devoid of any fuzz. Dean's body hair hadn't really been that thick or obtrusive, but now hairless, it looked as though his dick was a lot bigger than before, bare and uncut, without any pause for distraction. 

Seth immediately thought of his own groin, overgrown from weeks of depression and recovering from surgery. His dick had never felt more shy and useless, camouflaged behind a layer of thick dark fuzz. 

"You're going to need a lot of lotion to stop that from getting all ingrown and painful," Roman teased, patting Dean on the butt so he would move out of the way of the dresser. "...Still can't believe you did that."

"He's cold," Dean said, referring to his dick and patting at it childishly. "It's definitely weird."

"Knit it a sweater," Seth teased. Roman coughed, laughing hard as he tried to pull his socks off his feet. Dean fervently began to hypothesize what would make the best dick-sweater and the three were all laughing in the sheets, giggling and joking as they each found their proffered positions.  

Seth lay on the exterior, glad to be accepted back to the bed, but a little guilty as Roman and Dean were cramped together, giving him a wide berth to avoid kicking his knee. Within just a few minutes of darkness, Roman began to snore loudly and Dean rustled around, finding a comfortable spot while Seth simply lay, thinking and picking at his beard hair absentmindedly.

Next week, he'd attend his post-operative appointment, and hopefully he'd be starting physical therapy as soon as possible. Though, as Seth was thinking about it, he was wondering if he couldn't start working at White Water before all of that, doing paperwork or odd jobs that could be completed while he was sitting. After looking at his bank account, he knew he didn't have much time to acquire some rent money because February was a shorter month. It was a lot to consider, but since Seth was no longer taking any medications that made him loopy, he really wanted to be doing something with his time again. 

And what did Roman going to school _really_ mean? Seth was sure that it was for the best in the long term, as Roman seemed a lot more optimistic and enthusiastic about his life in general. The way he had lit up when he had told everyone about his acceptance was as good an indication as any that Roman really needed the opportunity. It still boggled Seth's mind that a man who'd undergone such a horrific incident had stayed working in aquatics at all. Really, Roman was overdue for a career change.

_But what does it mean for us?_ Seth wondered, watching as Dean's own lighter snores began to rumble from the opposite side of the bed. He had no idea how long it took for someone to become a chiropractor, Seth had just assumed that required a similar amount of study to become a doctor, but he knew Roman didn't have that sort of time or patience. Being a student probably meant a lot of late nights and stress, especially in something that was so… sciencey… 

And here they were getting chickens and settling down and Seth didn't know how long he would be away from his apartment. It wasn't enough to freak him out, but there was probably going to be a lot of changes happening in the next few months. Even at White Water, employees might be shuffled around trying to take Roman's place. Would Hunter and Stephanie hire someone new? Or simply promote someone else within the ranks?

Seth didn't sleep very well, troubled with his mind turning in any number of directions, plotting and planning his life six months down the road. His anxieties manifesting into strange situations and, almost always, ultimately the break up of his relationship. Though, there were a few scenarios where everything seemed to be going great. In one lucid dream, Roman was making six figures from his own chiropractic practice, thus allowing Dean to get his dick waxed on a regular basis and Seth had hired Cesaro as his own personal trainer. But then, twenty minutes later, Seth startled awake, sweaty and terrified, after dreaming Roman had been killed in a car accident coming home from class during a heavy rainstorm late one night. Dean took Crispy back to Ohio and Seth was somehow banned from his former apartment.

Around two, Seth punched his pillows, remembering he hadn't even thought to name his chicken yet. The whole circus in his head just seemed to restart, making even less sense than before. 

* * *

There wasn't much time in the morning for a nice breakfast or long showers and Seth was too sleepy and slow to make much sense of his boyfriends hustling around the house getting ready for work. As soon as they vacated the bed, Seth immediately stretched out, stealing all of the available pillows and blankets and undulating in the sheets, grumbling. The jingling of Dean's keys rang out especially loud as he collected them from the dresser and Roman leaned over Seth, pushing his mane of hair out of the way to find his face.

"Chickens should be fine until whenever you wanna wake up," he kissed Seth on the cheek. "There's some coffee in the carafe. Have a good day babe."

"Mmm love you," Seth yawned. Dean tapped his bottom from over the top of the blankets and the two men left, leaving the door open for Kevin to hop onto the bed.

He got up not long after, but it was difficult without much motivation to do so. Back by himself with his bum leg again, Seth scratched at his surgical dressing beneath his brace, wishing he could just jerk the wrap away from his joint. Other than chickens, he had nothing to occupy his time with, and if it weren't for his stomach nagging at him, he would've just tried to catch more sleep. The same tired, anxious thoughts continued to spin around in his head and Seth sighed, rubbing his eyes and leaning on the countertop as he swallowed some ibuprofen to start the day. 

Nothing was appetizing and Seth was impatient, munching on cold leftover pizza and staring at the wall in silence as the air conditioning hummed and the refrigerator whirred loudly. It had rained early in the morning and Seth could tell by looking outside that it was vaguely muggy. 

At ten o'clock, he checked on the chickens, grinning as he opened the hatch and saw Crispy calmly staring up at him with three little heads popping out from under her plumage. As far as Seth could tell, they looked the same as when they had been purchased and their water and food was full. Kevin followed at his ankles, highly interested in the little peeps coming out of the coop, and Seth nearly tripped on him as he turned.

"Goddamnit," Seth snarled, finding his footing again by clutching to the chicken run. Angrily, he limped back into the house, his thigh tingling strangely.  

Showering still necessitated some assistance and Seth didn't have many other ideas to fill his time. Restless, he paced through the hallway until his leg began to throb, and when he sat down he paged through the TV channels, trying to see if anything was interesting. The books on the shelves had already been paged through before he'd had his surgery and Seth knew better than to snack out of boredom, already guilty that he was eating from Roman's groceries again. 

At noon, he tried to nap again, but couldn't stop thinking about money and when his knee might be healthy enough to do CrossFit again. Seth attempted to call Hunter and see if there wasn't some work that could be done at White Water, but his phone went to voicemail.

Frustrated and paging through snapchat, Seth watched Cesaro's story, which was really just a chronicle of his coffee drinks. On Sasha's, he watched a snap of her and Bayley eating Dairy Queen blizzards. 

**I want one** he messaged, at a loss for anything better to do. He actually couldn't remember the last time he'd had soft serve. With a jolt, the three dot typing indication popped onto his screen and in a hurry Sasha responded.

**Where are u??? We miss u!**

**At Romans** Seth replied, sitting up to focus his camera and take a picture of his braced leg as an indication of his current goings-on. He hadn't seen Bayley or Sasha since before his operation, but they had texted him a few times, wishing him well and encouraging a speedy recovery.

**Give me the address we will bring u something if u want!** Sasha typed back.  **Bay has night class but im all done with guarding today** (with a series of smirking emojis) 

Seth felt a little weird so readily accepting Sasha's kindness but he didn't turn down ice cream often. Emboldened with a sort of new purpose, Seth returned to the backyard and quickly took a picture of Crispy and the chicks to show the girls, earning confusion and many excited emojis. By half past one, Sasha's car had pulled up onto the street and Seth came out the front door, letting Kevin greet them.

"Hi pup!" Bayley grinned, immediately bending over to receive the tiny Yorkie, giggling as he licked her sunglasses. Sasha came jogging up the walkway, a plastic bag slung around her shoulders as she reached out to hug him.

 "Hey hey-" Seth blushed, "Nice to see you too."

"We got dilly bars and blizzard," She said, obviously restraining herself from tutting over his braced leg. "Where are the lil' babiiiiessss?" 

Walking down the path to the driveway and through the gate to the backyard, it struck Seth that he hadn't really asked for permission to have anyone over at the house. He couldn't imagine Roman would really mind, but it was a little strange to do, considering it wasn't his place. His boyfriends probably wouldn't be home for another few hours, but Seth palmed his phone in his pocket, making sure he hadn't left it inside. It would be best to text their group chat, just letting them know that he had Bayley and Sasha around, so he could, at the very least, explain the treats in the freezer.  

Pushing the top off of the chicken coop again, Crispy clucked anxiously, likely annoyed with so much peeking going on into her area. The chicks continued to peep and Bayley and Sasha nearly screamed with excitement, clutching their hearts and exclaiming how adorable the babies were. 

"I could… well… I could _probably_ get them out," Seth shrugged, not really sure if Crispy was going to be territorial over the chicks. "But, I dunno how it would go." 

"You can eat first, we need to bring these inside before they melt," Sasha said, pushing a lock of magenta hair back and looking to Bayley. "Gosh, how long has Roman had them?"

"We just got them like, yesterday," Seth said, ambling to the sliding door and back into air conditioning. "It's a long story." 

As far as Seth knew, Sasha and Bayley had never been inside the house before and curiosity had their gazes roaming over every surface. While Roman's house was unmistakably his own, with lots of shiny new kitchen appliances and clean surfaces, Dean's presence was felt as well, with a little bit of Seth here and there. Sasha smirked, seeing Holly's get-well-card taped to the front of the fridge alongside photos of Roman's family as Seth put away the box of frozen treats.

Bayley quickly offered Seth a spot at the kitchen island, setting her purse down next to a conspicuous ball of fuzzy red yarn that Dean had used for the Chicken sweater. In between bites of runny Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream, Seth explained the surgery and how things had been going since he'd stopped working. 

"I tried taking the pills the hospital gave me, but they made me really sick, so Dean bought medical weed stuff for me to try and it sort of worked." 

"From Randy?" Sasha asked slyly, Seth blushed and she laughed. "I can't even imagine- that's too funny,"

 "Well, it _wasn't_ funny at the time," Seth rolled his eyes. "It made me a little crazy, but after a few days of that I was able to sort of just take ibuprofen and deal. It still hurts a lot and it swells up pretty quick if I try to do anything, but my mom flew down and helped a lot and she got to meet Roman and Dean."

"Oh wow, how'd that go?" Bayley asked, Seth just shrugged.

"Fine I guess, everyone seemed to like each other and it wasn't really weird or anything." He wiped his mouth, feeling some ice cream wandering into his flyaway beard. "Roman's mom was here too and she's kind of weird about some things, but for the most part it was all really nice."

"Yeah wasn't she the one that got crazy on Christmas or something?" Sasha asked, raising her eyebrow. 

 "It was more his dad… but, anyways," Seth shook his head, "How's work been? I want to come back soon and help out with stuff so I can make some money."

"It's been okay," Sasha sighed, picking at her nails and looking to Bayley. 

 "Cesaro misses you," Bayley confirmed. "We've been working out, but since I'm just starting it's hard for him to get all competitive and excited with me." 

"You guys are working out?" Seth asked, a little stung by the prospect of being replaced. "You're doing CrossFit?"

"Yeah, I really like the gymnastic stuff." Bayley smiled.  

"She's nuts," Sasha sighed, "But yeah, things are fine, we just had that swim meet and I think we had someone pass out in the sauna again a few days ago. Other than that it's been pretty boring. Hunter was saying he was going to hire some more guards soon so we have a surplus when the park opens. We'll see what all happens with that."

"What about Holly?" Seth asked, scraping the bottom of his cup. "You're still teaching her, right?"  

"She's fine," Sasha nodded, "Still misses you too but she's getting better about doing group classes and stuff." 

Bayley pulled Kevin into her lap and pet his head lovingly as Sasha talked about how the swim lessons were going and her own opinions about how the pool was being run. Seth nodded and listened, privately happy he'd reached out for some company to make the best use of the time he had, sitting on his butt. He thought for a moment to bring up the news of Roman's plans and his position opening up, but he bit his tongue. Seth had no idea if anyone else at White Water knew about the change up and he didn't want to tell anyone before things were set. 

"What?" Sasha asked as Seth made a face, rolling his lips and staring. Seth just shook his head, thinking.

"How've… how are Roman and Dean doing at work? It hasn't been too hard with me gone, has it?" He asked stupidly. It had been a legitimate concern for a while, but the way he asked it made Sasha and Bayley smile in an annoying way. 

"They were really busy right when it happened, like right when you got injured and there was a lot of holes in the schedule, but honestly things seem fine now," Sasha said sweetly, bending over to pet Kevin as well. "I mean, I see more of Roman than Dean and even that's not much, but they seem… normal."

"Roman smiled at me the other day," Bayley said, remembering. "He doesn't do that a lot."

Seth's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, eyebrows raising as he realized Hunter was returning his call. Without looking to Bayley or Sasha for any sort of permission, he quickly answered, pulling the phone to his ear.

"Hey Hunter," he said quickly, in part to explain himself to his company. Seth could hear some rustling around on the other line and then his boss's usual low tone. 

"Hey champ, how've you been? Sorry I didn't get back to you right away, we had a meeting this morning."

"Oh, it's no problem, uh," Seth rubbed the corner of his mouth, trying to think. "I've been feeling better lately, I'm not on any crazy pain pills so I was wondering if there was maybe some stuff you wanted me to do around White Water…? Just, like, office work or stuff that doesn't require a lot of walking?"

"Yeah! Oh sure," Hunter paused, "How about you come in on Wednesday for a few hours. I'll look and see what we got tomorrow and then on Wednesday I'll have a list of stuff made up."

"Awesome," Seth brightened. "Yeah, I'll… I'll see about getting in and I can work as long as you need me." 

"Sounds good, just come find me or Steph when you get here," Hunter said, "I'll see you then kid."

"Good news?" Sasha asked, watching Seth cackle happily as he pulled the phone away from his face. Kevin hopped down from Bayley's lap, tail wagging enthusiastically. 

"I'm going to go work for a bit on Wednesday," he nodded. "Man, I was kinda freakin' there for a sec… I'll probably just have to hitch a ride with Roman or Dean, but it's better than sitting around here."

"That's great!" Bayley brightened, trying to encourage Kevin to return to her. "I dunno what I would do if I was stuck in my dorm all the time. It'll be great to see you around again!"

Finished with his ice cream and practically bubbling with good energy, Seth wondered if he couldn't let the chickens out to socialize with his company. The sky was clear and it was plenty warm, but he wasn't positive if Crispy would emerge until she felt comfortable showing the chicks around. The grass in the yard was a little over-long and Seth frowned, looking around at the small nooks and crannies by the fence that the chicks could easily fall into.  

"If it's too much trouble, it's fine," Sasha assured him. "I'm sure we could come by when they're awkward teenagers and have just as much fun."

"Well, we should see 'em a little and make sure they're okay," Seth reasoned, limping to the side of the garage where a collapsable wire enclosure had been resting. "I haven't even named mine yet."

Bayley and Sasha helped to construct a makeshift fence around the coop that would give the chickens some room to explore in a controlled perimeter. Seth carefully leaned in to prop open the coop, allowing the birds to leave if they should choose. Stepping inside the little fence, the three sat on the grass, partially shaded by the huge sycamore tree from the neighbors yard.  

"Crispy," Seth called, making kissy noises in a sugary voice. Bayley patted her lap and the girls giggled with Crispy's curious head popped out of the run, likely expecting a treat. She clucked inquisitively before looking back, unsure.

Slowly, she made her way down the run and the chicks followed. Seth laughed, watching as his own chick followed first in line. 

"What are the other's names?" Bayley asked, watching as Crispy came out and began looking around, clearly confused by the short fence and the strangers.  

"Uh… Crispy Junior and Peep 2." Seth snorted, "I didn't name them!" 

"You guys are terrible," Sasha sighed, reaching out a hand to pet Crispy. "Hi momma chicken!" 

"I dunno what I should name mine still, but I guess the pressure is off to think of a really good one." Seth shrugged, watching Crispy attempt to ignore them by foraging in the tiny patch of grass. The chicks followed, peeping and tumbling around as their feet were still wobbly and weak. "That one's mine. It's going to be black when it's full grown."

"Hi!" Bayley said, picking up Seth's chick and inspecting it. The chick peeped loudly and Crispy cocked her head. For a moment, Seth was worried the hen would angrily peck at them in defense of her chicks, but after a moment's consideration, Crispy didn't seem to think it was worth it.

"She's an Australian Australorp," Seth said, petting Crispy's back. "I dunno what you're supposed to name a chicken."

"You have a dog named _Kevin_ ," Sasha teased. "You can name it whatever you want!"  

"I would name her Snickers," Bayley said. "But that's just me." 

Seth frowned, wondering if he could get away with a traditionally human name for a chicken. It wasn't that he necessarily didn't want a silly name, but he couldn't think of anything that seemed memorable or cool. If he was going to own a chicken, it had to be a sort of _ cool _ chicken. 

But then, he had to remind himself, it wasn't really his chicken, it was Roman's. Seth didn't live there and although he did help out, the chicken's weren't his. Roman had asked him to name the bird, but at the end of the day, it didn't really matter.

"Lars," Seth said, grinning. "That's it's name."

"It's a girl! Why would you do that to her!" Sasha frowned, looking from Seth to the chick in Bayley's hands. "The other chicks will make fun of her!" 

"You mean-" Bayley laughed. "Like Lars  _ Ulrich _ ?" 

" _ Definitely _ like Lars Ulrich." 

 "Ridiculous," Sasha scoffed, petting Crispy Junior with her thumb. "You could at least call her Laura or something."

"Like Laura's any more or of a chicken name!" Seth laughed. "No, she's my chicken and Metallica is my favorite band so my chicken is named after Lars Ulrich."

Lars peeped and Seth grinned, only infuriating Sasha further. They continued to talk until the humidity started to become sweaty and uncomfortable, but neither of the ladies seemed to tire of petting the chicks and watching Crispy bob her head and poke at the same blades of grass. Wiping sweat from his forehead, Seth felt a little dizzy hearing the Jeep pull into the driveway, embarrassed to say he'd forgotten to text Roman about having company over. 

"Hey!" Seth yelled from the backyard, voice wavering. "We… have friends!" 

Roman came through the gate and grinned, looking to Bayley and Sasha with his work bag slung over his arm. Nothing about his expression seemed upset or confused, instead, Roman came over smiling down at the ladies. 

"How're the birds?" he asked, "Hey ladies."

"Nice dig Roman, we didn't know you got new chicks!" Sasha said, smiling back. "Seth just ruined his chick."

"Ruined?" Roman moved the little fence and squatted down next to Seth, kissing the side of his head. "How you feelin'?"

"I'm fine and I didn't  _ ruin _ my chick, I just named it Lars and they hate it."

Roman chuckled and pet Peep, who was taking a light nap by Seth's thigh, tunneling toward a warm body. Crispy came closer to Roman, probably experiencing some claustrophobia with so many people around her coop.  

"It's weird but it's a chicken," Roman shrugged, looking to the ladies curiously. "Did you gals wanna stay for dinner? Dean's not getting back until later but we could make something."

"Oh no, I have school," Bayley shook her head, "But thank you!"

They eased the birds back into the chicken run and Roman shut the door on the coop, making sure all the babies made their way inside safely. Bayley helped Seth back to his feet again and they all made their way back inside where Kevin was nearly hysterical, running in circles by the glass door and barking. Seth wanted to tell Roman he hadn't meant to invite anyone over without permission, but watching his boyfriend eagerly entertain, his worries vanished. In an instant, he was pouring sweet tea and offering up glasses to their guests, but Bayley and Sasha were quick to go, hugging Seth and congratulating him on a relatively smooth recovery from his surgery.  

"We'll see you on Wednesday then!" Sasha said, sliding her sunglasses back onto her face. "Thanks again!" 

"Yeah, we'll see ya," Seth said, waving as both women made their way out the front door. Slowly, he eased himself down into a dining room chair and accepted a tea from Roman before kicking up his foot to rest. 

"Going to meet up again on Wednesday?" Roman asked, setting the mail down on the counter and leafing through it. Seth swallowed, unable to keep from grinning as he set down his glass.

"I called Hunter- I'm going to work a little on Wednesday," he explained, "So I'll be able to start logging some hours and get paid again." 

"Don't you think that's a little soon?" Roman asked, looking up from the mail with a overtly suspicious face. "You should wait till after your post-op at least." 

"...Why?" Seth asked seriously. "What are they going to tell me then that's going to change anything?" 

"I dunno, but you should probably wait until you get some clearance to be moving around, right?" Roman reasoned, giving Seth his full attention.  

"I… went to the farmer's market all day yesterday and that wasn't a problem," Seth said, eyebrows narrowing. He was utterly confused, he felt like he'd told Roman that he was planning to do this several times over. Things had been going well and Seth was finally getting to the point where he felt like he could think and move fairly easily without being loopy or in a lot of pain. 

"Yeah, but you know you don't have to run back to work just because you're not on painkillers. You can't drive by yourself and you get tired easily-"

"I didn't nap once today!" Seth interjected, actually offended. "Dude, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think I could… and don't… don't think I don't appreciate all the help you've given me." Seth swallowed, trying to take the venom out of his voice. He hadn't expected this at all. "Uce… You know how bored I've been and how money had been tripping me up…" 

"And you know that's not a problem, right?" Roman said, cocking his head. "I don't mind taking care of you for as long as you need it. I just don't want you to be all exhausted or hurt yourself again." 

"I'm not. Going. To." Seth said, tapping at his brace. "I literally can't bend my leg man, I'll be fine."

Roman just sighed, looking away and taking a long sip of his tea. Seth's brow furrowed deeper. He knew he couldn't afford to be getting snippy with his boyfriend, but Seth didn't want his lover's kindness to strangle his freedom. Seth  _ knew _ he felt okay, going into work might be especially tiring the first few days, but he was sure the only way to deal with it would be to just dive in and start. What did Roman expect him to do all day? 

"What do you _think_ I should do?" Seth tried, wondering if there wasn't some perspective he was missing on all of this. "I feel jittery being here and I've felt pretty damn good for a few days now. What's the worst thing that's gonna happen?" 

Roman took a moment, evidently thinking hard over his tea and looking anywhere but at Seth. Seth knew that if Dean had been there, Dean would probably be wildly in support of him, accusing Roman of his usual mothering. It hadn't been a mean question, at least Seth hadn't meant it that way, but Roman flicked his neck and heaved a breath.

"Do whatever you think is best," he said dully, setting his cup in the sink. Seth blinked and Roman walked away, in the direction of the bathroom. Seth sighed, rubbing his eyes and groaning softly. 

_ Why was that always the worst response? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Macro and Micro dramas. Haha. A little late on this chapter, it's a sort of a weird one to wrap everything up. But what's next? I wanna hear from you guys in particular as Seth's going to return to work and be among characters that I haven't written about as much! Who do you wanna see me write about? Sami and Kevin are definitely going to come up, but is there anyone else? There will be new characters introduced soon as well, so if there's someone you haven't seen mentioned yet, they are probably coming up quick.
> 
> As always, let me know your thoughts and if you particularly enjoyed this chapter (or the fic at large) feel free to drop a few coins in my donation jar.
> 
> <3


	105. The Snake in the Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reconciliation? Where does Seth really want to be? Special appearances by a certain vintage someone!

There were about twenty minutes of brooding while Roman began making dinner and Seth sulked in the living room, processing what his boyfriend had said. It all seemed so stupid and from three forty-five to three fifty, Seth had been downright livid.

How could Roman really think he was stupid enough to hurt himself again? Seth knew very well the type of work he could do and he wasn’t going to insist that Hunter strap him into a lifeguard tube right away or anything. Regardless of whether or not Seth wanted to lounge around all day, money _ was _ important. He had been around Roman and Dean long enough now where they knew he didn’t like being sedentary, he was a hard worker and always wanted to challenge himself. If Roman didn’t understand that Seth felt really anxious freeloading off of them, it was his fault at this point, as Seth had said it all out loud several times. 

At three fifty-five, after five minutes of vicious pouting, Seth’s jaw relaxed and the noises of Roman moving around the kitchen became less offensive. 

The fact was, he  _ had _ gotten out of surgery just over a week ago and Seth still needed medication to keep his joint from swelling up like a softball. He knew that as much as he tried to hide it, he was tired during the day because it was so difficult to sleep with a big unwieldy brace on his leg. Dean had probably told Roman about all the times they’d stayed up, reading and watching TV around one or two in the morning, bored and exhausted. Things were hard for Seth, and they weren’t about to be easy in the immediate future.

At five to four, Seth felt a little guilty, but mostly determined. He wanted Roman to trust him just as Seth wanted to feel assured that what he was doing was right. If things were too difficult, if his pain worsened because he was pushing his body too much, he still wasn’t sure that he would pull back some and admit defeat. But Seth knew that he would have to be smart if he was going to recover properly, which meant being honest with himself.

Looking to the clock, he sighed, rubbing his eyes and slowly making his way back to his feet to hobble to the kitchen. Roman was staring into the pantry cupboard, his face standoffish and grumpy.

“H-hey,” Seth said, feeling as anxious as he had when he had talked to Roman the very first time they’d met. “If you… if you don’t feel comfortable with taking me to work or something, I’m not… I’m not asking you to do it. But you know that if I start working and it’s too much, I’ll stop, yeah? I’ll talk to you- you and Dean.” He swallowed, trying to sound as smart as possible. “I’m probably not even going to work for longer than a few hours anyway… so… if I need to come home and take a nap…”

“Are you just going to wait around for one of us to finish for the day?” Roman asked, eyebrow raised. “Seth… it’s not like I think you willingly want to hurt yourself, but the fact that you went and worked out with Cesaro the other day-”

“Did that piss you off?” Seth asked, feeling hurt. Roman shook his head quickly, sighing.

“Babe, I’m not mad, it’s just…” He closed his eyes, pushing back his hair. “I know that you have rent to pay, I  _ do _ , I know your situation is different from mine and you got different expectations. I’m sorry if I like… sound like an asshole. I know you wanna see your friends and stuff too and Cesaro’s your CrossFit wife…”

Roman seemed to be struggling for a moment, and Seth opened his mouth, trying to think, but he closed it again as Roman leaned up the door to the pantry, frowning.

“I actually  _ do _ want you to do what you want,” he conceded. “I’m sorry if it sounded shitty, I just… I’m afraid you’re going to think you have to run home and try to push yourself too hard to get better too quick.”

“I won’t.” Seth shook his head. “Really, I know I gotta just kinda… take it slow. I’ll bring a book with me or something and just ice my knee if I have to wait for you guys… Or I can just cab if I really need to rest. I swear.”

They stood, teetering on the edge of an apology that neither of them really needed to say out loud. It was understood, nobody was hurt and they simply ran out of honest answers and assurances. Seth blinked, trying to relax as he watched Roman's frame relax, his shoulders rounding and his expression softening. It felt weird, but it was clear neither of them wanted to be upset, which was comforting.

“What’s... for dinner?” Seth asked lightly, trying to smile as he held onto the kitchen island to take the weight off his leg. Roman snorted, reaching back into the pantry for some ingredients.

“I thawed the pork chops I had so I was gunna put pineapple on ‘em and cook ‘em.”

“You want help?”

Seth ended up sitting with a pineapple and a few onions, cutting the fruit and vegetables into thin slices that could be thrown into the pan. Roman put on some Michael Jackson spotify playlist (something they could both agree on) and not but a few minutes into cutting up ingredients, Roman came over him and held him in a big hug, kissing his neck and rumbling lowly.

“I have a knife,” Seth laughed, holding his hand out so he wouldn’t accidentally cut his boyfriend. “I love you.”

“Love you,” Roman said against the back of his ear. “Do you want a bath before dinner?”

“Is this your way of telling me I smell?”

“A little,” Roman laughed, kissing his cheek. “But Deano won’t be home for a bit still so we can get everything ready and then chill out until he gets here...”

A modified shower-bath and some therapeutic scrubbing was all it took for Seth to moan and feel his dick swelling up in the warm water and soap. He'd been a little more sweaty and dirty than he'd thought, and Roman took the opportunity to personally groom him, scrubbing his front with a washcloth and trailing the little ringlets of chest hair in circles. Seth couldn't help purring as Roman caught his nipple with the cloth, kissing his wet temple and toying with the little bud between his fingers.

It was too difficult to turn with his legs laying flat against the bottom of the tub, and so Seth went to grab Roman's hair, pulling him close so they could kiss. It was probably a little aggressive and Seth's wet hands tangled in Roman's hair, but they just groaned against each other, teeth tapping sharply to suck each other in. Seth's hands traced Roman's shoulders, feeling his skin tingle and vibrate, when the noise of a car pulling up in the driveway outside punctuated the moment.

"I thought you said he would be later?" Seth asked, breaking the kiss to glance at the door as if he could see Dean through it.

"I thought he was," Roman laughed, rubbing Seth's chin and scratching at his beard. "Oh well..."

"I don't care," Seth squeaked, pulling Roman closer and wiggling his thighs against his excited cock. "We can… I can get out and…"

"Seth?" Dean called, confused, from the living room. They heard footsteps as Dean walked through the hallway and opened doors, trying to figure out what was happening. "Uce?"

"We're in here," Roman called, just as Dean opened up the bathroom door, peeking in. "I thought you had lessons till 6:30?"

"My private canceled," Dean mumbled, looking between the two men and grinning fiendishly. Roman's front was all wet and Seth was blushing all down his body, less than subtle about how excited he was with the head of his dick poking out from the soapy water. "I thought you guys got abducted by aliens for a sec."

Interrupted, but not deterred, Roman helped pluck Seth from the tub and Dean went to take off his work clothes. Handsy and giggling, they all converged on the bedroom where the air conditioning made Seth shiver, but Roman immediately pressed himself over his chest, emanating warmth. Dean just watched curiously, scratching at the fabric of his underwear.

"I wanna be fucked again," Seth whined, weakly raising his left leg and digging his heel into Roman's back. The slight pull in his groin tugged strangely at the inside of his right leg and Seth winced, feeling his knee vibrate. Roman paused, sitting up and thinking as though he was working through math in his head.

"Maybe in your lap?" Dean offered, holding out his hands as his index and middle fingers scissored in the air. "On the edge of the bed?" 

Seth sat up and Roman moved until he was nearly sliding off the corner of the mattress, pulling Seth to sit in his lap with his legs extended straight, toward the floor. It was difficult and Seth's jaw clenched, sure that any bucking would be painful. But before they could even attempt any sexual pantomime, Roman gasped, sliding backwards off the bed and nearly toppling them both to the floor. Dean instinctively pressed Seth flat, pushing him away from the corner, and Roman half fell, laughing anxiously and shaking his head.

"Not yet babe," Roman said, standing back up and blushing. "Maybe… maybe I could figure out some sort of suspension rig for you, but… we might just need to play it safe here." 

"Maybe you can lift my leg up-" Seth tried, shaking with effort as he attempted to straighten his braced leg high in the air. Dean made a face, watching as fatigue gave way and Seth was forced to lower it back, defeated. Roman rubbed his foot, clearly sympathetic.

"I'm sorry hun, I wanna fuck you too," he said. "But… we just gotta… take it easy. There's plenty of other stuff we can do."

Seth pouted, tempted to call the whole thing off if he couldn't be penetrated by one of their dicks. Dean watched as Roman drew circles over Seth's ankle, thinking hard.

"We can suck ya off… I got lots of toys we can play with and we can do that…" Roman suggested, crawling up Seth's front and trying to keep him from losing interest. "I bet I could play with your nipples for  _ hours _ and see what happens…"

Seth raised an eyebrow, watching as Dean grabbed Roman from behind, locking eyes with Seth.

"OR, I could fuck Uce  _ for  _ you," Dean proposed, slapping Roman's backside eagerly. Roman blushed and Seth laughed, watching his boyfriend become flustered.

"Yeah yeah, do that," Seth snickered, watching as Dean tossed Roman down beside him and mounted him quickly. "Make out with each other." 

It was actually fun being the puppet master for once and watching as his boyfriends rustled around in the sheets, content with giving Seth a show to beat off to. It wasn't quite being pounded into some alternate universe where his senses and reality were disrupted, but it occurred to him that Dean and Roman had probably fucked each other more than Seth had either of the two. Roman and Dean had lived together for some time now, and their own personal brand of love making was a lot more rough and boisterous than Seth had expected, but aside from being hot, it was actually quite an insight.

Where Dean usually was talkative and rhythmic with Seth, kissing and working up to a synchronized beat, he was much more blunt and physical with Roman. He bent down, kissing ferociously and holding his hands on Roman's head and neck, as though trying to smother him. Seth's interest was immediately aroused and he leaned to the bedside table, pumping a dab of lube into his hand and rubbing his cock lazily, watching the fray.

Roman by contrast, just did a 180 degree turn in his behavior, going from dominant and caring to submissively flat against the bed. However, he was a little pushy as Seth could see him craning his neck up, trying to move against Dean's mouth, and every now and then his fingers would go in to tickle lightly at Dean's arms and sides. Dean pushed back, forcing his arms down or knocking foreheads while Seth's cock twitched, watching them work up to a fever pitch, kissing and grinding.

"I want- Roman." Seth tapped them quickly. "Dean, lay down, I want Roman to ride you-"

Seth came first, the sight of Roman spreading himself and sitting into a reverse cowgirl too much for him to handle. Legs splayed and hair streaming down his shoulders, Roman panted, bottoming out on Dean's cock as Seth beat his dick, breathing hard and shuddering as come ran down his fingers. They continued for a little while, but Roman didn't like come being shot up his ass, so they resituated with Dean coming into his own grip as well. 

"Oh, fuck, I'm hungry," Dean whined, using a dirty towel from the laundry basket to wipe off his hand. Seth sighed, rubbing his braced leg and yawning, feeling as though he might just take a nap in the sticky sheets. He felt relatively clean and warm in the messy bed, and part of him just wondered if he couldn't insist on eating in the bedroom.

Seth ended up settling himself on the couch and Roman was able to cook up the pork chops fairly quickly by himself. Sleepy and full of food after dinner, Seth passed out in the living room until about ten o'clock and Roman roused him by setting a hand on his head.

"Maybe we oughta be keeping you up longer so you can sleep at a normal time," Roman tried, watching Seth stir and blink, confused. "Do you wanna come to bed?"

"Mmkay." 

Dean was already laying down, watching something on his iPad as Seth shuffled in, a little bleary and confused. Outside, it had started to rain a little and the soft pattering on the roof made the half light of the room even more cozy and relaxing. Dean turned off his iPad and stowed it on the end table, moving several cups and crinkled up receipts from the surface.

"We need to clean in here, it's getting to be gross," Roman sighed, dusting some dog hair off his blanket and passing Seth pillows to get comfortable. "My mom was talking about getting the carpets cleaned soon too, it's not a bad idea…"

Seth nodded off, half listening to Roman's musings about the house and his and Dean's work hours for the next day. His leg was feeling alright- not great, but manageable as he curled around his sheets, trying not to catch the brace on the blankets. At one point, he was almost sure someone was stroking his hair or rubbing his back, watching him doze off and probably laughing at his nasally snore. At some point he would probably have to get up from the bed and pee or drink some water, but for the moment, he was content, laying on the memory foam surface.

It occurred to him, in some half-awake state, that he really didn't want to leave the house when his leg was sufficiently mobile again. Seth knew he couldn't rely on the ability to continue staying at Roman's house, but going back to his apartment just didn't seem fun at all. It appeared that Dean was happy enough to stop looking for a new place to live, and Seth could only imagine how excited Roman would be to hear Seth voice an inclination to stay.

"Nanmmgho back home-" Seth mumbled in his sleep, smacking his lips and nuzzling against a warm shoulder. Hands continued to meditatively rub down the curve of his neck and Seth sighed, humming.

* * *

Because he was so over rested, he ended up waking much earlier than usual, snapping to alertness just as the sun was starting to rise. The whole room was dark and Dean and Roman were fast asleep, mouths slightly gaping as they breathed loudly. Pushing off the sheets, Seth didn't really know what to do, but couldn't stand to lay down any longer. Roman and Dean's alarms would probably go off soon, so Seth took the opportunity to use the bathroom before either of his boyfriends claimed the space.

Bored, and feeling sort of fond and generous, Seth started the coffee maker and looked in the refrigerator, wondering if there was something he could make for breakfast. Usually on quick mornings where nobody really cared, Roman would just eat dry cereal or forgo food for a simple cup of coffee. Dean had a box of eggos he liked to toast sometimes, but Seth also knew that he liked going to Dunkin Donuts or Tim Hortons and getting pastries there. 

Neither man would probably have the time to eat a bunch of eggs and bacon, but Seth's eyes lit up, seeing a container of cinnamon rolls sitting in the door of the refrigerator. Roman hadn't specifically mentioned they were for something, so Seth preheated the oven and put food in Kevin's dish. After checking on the chickens and taking some painkillers, he put the rolls on a cookie sheet and slid them into the oven.

Surprised and touched by the thought, Roman and Dean lit up at the smell of cinnamon sugar filling the house, and Seth just blushed and shrugged, explaining he probably owed them a thousand cinnamon rolls for all the help he'd received. Roman showered, Dean quickly trimmed his beard, and both men took pastries for the road as they traipsed out to their cars in their work polos. Seth watched Kevin eagerly follow them to the door, sitting on the rug and staring as the driveway became silent again.

Seth just sighed, looking around blandly. The next day he'd be going to work with them again, but he still had to get through another quiet day at home.

Trying to make himself useful was still his only means of passing the time and Seth cleaned up the breakfast dishes, feeling a lot more capable of putting light pressure on his leg for short periods of time. He played Parkway Drive on the bluetooth speaker and tidied up the house as best as he could, singing along and cursing Kevin whenever he walked too close to his feet.

By ten thirty, he'd started to exhaust himself, but Seth tried to be optimistic. He remembered when he could barely stand at all, and how much he'd improved since his operation, and how weak he'd initially felt. Sitting on the toilet and tensing his quad, Seth wondered how much intense physical therapy he'd really need before his leg was normal again. He'd had enough of ice and elevation for a lifetime. 

But just as he was finished trimming up his facial hair, all thoughts of his knee were momentarily forgotten. Seth's heart jumped as he heard the shrieking cry of a bird coming from the backyard, unmistakably Crispy. 

He swore, nearly tripping as he threw open the bathroom door and went hurdling out, his knee pulsing angrily with each step. Grabbing hard to any surface that allowed him to push himself faster, Seth made it to the back door and threw it open, not bothering to put any shoes on his bare feet. 

Kevin zoomed out as well and Seth's eyes flashed to the chicken coop, looking around for any signs of an intruder. His contacts weren't in and his vision wasn't optimal, but there were no real signs of a raccoon or a fox in the perimeter of the fenced in garden. 

Panting slightly, Seth threw open the door to the chicken coop, wondering how the hell he'd be able to tell Roman and Dean that the baby chicks had suffered some horrible catastrophe. Inside, Crispy looked irate and terrified, clucking and screaming while all three of the baby chicks peeped, looking dismayed.

"Stop, stop-" Seth said, leaning on the coop and staring in, trying to find something that could have caused the upset. Loose straw from the roost was scattered and Seth didn't really want to put his hand in and risk Crispy pecking it, but everything appear to be completely normal. "Stop!" Seth said more firmly, anxiously slapping the side of the hen house, trying to snap the bird out of her tantrum. 

But then, Kevin began barking and Seth felt his blood pressure raise, looking around, brows furrowed angrily.

And then he saw it. Camouflaged at first by the coloring and the long grass, it's head was raised, tongue flicking as it coiled in the shadows of the coop. Seth felt his whole body go numb in devastated shock and he let out a weak yelp. It was the biggest, thickest, practically leviathan-sized python he'd seen in his life, patterned brown and green. The shock was so much, Seth just stared, frozen on the spot as his fingers shook. 

Seth couldn't say he was terrified of snakes, but he’d never thought he was going to see one in Roman's backyard. Looking at the intruder and trying to get his wits back, Seth knew that the snake wasn't poisonous and really couldn't present any harm to him so long as he didn't get near it's mouth and agitate it. Kevin's manic, angry barks were an issue though, and as the little dog drew nearer, Seth could see the snake's attention turning from the birds to the dog, making a sort of rumbling hissing noise. 

Panicking, Seth quickly stooped, roughly grabbing Kevin to bring him into the house. He had no idea what the appropriate protocol was for a monster snake, but Seth was pretty sure he couldn't just chuck it over the fence and hope Roman's neighbors didn't have a pet. Calling 911 just seemed inappropriate, but with his bad leg, Seth really didn't know what he was supposed to do. 

Dean might be on the lifeguard stand and Roman was probably in the pool teaching. All Seth knew he could do was watch the snake and make sure it didn't eat Crispy or the babies. He didn't want to risk running to the garage to try to find the chicken cages Roman kept, because Seth didn't know how long it would take for a python to figure out how to get into the coop. So instead, he hovered, leg twinging as he alternated his weight around in the grass, staring. 

Eyes wide and still glued on the snake, Seth dialed Roman and then Dean, coming up with voicemails just as Crispy's shrieking died down to anxious clucking. The snake looked as though it was backing off a little, curling away from the little structure and pushing through the grass, but Seth grunted, keeping a watchful eye. If the snake got into a place he couldn't see or move it, there was a good chance it would return later for the birds and Seth didn't want that.

"Fuck," he panted, gulping as Roman's phone went to voicemail again.  _ What the fuck was he supposed to do? _

With one eye on the snake and one on his phone, Seth anxiously googled  _ SNAKE REMOVAL, _ fingers shaking as he scrolled through the results, desperately hoping for something that could help. Some of the links turned up general animal removal companies and Seth trembled, looking through the information on snakes. Inside the house, Kevin was still barking, paws up against the glass. 

Sweating from the heat of the sun as well as the fear from the situation, Seth swallowed and dialed out the 1-800 number listed on the web page, advertising the removal of both indigenous poisonous snakes and non-native, invasive species. There wasn't any prices listed, but Seth knew just from staring that the snake had to be at  _ least _ twelve feet long, there wasn't any way he could deal with it by himself.

"Yeah hi-" Seth spluttered in a panic as soon as the phone picked up. "I have a giant snake in my backyard and I need to get it out-"

"Okay, what kinda snake are we talkin' about here?" a voice asked quietly. Seth just blinked, frustrated.

"A monster one? I don't know!" he said loudly. "I don't know but I've- I've got chickens here and I need it gone-"

"Slow down son, it's alright," the voice said calmly. "I've just finished my lunch now and if it's a real nice big python, I'll cut you a real good deal if you'll let me take 'em to the DNR. I'm just going to need your address and your contact info and I'll head over right away. You got your eyes on 'em?"

"Yeah, yeah." Seth nodded, wishing he hadn't yelled. The man on the other side of the phone sounded almost amused, talking in such a measured fashion. He didn't quite have a southern accent, but there was something undoubtedly mellifluous about his voice. "It… hasn't moved too much…"

"You just keep watch on 'em and make sure there isn't anything he's gunna crawl into and make himself hazardous. What's your name kid?"

"S-seth," Seth mumbled, rather annoyed that the was being called kid, but beyond saying anything about. 

"Okay Seth, just keep your phone on ya and don't tryin' handle 'em. I've been in this business for a long time so once I get over there you can bet I'll take care of him for ya. My name is Jake Roberts and I'll see you  _ real  _ soon." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is Florida after all, these things happen. 
> 
> I'm glad some of you are using the index and going back to find little nuggets of joy chapters back! I'm still getting lots of folks that just recently have started reading and binge read the fic over the course of a trip or an illness. Thank you for your kind reviews, where ever you leave them!
> 
> Next chapter, Seth returns to work. Does he have what it takes to be on the job again?


	106. Eyes Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake gets the snake. How hard can a day at work be?

Before Jake the Snake Wrangler could arrive at the house, Seth got ahold of Roman and explained the situation that was unfolding. The backyard was hot and humid and Seth was sweating hard from the heat, but he stood guard over the python as it slithered slowly to lie flush with the fence, away from the coop.

"Are you okay handling this though? I could probably…" Roman's voice trailed off and Seth bit his lip, hypnotized by the snake. Realistically, Roman had taken so much time off lately, there really was no way he could be trying to get off early. But Seth had already taken the appropriate measures to ensure everything would be taken care of. The chickens were fine, if a little rattled.

"It's okay, it freaked me out at first, but snakes don't scare me," Seth admitted, leaning on the fence. "Payment… might be something… I didn't ask how much it was. Do you think it'll be a lot?"

"I have no idea, call me back if it's an issue," Roman said. "I'll cut you some cash when I get home."

When the man arrived, pulling into the driveway fifteen minutes later, Seth called to him from the back. Mr. Roberts was a strange man with long hair, a biker moustache, and strong arms heavily tanned from working in the sun. He pulled his sunglasses from his face to regard Seth, small careful eyes scanning the backyard quickly, twinkling with excitement at the sight of the python.

"Well well, you weren't kidding, were ya!" He grinned, releasing the grip he had on a large box that he was wheeling behind him. "I was going to give you a real lickin' if I came over here for some little worm."

"Nah, it's big," Seth said, watching as the man walked over and squatted by the intruder, chuckling and clicking his gums. Interested but unsure, Seth watched from a few feet away as the man quickly clutched the back of the snake's head, murmuring strangely. 

"Go 'n open that box there," Jake instructed, nodding to the case as he looped the snake around his arm. Seth hastened to obey, watching the man grunt as he hauled the huge predator up into his arms and walked a few paces to lower it into the box. Seth felt slightly stupid, sure he could have probably just grabbed a big rubbermaid container and done the same thing himself. On the other hand, his leg was damaged and the man was probably making the ordeal look particularly easy.

"I'd say that baby is about fourteen feet now." Mr. Roberts grinned, looking up at Seth. "For somethin' like this I'm gonna get more from the good folks at the DNR than I would ever charge someone for any sort of removal, so if you just want to give me about fifty bucks, I'll make sure this critter never bothers you or your chickens again."

Seth blinked, relieved. "Deal," he said. "Do you take cards?"

Roman just seemed relieved that everything was resolved and Seth had such a good handle on the situation, ready to admit he was squeamish about lizards and snakes. When Seth’s boyfriends arrived home, Roman quickly reimbursed Seth with a bank transfer, intent on checking the fences in the backyard for holes he could patch that might keep gigantic snakes off the premises. 

"You didn't even take a photo?" Dean grouched, drinking a soda and staring. "All the snakes I get to see are dead on the side of the road!"

"I shoulda," Seth admitted, shrugging. "It was huge, it could have wrapped around the Jeep and it's body was as thick as my leg!" 

"Insanity," Dean grumped. "Good thing Crispy told us."

All three men went outside to check on the chickens once more before bed, and sure enough, Cripsy, Crispy Junior, Lars and Peep 2 were settled and calm again. Dean insisted that when it was light out again, he'd put the chicken sweater on Crispy to wear, and they returned to the house to lay down for the night, using their phone lights to make sure they didn't step in any chicken waste on the ground.

"I'll have an hour lunch where, if you want, I can drive you home if you're feeling tired," Roman said as they got into bed, rubbing Seth's shoulders. Seth turned, blushing a little, but nodding as he laid down. 

"What happens if the snake comes back?" Dean yawned, falling onto his blanket with a  _ flump _ . "Nobody'll be here…"

"It'll be the same as any other day," Seth said firmly, sure that he didn't want to delay returning to work any more. "No more snakes."

He rested uneasily for the night, his leg throbbing and waking him up every few hours or so. Roman's snoring did little to ease Seth back to sleep and twice he tried peeing and drinking water, only coming back to bed to somehow find his spot more warm and lumpy than before. It was a hard way to start his first day back to work, but Seth tried to will himself lively and alert. He wouldn't be stuck in the house all day, and that itself was cause for celebration.

"You wanna ride with  _ me _ ?" Dean offered over morning coffee. He buried his face in Seth's neck and blew a raspberry, making Seth's brows narrow. 

"I  _ guess _ ." 

The sun was just a little too bright and as they got closer to the building, Seth's stomach began to clench strangely. He really had no idea what to expect and Roman's anxieties were rubbing off on him, making him question his own ability. What if Hunter asked him to do something that had him standing up for a long time? Would he be forced to ask his family for more money?

Seth had forgotten he was supposed to call his grandfather as well, which really only made him feel worse. Once they were parked, Dean opened the passenger's side door and handed him a pair of crutches. Seth grunted, making his way up the wheelchair ramp, sighing hard. 

"Oh hey!" Sami called from the front, handing off a pair of keys to an older gentleman. "How's it going Seth?" 

"Not bad, going to try to help out today," he mumbled, crutching past and allowing Dean to push the little entry turnstile for him as he scooted through. "See what I can do."

White Water was still mostly the same building he'd left it since his surgery, with the exception of some new schedules and notices that had been posted by the community board. Dean wasn't guarding until noon, but he offered to take Seth's things and stow them in his office in P-Pool.

"Yeah, that would be cool," Seth said, looking to his boyfriend appreciatively, taking a moment to grab his water bottle from his bag. "I'll probably need meds at some point."

"Word, no prob," Dean muttered, nodding in a familiar way before trotting down the hall in his slip ons. Seth was sure Hunter was probably in the main office, and so he made his way to the Lap Pool, pressing the automatic buttons on the locker room doors, a little sore in his armpits from moving around so much.

"Hey Seth, how're you feeling?" Hunter said immediately, turning in his chair and quickly clearing a spot next to his desk to sit. Seth shrugged, setting down his water bottle and trying not to feel claustrophobic amongst a stacks of boxes and binders by his feet.

"I'm okay, I wanna do as much as I can," Seth explained, setting his crutches aside. "How… how have things been?" 

"They've been okay, yeah." Hunter frowned, clicking out of a few tabs on his computer. "Hiring… coming up with some new swim lesson programming." He rolled his eyes and Seth just nodded, sure he was referring to what Roman had been discussing earlier. "It's going to be nice to have someone around to do these little things that fall through the cracks. You didn't have a polo, did you?"

"Huh? Oh, no." Seth blinked, watching Hunter pull out a black polo with White Water Fun Center across the left breast. 

"Just so you have a uniform when you're not guarding." Hunter tossed him a medium and Seth held it out, examining the cut. "I think, what might work best is if you work up front with Sami actually. He's going to be out for a week at the end of the month and if you knew most of his position, it would be easier on us to fill his place when he's gone."

"Yeah, I'm totally down for that," Seth said, sure he could hand out towels and keys for hours. "No sweat."

"The only thing is that you wouldn't be able to respond for any emergencies though," Hunter said wisely, toying with the antennae on the walkie talkie he kept on the charging port next to his computer. "We'll need to figure out the best means of getting around that when Sami's gone, but for now, god forbid we need oxygen or an AED or something, Sami just can't leave you all by your lonesome."

"Right…" Seth said, looking into his lap. "Makes… sense…"

"We'll have other things for you to do as well, but how do you feel about working the front until noon and then seeing how you're feeling?" Hunter smiled, his wrinkled forehead parted and Seth tried to smile back, struggling to reflect some iota of confidence.

Roman caught him in the hallway as he went to go change, watching as Seth crutched the the bathroom.

"We'll match now," Seth said,  holding up the black polo. "I'm going to work the front."

"Nice," Roman said, a little awkward as he watched Seth struggle slightly with the handle on the door. "Don't have too much fun."

As Seth had suspected, Sami was about the easiest, kindest coworker he could hope for as far as an orientation went. The moment he came behind the counter, the ginger haired man grinned, taking a few steps back to accept him into the area. It wasn't very large and Seth had only been behind the desk a few times to grab keys and such, but a tall rolling chair was pulled out of the corner and Sami allowed him to sit front and center. 

"I had a feeling they might put you back here with me, but I didn't want to say anything and jinx it." He smiled warmly. "Once I told Hunter I wanted to plan my trip, I knew he would be grumpy about it since Chris isn't around as often, but really it's not hard at all."

"Where are you going?" Seth asked, feeling a little more perky just being around the man. 

"Montreal! My family lives up there. I don't have an accent to you?" Sami raised an eyebrow, cheekily.

"Not… really… I dunno." Seth shrugged. "Seems like everyone's from out of state anyway."

Speaking without pause and stumbling a little on his words, Sami quickly laid out the basics of working behind the desk in between patrons coming and going, waving to two men and getting their IDs swiped into the main computer system. The first and most important thing, it seemed, was just smiling and appearing cordial, as any time anyone came through the door, even an employee, Sami always cheesed as wide as possible.

"The computer's kinda old, but this one we only use for check ins," Sami continued. A patron came in through the door and Seth immediately smiled as he saw Wendy, one of his regulars from the lap pool, come tottering through the door. It was difficult to identify her at first, as Seth was used to seeing her in a swimsuit, and evidently Wendy had the same problem, squinting at Seth as he took her ID from her hands to run it under the reader.

"What are you doing up here, child?" She laughed, realization dawning on her face as her information popped up on the screen. "You get a promotion?"

"Hardly," Seth said, scooting back in his chair to show off his braced leg. "I had surgery on my knee."

"Oh no! That's just awful."

"Well, he gets to keep me company now, it's not all bad!" Sami said, returning her ID from Seth's hands and handing out a towel. 

Apparently, Sami knew just about every frequent regular and whether or not they wanted keys to a locker or a towel, only having to ask every now and then. Seth watched patiently as Sami showed him ways to scan older, more difficult barcodes and how to unfreeze the computer when it panicked during a check in. Any time there was a moment, the men each sat folding towels until a patron came to the desk.

"I think I left my swim suit here yesterday," an older woman said around eleven, coming to the front and leaning over the desk as though the men were hiding it on the counter top. "Have you seen it?"

Seth dusted towel fuzz off his new shirt and Sami pulled out a bin.

"What color was it ma'am?"

"Purple," she said, squinting, trying to think. "With stripes on it."

No such swimsuit was in the bin and Sami encouraged her to check with the lifeguards or look in the locker room showers, apologizing endlessly.

Sasha and Bayley came in at different times, lingering at the desk to talk until it became too busy and they needed to start their shifts. Cesaro also dropped by, excited to see Seth at work in some capacity, even if they couldn't lifeguard together. It seemed that there were logical swells of folks that came in at the top of the hour, getting in some laps before work, but slowly the numbers dwindled as it got closer to noon.

Dean came through, eating a hot pocket and digging through a drawer to find a specific set of keys. 

"You left your bottle in Hunter's office," he said, handing Seth's water bottle back. "Are you hungry? I was gunna guard soon but I thought about running to Flippers for lunch."

"I'm a little hungry," Seth said, looking to Sami. "When's break?" 

"Whenever you want," Sami said cheerfully. "But if you guys are getting pizza...'"

On the whole, it was a very nice day back to work, although it was very tiring. Seth was speaking more and greeting so many people he had a headache before too long and took five minutes to limp over to P-pool and grab his ibuprofen from Dean's bag. After a greasy, salty lunch split three ways between the men, Seth felt a little more alert, but almost no one was using the pool at 1 PM, so Sami showed him how to flip the laundry and they just continued folding towels endlessly. 

"This is the headset for the phone too," Sami explained, fitting the piece on his head to show him. “Like 99% of the time it's folks calling for hours and wondering if the park is open, but sometimes they call to schedule a tour for a potential membership. If that's the case..." He produced a clipboard from under the counter. "We just write in what time they wanted to do it and then ideally myself or one of the people on the leadership team can do it."

"Oh, okay." Seth nodded, turning to greet and accept the ID of a man coming to swim. "Sounds easy enough."

By two, Seth was yawning pretty frequently and getting antsy with doing the same repetitive motions over and over again. Customer service was a pretty big drag and one of the nice things about lifeguarding was it kept conversations short and direct. Seth wasn't a big talker, and he was sure his smile looked pretty forced and weird. The amount of work his cheeks were doing was making his face hurt and even Sami looked reasonably exhausted, watching the clock move by.

Hunter, AJ and Roman all came up to the front desk, talking with one another about the possibilities of moving a class from the adaptive pool to P-Pool for a week. They stopped as Hunter seemed to realize he'd left Seth up front all day and hastened to apologize. 

"How did it go? I was interviewing folks most of the afternoon and I forgot!" He laughed, clapping Seth on the back. "Wasn't too hard, was it?"

"He's been crying all day," Sami joked, standing up a little straighter and grinning at his boss. "But seriously, can I go to Montreal?"

"Of course you can, I told you you can." Hunter patted Sami as he went to grab a clipboard behind him. "That's good though, I didn't think there would be any problems. If you could Seth, there's the in-service this Sunday and even if you can't swim, it would be good to come and stay current on what's going on." 

"Oh, sure." Seth nodded, thinking. "What time?"

"Should be at one, right?" Hunter said, squinting and looking to AJ and Roman. Both men shrugged, chuckling at their boss. "Something like that."

"Seth, you got your Post-op-" Roman mentioned offhandedly, tilting his chin and keeping his face impassive as AJ's mouth twitched strangely. Seth blinked, trying to remember the time.

"I… I think it's before, I dunno…" Seth thought, struggling. "I'll… I'll see how long it is."

"Well," Hunter said. He looked between Roman and Seth, clearly a little confused. "If you can make it, it'd be great."

Dean still had his usual evening lessons and his knitting group in the evening, so Roman helped Seth gather his things so they could ride home in the Jeep together. Seth yawned wide as he clocked out, shaking his head and blinking hard while Roman smiled, walking ahead of him with his bag to prop the automatic doors.

"See ya tomorrow?" Sami asked, leaning over the counter sweetly. "I was just about to get out of here myself."

"Yeah yeah." Seth nodded. "For sure."

"Need a nap?" Roman asked as soon as they were outside again. Seth shrugged as much as he could with crutches, mind numb from working all day. It was simpler to mind the cracks in the sidewalk than meet his boyfriend's eye, but Roman wasn't asking to be haughty.

"I'm fine," Seth sighed, slightly out of breath. "I was just thinking… My mom bought me all those groceries and they're still just… sitting in my fridge…"

"Gonna go bad you think?" Roman opened the hatchback and accepted Seth's crutches to stow them away. Seth hopped to the passenger's door, trying to remember.

"I dunno, I think she got some bananas, but I don't remember." He paused, feeling strange. "I just wish I was in one spot. I dunno if it matters here or there, but this jumping around sucks…"

Roman started the car, patting Seth's thigh as he checked behind him to ensure they wouldn't hit a pedestrian. He hadn't really expected any answer, but the silence was a little strange. It would be a little off putting for Roman to be demanding Seth to live with him, and yet, he felt his fingers trace the seam of his shorts anxiously, hoping he never had to ask.

"I miss pants too." Seth pouted, trying to draw attention away from his living situation. "Shins are always cold…"

"But your legs are fuzzy," Roman reasoned, grinning.

"Not fuzzy enough to do  _ anything _ ."

Roman's hand found his thigh again and Seth twined his fingers around Roman's palm, stroking the tan skin and staring at the wide square nails, cut short and clean. Roman squeezed back, thinking.

"I'm pretty beat too. Maybe tomorrow we can go grab your extra food, we're running a lil' low on stuff around the house anyway," Roman proposed, slowing down as the light turned yellow. "Hunter was telling me he's having a Super Bowl party after the inservice too, if you wanted to go to that."

"At his house?" Seth brightened. "Yeah, that would be cool."

"His place is huge, they have a great set up." Roman pulled his hand back to crank the steering wheel and turn onto the main road leading towards the house. "Should be a good weekend."

"Super Bowl  _ fifty _ ," Seth said softly. "Panther's got it, yeah?"

"We'll see." Roman bit his lip. "This season's held my attention pretty good."

Seth could hear Kevin barking in the house as they pulled into the driveway, but both men were anxious to check on the chickens and make sure nothing horrible had happened in the time they'd spent at White Water. Soft clucking was heard as Crispy foraged by the raspberry bush in the very back of the yard and the men breathed a sigh of relief, watching the chicks follow in her wake, imitating her behavior.

"I want nachos," Seth mumbled distractedly to Roman, feeling a hand creep around his side. "Super Bowl food."

"We can make that happen," Roman grunted, scratching his back. "We might be out of sour cream, but I could probably just make some really quick that would taste pretty similar."

"How do you  _ make _ sour cream?" Seth asked, bewildered, as he followed Roman into the house. Kevin quickly tried to escape through the door, but they edged him back inside to keep him from harassing the chicks. The door shut with a soft hiss and breeze picked up just enough to rustle the wind chimes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't imagine Seth being particularly good at customer service. 
> 
> I'm out of town again but I stopped in a coffee shop to make sure this got posted! I'm sort of working on a new project that likely won't be out for a good long time, but I like writing more than one thing at a time so I don't go crazy and get too caught up in one world.
> 
> Stay tuned for Seth's post-op. Is everything healing properly? Review and donate if you'd like!


	107. Bent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Work is work and people don't know when to shut up. Life has it's usual grievances and Seth begins physical therapy. Is it anything like he thought?

Sami was a perfectly easygoing and helpful co-worker, but Seth came to find that he was no replacement for Cesaro. Working the front desk was a blessing, as Seth was grateful he had anything to do with his time again, but it wasn't something he wanted to keep doing if he could help it. There were a few random extra tasks that Seth did whenever he came in, mostly just xeroxing newsletters and tidying up the break room, but otherwise, Hunter kept him up front.

"My daughter really didn't, well, she didn't  _ really _ say if she left her goggles in the locker room or not,” a woman said, smiling and leaning over the counter to shoot Seth a sort of annoying, motherly expression. "She's so funny, have you seen her here before? A lot of the time she's wearing these crazy sunglasses with those funny yellow cartoon guys on them.  _ ANYWAYS _ , she's just always forgetting this or that in here. I'll bet you could start your own store with all the things she leaves here!"

"Y-yeah," Seth mumbled, hardly able to keep a smile on his face as he pretended to read down a clipboard so the woman might leave him alone. "Kids are something…"

There was also another, rather uncomfortable dimension to working at the front which was being an ear to all of the gossip that was bubbling amidst the staff. Stephanie and Hunter were always fairly professional, keeping any talk of employees free of disdain, but particular managers and guards were eager to stand at the front and whine for lengthy periods before and after their shifts.

The second day he was up front, Dolph had made the mistake of not seeing Seth sitting on the floor, reorganizing stacks of pamphlets that were kept under the counter. 

"Man, who do you think Roman covers for more, Seth or Dean?" he drawled loudly, angrily slapping his clipboard down on the counter and looking to Sami expectantly. "I asked him if he wouldn't put in my chemical check for me before he left but he's busy again. Why do you-"

Dolph stopped as Sami's face turned pink and Seth popped up from where he was sitting, distinctly unimpressed. Dolph just burst out into nervous laughter and tried to give reassurances before making a quick escape.

"Do people just say that shit?" Seth interrogated Sami, equally anxious and angry. Sami shook his head fervently, looking uncomfortable. 

"It's, it's really nothing," he tried, clearing his throat and biting his lip. "Dolph's just… I dunno… He likes to talk."

"But what does he say?" Seth demanded, lowering his voice as a patron came through the door, waving to the men. As soon as she had passed, Sami cleared his throat again, looking to Seth seriously.

"I dunno, I think people are just jealous of your… friendship…" he said slowly, looking to Seth as though he was hoping for some sort of correction. The whole rest of the day, Seth was quiet, thinking hard. It was immature of him to hope that some relationship gossip wouldn't pop up eventually, but Seth couldn't stop hearing Dolph's slimy tone of voice echoing in his head. 

"He's just weird about me and Uce," Dean said, flicking his cigarette out the car window as he and Seth drove home after work. "He has that beef with me from forever ago and there's plenty of people at work that don't like Rome for one reason or another." 

"Do you think we should tell anyone?" Seth asked quietly. "The only one's I've told are Sasha and Cesaro… and then I guess Bayley." 

"Do whatever you want." Dean shrugged, pulling out another cigarette. "I don't care."

As carefree and casual as Dean seemed, Seth knew that they still should be cautious, especially after the incident with AJ before Christmas. Despite the fact that Roman had stepped down from his position, he still shared office space with the man for the time being. Dean had to work with AJ a lot as well, in addition to all of the instructors and guards in P-Pool. So out of the three, Seth probably had the least to lose if their polyamorous relationship became common knowledge at White Water, but the more he thought about it, the more he was sure he didn't owe anyone an explanation.

At the moment, his knee made everything complicated enough. Thursday night, Seth barely slept and sincerely thought about calling into work the next morning, dazed and bleary as he wandered around the kitchen, trying to remember what he was doing. Roman watched as he opened the silverware drawer, yawning wide and looking confused.

"Maybe you want to get some sleeping pills from the doc or something?" Roman suggested, watching him plop down in his chair, grey faced and exhausted. "I have a big bottle of melatonin in the bathroom too."

Seth didn't say anything as he couldn't really come up with an argument to fire back with. It seemed like ages since he'd slept continuously through the night and after just a few days of work, he felt more exhausted than when he had worked weeks of opening the pools at 4 AM. Sami took charge of most of the customer service for the shift, sensing Seth's fatigue, and around noon, Roman drummed his hands on the counter, watching Seth fold towels mindlessly. 

"Dean's leaving in a few hours, did you wanna catch a ride with me or him?" Roman asked.

Seth looked almost pleadingly to his coworker and Sami laughed, waving his hand.

"No sweat! Have a good weekend!" he chirped. "Maybe I'll see you guys at the Super Bowl party?"

"Yeah, thanks," Seth sighed, easing back to his feet and feeling relief pour over him. "See ya around."

All three men espoused a sort of lazy attitude for the weekend, feeling the strain of so much time spent at work and combatting the little negativities that came with Seth's bothersome joint. Dean and Roman went for a bike ride while Seth napped, with all three going to bed early after playing a little Call of Duty and watching some show about monster river fish from South America. Seth slept in the next day, still feeling stale and tired, but rising eventually to check on Crispy and the chickens. Bored, he decided to do a little bit of cleaning in the shared bedroom where guard shirts, boxer briefs and old water cups had begun to collect. Just before his boyfriends arrived home, Seth sat in the bed and called his grandfather to give him an update, trying to assure the man that he wouldn't need much more financial assistance now that he was working a little bit each day.

"It seems like you got some good friends down there, your mother was tellin' me about 'em," Don's voice crackled over the phone, just slightly over loud as he seemed to have some trouble hearing. "Do you remember when you were a kid and we had the hens here at the farm?"

"Kind of," Seth said, anxiety diminishing as his grandfather didn't press the matter. "...I was scared of the roosters and I remember not wanting to go by the coop. They're really cool though, I hope all the chicks make it to adulthood..."

Once Dean and Roman got back from work, they all took a quick trip to the apartment to pick up any perishables and grab some more of Seth's things to keep at Roman's. There wasn't much that he needed, but Seth was sure that he ought to start offering some of his own resources if he was going to be at the house for a little while. They filled up a few bags with clothes, the remainder of Kevin's food, and rawhide toys. Dean loitered around pointlessly as Roman assisted with bagging up anything Seth pointed to.

"I have a big thing of laundry soap too," Seth thought out loud, ambling to his bedroom and picking up the almost-new container of detergent and handing it off. "I should probably pull in my balcony furniture if I'm going to be gone too…"

"How much do you pay for this place again?" Dean asked, making to pick up the chairs and string lights that were on the balcony. Seth frowned.

"Like eight hundred something a month," Seth said quietly. "They raised the price… but… it's only month to month…"

A sort of awkward hum filled the air and Roman looked around, hands laden with bags. Everything was stuffy as the room hadn't been opened in days and the air conditioning had been turned off. Dean shut the balcony door, sniffing a little. 

"We… good then? Was there anything else?" he asked.

It was quiet and weird all evening as the men put away all of Seth's additions to the house, making room for extra rolls of toilet paper and Seth's spare bottles of shaving cream and body wash. Kevin immediately went to work on a rawhide treat, crunching on the stick loudly throughout the house, and the men split up as Roman got a phone call from his mother.

_ Is this weird?  _ Seth kept wondering to himself, watching Roman retreat to the front step for some privacy while Dean went to sit at the back patio for a cigarette.  _ They don't seem mad that I'm staying for longer, but they don't seem really happy either…  _

Dinner was a sort of free-for-all as Roman was a little moody and tired after talking to his mom and nobody wanted to press the subject. Seth sat on the couch with a plate of reheated hamburger helper, thinking about his appointment the next day while the television hummed in the background. Kevin begged to lick his plate and Dean collapsed next to him after eating a PB&J sandwich. 

"I'll take you to your thing," he volunteered, looking to Seth under his overlong bangs. "I gotta get the oil changed in my car anyway so I thought I'd do it while you're doin' your thing and then we can go to the meeting."

"Oh." Seth blinked, setting his plate aside for Kevin to attack. "Okay, thank you."

"How long you think it'll be?" Dean asked, stuffing a pillow under his head and kicking his legs up onto the couch. Seth just shrugged and sighed. 

"I dunno, I'm not sure what all I need to do really," he admitted. "I thought it was just going to be like a regular check up thing but after I looked at that packet I think I'll do a little bit of physical therapy or something." 

Dean just nodded, not particularly hung up on any of Seth's words as Roman came into the room and sat down, immediately picking up the remote and paging through the channels. Both men watched as he sighed, his forehead creasing.

"Everything okay?" Seth asked, wondering if it was even worth inquiring about. Roman's mouth twitched and he rolled his eyes, settling for ESPN.

"Just the usual garbage," he said. "Annoying shit."

Dean and Seth just nodded, sure Roman would tell them if something important came up. Seth was positive, just by the tone of his voice and the stiff way he was walking, that his mom had probably chewed him out over something ridiculous. The thought made Seth similarly frustrated; he wondered why Roman didn't just stick up for himself more and tell his parents off for being so nosy and forbidding, but he had to remind himself that it wasn't his place to make such assumptions, especially since it was Lisa's kindness that was allowing him to stay at Roman's house for such an extended amount of time anyway. As obnoxious as it was to see his boyfriend so upset, Seth knew Roman had been dealing with it his whole life and it probably wasn't ever going to stop.

"You should cuddle him, he'd feel better," Dean suggested, whispering to Seth when Roman went to take a shower before bed. Seth snorted, looking to Dean with amusement.

" _ I _ should?" he scoffed. "Why don't  _ you  _ do it?"

"You're way better at it than I am," Dean said, helping Seth to his feet so they could move to the bedroom. "Plus he likes feeling all like,  _ protective _ of you and stuff."

"You're smaller, he can spoon you better," Seth shot back. It wasn't as though he didn't want to lay down with Roman, but Seth was quick to tease. "I got a leg brace on." 

They decided to settle things as simply as they could. Dean beat Seth outright at rock paper scissors, laughing as Seth grunted, trying to slap his boyfriend's side. They moved to the bedroom and as soon as Roman came out from his shower, Seth lay with his arms outstretched while Dean watched videos on his iPad. 

"Can you lay with me?" Seth asked, making grabby hands with his fists as Roman raised an eyebrow, smiling. "I'm not going to sleep anyway…"

Roman collapsed onto the bed and Seth squawked, getting wet hair in his mouth and Roman's cold body making him shiver against the chilled room. Dean grinned, shifting over to give them some space while Seth whined, trying to spit out Roman’s hair. It wasn't long before they'd all moved to a proper position and Seth could feel Roman kissing the back of his neck softly, giving him little goosebumps. Dean's iPad continued to play some weird youtube video, the tinny noise of the speaker oddly meditative.

"I can take you to your post-op," Roman rumbled, nuzzling against Seth's ear and fluffing the pillow they were sharing. "I think I have enough time to swoop back here."

"Dean said he could," Seth said, turning back. "It should be fine," 

Roman just nodded, smoothing Seth's side and relaxing. Out of the corner of his eye, Seth could just see Dean mouthing  _ told you _ and smirking stupidly. Seth stuck out his tongue, trying not to shiver from the ticklish motion of Roman's fingers.

* * *

The post op appointment was, as Seth predicted, a mix of examination and therapy which lasted for a few hours. Dean and Seth each got donuts and coffee from the Dunkin Donuts halfway between the house and the clinic, and Dean walked Seth to the front before putting his fingers to his own lips in a sort of kissing salute.

"Just lemme know when you're done," he mumbled, shuffling off. Seth nodded a goodbye before walking through the automatic door.

Seth hadn't been worried much about the appointment or any of the physical therapy that was to come, but as he sat in the lobby and watched a handful of patients coming and going, he realized that he'd probably be at the clinic continuously for the next few months, getting his knee in proper shape to walk and work again. It wasn’t that he was intimidated, thinking about the workload he would probably have to do. Through a glass window that separated the lobby from the gym area, Seth could see quite a few people doing the same repetitive movements back and forth, and it didn't look hard at all. Really, after CrossFit, nothing could be  _ that  _ challenging. 

If anything, Seth was just going to have to get used to waiting around the stack of Men's Fitness and People magazines littering the table surfaces. He knew he would do whatever he could to get mobile as soon as possible.

"Hey Seth! How've you been?" Dr. Bloom asked warmly, extending his hand for Seth to shake as soon as he came out of the back-area. They walked and talked with Dr. Bloom leading the way, the doors automatically opening to allow easy access. Seth sat on a lowered examination bed, shifting as Dr. Bloom instructed him to sit with both of his legs fully extended. 

"Been itching a little? We're going to clip some of your sutures here," he said confidently, sitting down on a wheeled chair and making to unlock Seth's brace. "Let's see how bad this bruising is still…"

"It's been feeling better," Seth said, his cheek twitching as Dr. Bloom bent his knee the slightest degree to pull the ace wrap away from his joint. Just the slight amount of flexion felt sore and strange, after so many days of keeping his leg locked straight. 

Seeing his knee again was weird as well and Seth blinked, staring as Dr. Bloom put on gloves and began to poke around at his bald and yellowed knee cap. Across the joint, dimpled suture lines were mostly healed while a faint bruise occupied the inner and outer sides of his knee. There was surgical tape coming off his skin and the bandage inside the wrap was dark with old, dried blood, but Seth wasn't sure what he was supposed to be expecting.

"Pretty good, yeah." Dr. Bloom nodded, taking some antiseptic and lightly cleaning the surface. "Swollen, but that's to be expected. I'll get you a new bandage and then Sarah will get you going with some STIM probably…"

There was some waiting around where Seth just sat, observing both of his bare knees for some comparison while Dr. Bloom was out, presumably checking in with his physical therapist. Going against his better judgement, Seth lightly prodded the stitched area, feeling the swelling under the skin with a slight pain from the pressure. His right was just slightly bigger, alien and different. Cautiously, he turned his hip, watching his leg rotate. 

Sarah was the same as when he'd last seen her, quietly confident with a casual smile. Wearing just a light bandage and grimacing slightly as he crutched, Seth followed her to the gym area while they made small talk about his recovery and the weather.

"It just feels good for the hard part to be over," Seth admitted, sitting down on a bench as instructed and watching as Dr. Del Rey observed him, thinking hard. "I was so bad with those pain meds from the surgery and now I feel a lot more clear headed and normal."

"Well, this part's not much fun either," she told him seriously. "Especially this first part of rehab where we're just trying to establish some stability. You're in luck since you're obviously in pretty decent shape, but it's still pretty… sucky…"

Seth was want to agree as soon as Dr. Del Rey began to handle his leg, slowly moving his thigh into a raise while Seth bit his lips, squinting at the slight change in angle. As soon as she began to bend his knee, moving his shin down toward his chest, Seth exhaled sharply, gripping at the bed.

"Just a little more, yup," she said, easing Seth back to extend his leg while his thigh shook hard. He was sure his sutures were probably bleeding from the stretch, but sitting up to look at his bandage, everything looked normal. Seth blinked, eyes wide and unsure.

"We're going to go slow because you have such a compounded injury, but what I'm going to do is go through a few things with you and then show you some exercises you can do at home in the meantime," she explained, pulling out her clipboard and scrawling a few things down. "We'll do that, some STIM and some ice, how does that sound?"

"Yeah," Seth said stupidly, feeling his forehead sweat. He swallowed, nodding. "I'm… game…"

First, he was hooked into what he was told was a CPM machine, a device which slowly moved his leg back and forth, passively pushing his leg through a slight bend before straightening it again. It was difficult at first and Sarah watched sympathetically as Seth breathed hard, focusing intently as his leg circled through the movement of the cycle. After fifteen minutes, he shook his head in disbelief, sure that it had been much longer.

"It gets easier," Dr. Del Rey said softly. "Did you take some ibuprofen this morning?" 

"Not… not a lot,. He shook his head again, pushing back a few strands of hair. "It's fine…"

After just a few raises, sitting on the edge of a high table and pulling his leg to straighten, Seth's face was blushing hard from the effort and his hair was frizzing out in sweaty strands. Sarah stood close by, encouraging him to work from his quad and move slowly to get the most out of the exercise, but everything was difficult and very sore. 

"Just two more," she said, holding her hand out for Seth to push his foot into. "There you go, excellent!"

"So I…" Seth huffed between panting breaths, "I just take my brace off to do this at home?"

"Yup! And just doing the short raises is good too, laying flat on the ground," she said, holding her hand out to demonstrate, raising her finger a bare inch. 

A few more exercises with some balancing elements and Seth felt strange and bare, laying back on the short bed while his therapist applied nodes to his leg to stimulate the area. Nothing he had done was  _ physically _ difficult, just exceptionally painful. There wasn't anything fun about it, nothing that could excite him like sports or his regular fitness, it was just the same motion over and over while he could barely breathe from the tenderness. 

"How does that feel?" Dr. Del Rey asked, stacking ice over the nodes and adjusting the levels on the machine. Seth just nodded, sighing hard as she sat, writing on her clipboard again. "We could do next Sunday if that works, then we can talk about doing more sessions during the week if time allows. Do you have any questions?" She laughed lightly, frowning. "It's tough, I know you're feeling a lot of pain, but we're going to work through it. You're doing everything right."

"I'll take ibuprofen next time." Seth nodded, rubbing his eyes. "I dunno why I thought it would be easier…"

"Is your friend picking you up again?" Dr. Del Rey asked. "Your omelet buddy?"

"My omelet-" Seth laughed, thinking hard. "Oh, Cesaro? That guy from last time? Not today, my boyfriend- my… my boyfriend is…"

He'd let it slip without thinking but Dr. Del Rey just smiled, looking back at her clipboard thoughtfully. Seth thought she might have been blushing, but the waves of the stim machine were too much stimulus to be distracted from. 

**I think Ill be done soon** Seth messaged Dean quickly before setting his phone back beside the bed. Eventually the machine finished it's session and Sarah took the nodes off his leg before re-wrapping his joint in preparation for leaving. 

"After the next appointment you can take off the wrap and start showering normally again, you just can't submerge it in a bath or a pool," Dr. Del Rey explained, pushing the fixtures in place as she went to close the cage of the brace over his leg again. "But yeah, if you can do a couple of those raises and just practice bending your leg, that's a good start. You want to get your VMO moving right here-" She tapped Seth's thigh. "You wanna keep that strong and make that the primary mover for your knee."

He listened to Dr. Del Rey's advice, but opted to see himself out, crutching back up to the front with a few sheets of exercise intructions folded in his pocket. Dean arrived just as Seth was coming out, sporting a drink in his hand and a shorn haircut, hovering awkwardly in the lobby. Walking was more strenuous than usual, since Seth's knee was pounding painfully from the exercises, but he managed a small smile. 

"Yeah, there was a Great Clips right by the car place," Dean said, twitching his head to the side and fanning his shorter locks, slightly poofy from some product. "Have fun?"

"No, it was awful," Seth mumbled, refusing an offer to drink from Dean's cup, making his way towards the exit. "You don't… you don't have any pain pills in your car, do you?"

"Like Advil or something? Nah," Dean mumbled, walking ahead. "I think Uce might have some in his desk though, we can check."

Seth winced, remembering he had to go to work for the inservice as well. It was a cool day and the slight breeze felt good on his sweaty face as he made his way to Dean's car, but all Seth wanted to do was lay down with an icepack on the couch. Inside his brace, his knee continued to throb painfully and Seth swore he could feel it swelling up angrily against the Ace wrap.

"Hurt?" Dean asked, watching Seth's face scrunch in pain as he lifted his leg inside the car. Dean pushed the crutches in the back, watching.

"Yeah." Seth laughed breathlessly, resting his heel on the floor and regarding his joint with frustration. "She had me do a bunch of bending and shit, it was rough."

"We could chop it off and get you a cool robot leg," Dean joked, turning the radio down and pushing a few stray hairs off his face as he looked in the rearview mirror. "Rebuild you like robo-cop."

Seth just hummed, trying not to launch into an endless list of complaints as he watched the McDonalds cups and stray bits of trash move around the floor of the car while Dean turned and drove down the road. The reality of rehab was crashing down on him and again, Seth felt completely stupid for imagining such a seamless and simple recovery where he did little work. Of  _ course  _ it was going to be lengthy and painful. Would he sleep comfortably any time soon? Probably not. Everything sucked and was a miserable shit fest. 

An advertisement for some Super Bowl related furniture blowout played over the radio and Seth sighed, annoyed at the manic voices playing through the stereo. 

"Are hot dogs Super Bowl food?" Dean asked. "I want a hot dog."

"I dunno," Seth said darkly. Dean's mouth twitched but he didn't say anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at home again... How about those Great Balls of Fire? Personally I just think Seth should win every belt and be the best ever so I'm a little baby when it comes to any other outcome. 
> 
> Next time: The Inservice. A Super Bowl. Is Seth really going to be sociable? Who is going to fill Roman's position? Is the hen house really secure?
> 
> Please review if you have the time <3


	108. Calling an Audible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A change of plans! Who is going to fill Roman's position? Who wins the Super Bowl?

The inservice was running late that evening, with Randy and a few other guards missing. Seth felt even more useless than usual, sitting on the deck while his knee throbbed and Dean went off to find some anti-inflammatory. The pool was a little overfull of people and kids were laughing loudly from the deeper end, making everything echo, abrasively shrill. Really, Seth just wanted to go home and not be bothered any longer. Every now and then a family would brush past and accidentally get his bag wet. 

"This work?" Dean asked, holding out an almost empty bottle of Aspirin. Seth nodded, opening the container and popping a few pills into his palm. Dean sat beside him, jiggling his foot a little and toying with abox of cigarettes in his hand.

"I thought you were quitting," Seth mumbled, frowning from the slight taste of the medication on the back of his tongue as he swallowed it down with some water from his bottle. Dean twitched his head closer, as though he wanted Seth to repeat himself.

"Didn't you... " Seth sighed, "didn't you stop for a couple days or something?"

"Uhhh... " Dean scratched his neck. "Like… when the family's around I try not to, but… I dunno…" He shrugged. "I should quit, it's getting more expensive all the time." He pushed the pack back inside his pocket, thinking. "Does it gross you out?"

"Not… really…" Seth set the bottle of aspirin down on the bench. 

"Do I smell like smoke all the time though?"

"Not like really  _ bad _ …" Seth's mouth twitched. "I mean… I can tell like, which side of the bed is yours and stuff, but it doesn't gross me out, no." 

"It does when I dip though." Dean grinned. Seth rolled his eyes.

"Kids used to do that on swim team all the time so it didn't mess with their cardio." Seth stuck out his tongue. "Always been weird to me."

"Yeah, I should quit, it is gross," Dean admitted, sinking a little lower in his seat. "Should save more money. They turned the engine light off in my car when I took it in but it'll probably go on again…"

"How long have you had that thing anyway?" Seth asked, looking around. Xavier and Kofi had just come onto the deck in their swimsuits, nodding to Seth.

"Forever. Old coworker sold it to me when I first started here." Dean scratched his nose, thinking. "Really, it would be real cool if I could get a motorcycle or somethin', but I don't know any bike people and I don't know how to maintain somethin' like that." He unfolded his legs, thinking, as Hunter came onto the deck, looking around. "Everything’s expensive. I should ask for a raise..."

"Hey, Seth." Hunter smiled, handing him the sign in clipboard. "You guys excited for the game?"

"Oh, yeah," Seth said, privately feeling drained and unenthused atthe prospect of a rowdy Super Bowl party. "We'll… be sure to stop by."

"I'm going to go grab some CPR dummies, we'll start in five," Hunter said "Make sure that sheet gets passed around."

"...I dunno if I could even get an auto loan," Dean grumped, continuing his stream of thought as Seth paged through the clipboard, looking at the bullet points of announcements that they were due to discuss. Seth raised an eyebrow, thinking carefully.

"Why don't you interview for Roman's job?" he asked quietly, not wanting to be heard by anyone before the official announcement was made. "Uce makes good money, yeah?"

Dean thought for a moment, staring at the wall. It was a sort of curious thought and Seth didn't know what was possible, but he was a little surprised Dean hadn't considered the option already. Both men knew the majority of Roman's duties around the pool and honestly, if Seth's knee wasn't in such poor shape, he would have considered the possibility. The position would mandate a group fitness certification, but Seth didn't imagine it would be too difficult to acquire. Mostly, the job was a lot of paperwork. 

Almost at the same time, both men breathed, “but AJ…” and snickered aloud. Dean shrugged.

"I mean, I already work with that dude a bunch already. I dunno how bad sharing an office might get though." He snorted. "It's worth a shot."

"You can do it." Seth nodded, handing the clipboard off to Charlotte to sign. Dean blushed a little. "You're definitely capable."

"Okay, we all here?" Hunter asked, setting down a few large bags with dummies inside. Dean continued to look thoughtful until he realized he'd forgotten to change and swore under his breath, hustling to the locker room. Sasha and Bayley were just coming onto the deck as Hunter began, but Seth frowned when he realized that Cesaro was nowhere in sight.

"So, we're going to review the new quick outs from last time again just so we really get that straight," Hunter explained, sitting down on the deck cross legged to address his guards. "We're starting the WSI class next week if any of you guys wanted to last minute get certified, but you'll need to pay me by Monday, or I can just take it out of your paycheck…"

It was a little tedious, listening in on guard notices that Seth was now more or less disconnected from. Apparently there had been an incident with a male patron making weird advances on Alexa while she was guarding, so the group reviewed best practices for handling sexual harassment, as well as for documenting such events. They talked about a few pool rules, some housekeeping notices, and then, finally, Hunter cleared his throat, reaching the end of his list. 

"Roman, our healthy living coordinator is going to be stepping down from his position as of the 15th," Hunter said. Seth looked around and a few people looked noticeably shocked. "He'll still be here teaching and working, but he's going back to school so the position will be open. We'll be advertising out, but if any of you are interested in interviewing for the position, just let me know after the inservice and we can set up an interview time."

Nobody in the group  betrayed any brazen enthusiasm. Kofi's eyes widened a little and Seth watched Dolph shuffle his feet awkwardly. The more Seth thought about it, the more excited he was for Dean to swoop in and steal the position. It seemed like a logical career progression of sorts.

"The swim portion is on the board." Hunter pointed to the white board across the deck. "Go ahead and start and then we'll tackle some quick outs."

Dean hopped into the pool, grumbling slightly from the cold. Seth watched glumly from the side, massaging his thigh and wishing the pain medication he'd taken would work faster. The families were starting to leave, crowding the zero entry ramp. Bayley stopped by Seth, tying her hair high on her head.

"How's the knee?" she asked. "Didn't you have your appointment soon?"

"This morning," Seth said, sighing. "It was a lot harder than I thought it would be… it's very tender."

"That's terrible." Bayley frowned. "I was reading today though, something about Tom Brady? Because it was an article about last year's Super Bowl, anyways," she grinned again, "I didn't know that he had torn his ACL and his MCL! He messed up his knee really bad during a game or something, but now he's back on top and all. I bet that your knees going to be even better than before after all that surgery."

"That's the hope," Seth said, managing a smile. "Time will tell…"

Despite a little nugget of optimism from Bayley, Seth was still put out, watching his friends swim and form practice groups without him. If Dean wasn't his ride, he wouldn't have bothered hanging around, but he figured it was alright to sit and be paid for the duration of the meeting. Dean swam at his usual slow, steady pace, his hair hanging in wet strands around his cheeks as he swam a breast stroke. Sharing a lane with Baron, E and Becky, his kicks were small and quick so he wouldn't make contact as they passed him going the opposite direction.

Seth tried standing up again to refill his water bottle, but he hissed audibly as soon as he got to his feet, feeling his knee protest from the slight movement. He could feel it swelling up against his new bandage and he swore, hobbling over to the drinking fountain quickly, leaning on the machine. The more he thought about it, the more he was sure he didn't really want to go to a Super Bowl party and be subjected to a lot of yelling and merriment he couldn't match.

**U home?** Seth texted the group chat, sure that Roman would understand it was meant for him. Really, Seth didn't mind if his boyfriends went without him. It would be a little strange, certainly, but Seth wouldn't be offended. With his phone already unlocked, Seth frowned, pulling up Cesaro's contact info and asking  **Inservice?**

It wasn't the end of the world if someone missed a meeting. If something was important, word got around. But Cesaro usually told Seth if he was taking a leave of absence for his personal training. Randy loitered on the deck with a lifeguard tube, watching the scene and nodding to Seth as he walked by, looking stern and annoyed.

**Yeah I just got back from the store** Roman messaged back, including a picture of Kevin, flat on his back, sleeping. Seth half smiled.

**I did PT today and my knee really hurts so i think im going to stay home tonight :(** Seth typed out, feeling just slightly weird about saying home in reference to Roman's house. It was understood though. Anticipating some mothering from his boyfriend, Seth continued  **I took some aspirin but it hasnt kicked in yet… maybe when it does ill feel better but righ now i just wanna lay down**

**Ok** Roman messaged back, Seth felt a little guilty, watching the typing icon continue to jump.  **Its np. I'll stay home too**

**U dont hve to** Seth thumbed out quickly, feeling worse.  **really its no big deal, i still wanna watch the game and all i just dont wanna be around everyone**

**I dont wanna be around everyone either XD** Roman wrote back.  **I mean i dont think dean really cares cause he doesnt even watch football. If he really wants 2 go maybe ill go but id rather watch the game with u <3 dont feel bad!**

Seth sighed, watching Dean pair up with Dolph and Alexa to work on performing quick outs with the backboard. Dean feigned drowning and Alexa worked hard, barely able to support him as she pushed the tube under his back to tow him in.

**Ok… :/** Seth replied, wondering if Dean had any secret ambition to go to Hunter's house.  **What did u get from the store?**

Roman texted him a picture of a large bag of raw chicken wings. **I was gunna make em for the party but i can just make em for us. Spicy thai sauce** and then Roman had added several bicep emojis. 

**Dont tell the chickens** Seth replied, smiling again. He continued to text Roman for the duration of the inservice, feeling slightly relieved that his decision had been accepted without a second thought. Seth felt bad about ditching on his co workers, but he felt equally prepared to believe that if he'd gone to the party feeling grumpy and pained, Roman would have been upset with him later for doing so.

Dean toweled off and came by to grab his bag before making his way to the locker room. Seth moved, pulling his right leg off the length of the bench and gritting his teeth.

"How bad did you wanna go to the party?" he asked quietly, trying not to catch Hunter's eye as he passed, making his way to put the CPR dummies away. Dean shrugged, forcefully drying his hair. "My leg hurts, so I wasn't gunna go I don't think…"

"I don't care." Dean shook his head. "I was just going 'cause you and Uce were…"

Leaving work and winding their way through groups of co-workers talking eagerly about the party felt a little mischievous. Dean showered and presumably talked with Hunter quickly while Seth sat in the lobby with his crutches. Sami talked with him for a few minutes, entertaining a conversation about punk music before Dean came through, freshly clean and carrying his work bag. It was sweaty and humid outside, but Dean still waited for Seth patiently outside, helping him into the passenger's side seat of the Jetta and stowing his crutches in the back.

"Ha, ya see," Dean said, pointing to the check engine light that had turned on again. "They tried."

"210,000…" Seth laughed, reading the odometer. "I wouldn't doubt it."

The car engine whirred slightly loud, and Dean muttered, "She's purring cause she loves me," as he buckled his seatbelt.. They pulled out of the lot and made their way to the house, quiet except for a manic advertisement on the radio announcing a sale on home security systems. It wasn't even four o'clock yet, but Seth was wondering if he shouldn't make some coffee to stay alert through the game.

"Babies!" Dean called, walking through the back and greeting Crispy and the chicks as they foraged around the back fence, chirping with excitement. Seth watched, still slightly pained from his knee, as Dean stood over them, smirking wide while the chicks swamped his feet to peck at his shoelaces.

"How'd it go?" Roman asked, opening up the screen door. In an instant, Kevin had charged out and Seth's blood ran cold as his dog bolted to Crispy and the chickens. 

"KEVIN!" Seth called sharply in his most angry fatherly tone, halting the dog in his tracks. Crispy had puffed herself up defensively, but the chicks seemed more interested than afraid. All three men watched as Kevin whined, sneezing over and over, trying to edge closer but rolling around playfully in the grass. 

For thirty seconds, Crispy shook her head around, clucking dangerously and bobbing her head. Seth knew Kevin was just over excited and didn't have much of a prey drive to speak of, but the chicks were still too small to be messed with. Before Junior could get too close, Crispy crowed and pecked at the chick, moving it away from Kevin and towards the back of the yard.

"Mom knows best," Roman laughed, watching Kevin whine and cower from Seth, clearly upset. Seth patted his good knee and Kevin came, ears back, looking for attention. "Anyone tryin' to take my job yet?"

"Dean might." Seth grinned, nodding back to Dean who was still watching the baby chicks. He blushed, hoisting his bag higher on his shoulder and following after Seth as they made their way inside the house. Kevin followed after peeing on the support beam for the patio awning.

" _ Might _ ," Dean said lightly. "Might." 

"Going to go to staff meetings with AJ?" Roman asked, pushing the glass door shut. "You'd be salary, you might actually make less money."

"I doubt that." Dean laughed, dropping his bag down by the kitchen island and going for a drink from the fridge. "I work more than you do anyhow."

"How was the appointment? Hurtin'?" Roman asked, pulling Seth close and kissing his forehead. "Must be bad if you don't wanna do Super Bowl parties." 

"It was rough," Seth admitted into Roman's breast, feeling a little lighter from the contact. He relaxed, leaning into the man as Dean cracked open a coke and paged through the mail that was sitting on the table. "I thought it would be easier… but it was like the first time really bending my leg… it's really swollen."

"Let's ice," Roman proposed, squeezing his shoulder. "I'll heat you up some of that sloppy joe stuff." 

It started to rain around five and Seth fought off his drop in energy with food and Super Bowl pre-show programming that dominated the local channels. Dean took some time to clean the chicken coop and was eventually pressured into throwing in a load of laundry while Seth snacked on chips from a huge serving bowl, keeping cold packs on his knee. 

"Make sure you use fabric softener!" Roman called across the house, hearing the washing machine play its happy song while Dean swore, stopping the machine and adding softener to the mix. Kevin convinced himself of a noise and began to bark while Seth barked back, trying to call the dog off. 

"I want hot dogs," Seth could hear Dean saying from the kitchen. Roman's voice muttered back against the sound of vegetables being chopped. 

"We should make those hot dog bread things," Dean continued, trying to describe the appetizer. "Hot dogs and blankets."

"Pigs in a blanket," Roman corrected. "I already ran to the store, we got a ton of wings to eat."

Dean grunted, grabbing another drink out of the fridge before making his way to the living room to lay down. 

"Who's even playing? Bears?" he asked, kicking up his feet similar to his boyfriend. Seth laughed.

"I wish, it's the Panthers and the Broncos," Seth explained. "Super Bowl LI. Do you like any sports?"

Dean shrugged, watching the screen with bare interest. He tilted his head and scratched at his hair, freshly cut and short. "Not really, I don't really get watching sports on TV. I can get into stuff if I'm there, but it's just not the same."

"Fair enough," Seth said. "You ever been to a game?"

"I…" Dean laughed. "I uh, won tickets to a basketball game in 1st grade. Me and my mom and my sister all went. Saw the Cavaliers I think. But not since."

"You went to that college game in Alabama with me and Dan," Rome corrected, listening in on their conversation.

"I went… to a college game one time too, yeah," Dean amended. "That was crazy."

"That would be fun, we should do that sometime." Seth brightened, sure a college football game in Florida would be nothing short of a spectacle. 

"Uce gets free tickets from his old coach or something." Dean shrugged. "I think it would be cool to see like, BMX or something like that. Maybe a Nascar rally."

They talked about their sporting desires until Roman returned to the room and quickly Dean was subject to the men's varied opinions on who might win the Super Bowl. As the sun fully set and the smell of wings began to fill the house, Seth got a text from Sasha, wondering where he was.

**At home my knee hurts** Seth sent, thinking hard.  **At Romans i mean**

About twenty minutes passed before he got a reply, which was Sasha and Bayley both with huge fruity drinks and eating cupcakes with little footballs on them. Seth extended his hand, taking a photo of Dean and Roman with their feet kicked up, looking casual and a little confused. 

"For Sasha," Seth explained, sending the image off, glad he wasn't being reprimanded by his friends for not attending. Roman began to laugh and Seth turned, confused.

"What do you-" He laughed gesturing for Seth's phone. "Is  _ Dean _ your lockscreen?" 

"My wallpaper," Seth said quietly, giggling. "What? It's when we were at the farmers market."

"Okay, well." Roman looked sarcastically to his own phone, mocking jealousy. "I  _ guess _ that's okay." 

"His is both'a us," Dean said to Seth, dusting chip crumbs off his front. Seth turned to Roman, who showed Seth his phone. It was a little poorly lit and the figures difficult to discern at first, but Seth saw that it was himself and Dean from Christmas time with their fuzzy sweatshirts. They were sitting on the floor in a mess of wrapping paper, looking off camera. Roman had obviously taken it without their knowledge, but Seth thought it was cute.

"What's yours?" Seth asked, blushing a little, looking to Dean with interest. Roman laughed and Dean put his hand to his mouth, chewing.

"Th-rispy," he managed with his mouthful, not quite meeting their eyes. 

"Not sure why I'm surprised," Seth cackled. "I'd be surprised if it wasn't a chicken."

"He's got loads of pictures of us on his phone too," Roman teased, turning the TV down a little to to tease his boyfriend. "He's got like a whole album of us."

"I don't have an  _ album _ , it's just all the recent ones are you guys," Dean argued, refusing to make his phone available for inspection. "My phone has a good camera s'all..."

There wasn't a smorgasbord of varied snacks or a group of happy, excited people, but Seth had quite a good evening watching the game with his boyfriends. The three ate their chicken dinner and enjoyed watching through the commercials, laughing out loud at a few of the good ones. Seth didn't really know what to expect, interested as ever to just see a good game with some exciting moments. He was rooting partially for Thomas Davis, Carolina's linebacker, who had had similar ACL difficulties and bodily injuries through his career. On the whole, Seth was sure it would have been really exciting to see Carolina take a Super Bowl win for once, but after Newton's ball-drop and a hold penalty, the Broncos took their lead.

By the end, even Dean was on his feet, watching with five minutes left as the Broncos put the game away. 

"Damn, Newton lost it!" Roman laughed, pushing his hair back and dancing back and forth on his tip toes. "That was good though, good game."

"How's your knee?" Dean asked, watching as Seth sat back down, shifting the warmed cold packs to the side of the couch. He felt a lot better now, shrugging lamely. The ice had helped a lot.

"Now it's all over." Seth sighed. "No more football… not till the fall."

"The worst part about summer," Roman agreed. "You guys want a drink? I'm gettin' some tea."

"Water would be nice," Seth said, picking up his phone again. Sasha had been taking snapchats of the White Water party and Seth yawned, sleepy and full and ready to fall asleep. He had work in the morning, but getting up and brushing his teeth felt like too much work, so he simply lay, warm and comfortable on the couch.

Kevin hopped up and Seth pet his head, scratching at the fringe under his dog's chin. He really needed to be groomed soon, he was starting to look unkempt.

With a light buzz against his fingers, Seth received a text from Cesaro. His eyes widened as Roman returned with the water, holding it out for Seth to take.

"What?" Roman asked, watching Seth go white, disbelieving. Dean craned his neck, looking at Seth's side. Cesaro's had sent a photo of himself, standing in front of a large mirror. His arm was in a sling and he looked tired and morose.

**Messed up today this morning at the box, so no work for me :( Doctor thinks I tore my rotator cuff**

"Oh no," Roman said sadly, taking Seth's phone to see the picture closely. Seth was dumbstruck, unable to think or react. It was the same sort of shock and horror he'd felt when he'd injured himself, sitting in the imaging center, terrified. Dean rubbed Seth's shoulder, trying to comfort his boyfriend. Seth opened his hand again, trembling slightly as Roman returned his phone. 

"I want to call him," Seth managed. "I don't… it's fine if you're around-"

"It's okay," Roman said quickly, laughing nervously. "Do your thing babe."

Dean and Roman shuffled off, cleaning up the mess on the coffee table and rinsing dishes while Kevin hopped off the couch, forgotten. Blinking hard and letting off a hard breath, Seth dialed his friend, completely unsure about what he was supposed to say or do. His chest was filled with a horrible discomfort and all he wanted to do was just hear his friend's voice and make sure he was alright.

"Hey," Seth said shakily, hearing the line pick up. 

"Hey, how are you?" Cesaro asked. Seth frowned, completely confused.

"How am I?" Seth spluttered. "You can't just text me you broke your shoulder and ask me how  _ I  _ am! Dude, are you okay??"

"Oh, yeah," Cesaro said, slightly put out. "I have been better, but I am fine…"

"What the hell happened?" Seth asked, voice cracking. The noise of the dish washer kicking on was heard and Roman mumbled something to Dean, inaudible.

"Oh… just… It was kind of like you actually, with the injury." Cesaro sighed. "I was doing a snatch and I felt a lot of pain… dropped the bar… it was very dramatic. So I went to the doctor and they cannot tell me today so I have to wait until tomorrow... " 

Seth listened, swallowing and staring at his own, braced right leg. Cesaro being injured was somehow worse than his own injury. For all of the fitness that Seth loved, Cesaro had cultivated a whole life and practice around functional movement. Cesaro also didn't have two boyfriends to take him in and help him account for living expenses. 

"Are you okay though?" Seth asked stupidly. "Dude… that's awful… Shoulders are probably way more complicated than knees…"

"It isn't great." Cesaro laughed. "I would very much like for it to  _ not  _ have happened."

Seth let out a nervous laugh, completely thrown by his friends calm demeanor. He could imagine a sinkhole overtaking his friends life, sucking his whole condo down into a chasm while he patiently called 911, calmly explaining the situation.

"Tell him we're sorry too," Dean hissed. Seth frowned, snorting. 

"Dean and Roman give their condolences," he said, still wholly unconvinced by his friend's words. 

"How was the Super Bowl? Did you guys watch it?" Cesaro asked. Seth just blinked, shaking his head. "How has it been going over there?"

"DUDE, you just tore your SHOULDER. Why???" Seth blustered. "Why do you give a shit about me? Listen, tomorrow, I'm going to get off of work and then I'm bringing you coffee and whatever else you need, okay?" Seth's voice wavered, passionate and fiery. "If you need anything, tell me okay? I'll… I'll go with you to the doctor or whatever, it's the least I can fuckin' do-"

"Seth," Cesaro laughed, "It's really-"

"No! Stop it, I'm helping." Seth stood up, as though he was determined to walk to Cesaro's that instant. "Text me tomorrow, I swear."

"Oh-okay," Cesaro said nervously. "...Have a good night, Seth."

"Is he okay?" Roman asked, watching Seth limp to the bathroom. His voice was still echoing off the walls, heart racing fast. "Are you mad?"

"He's… he's so nice!" Seth almost yelled, forcing his toothbrush from the cup on the bathroom counter with enough force to knock it over. "I can't believe him…" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no Cesaro!
> 
> I broke 700 kudos! Thanks a lot you guys! That's crazy. I appreciate all the love you can give. Hope you enjoyed this sort of dialogue heavy chapter. I felt like I was sort of spinning the wheels on this for a few weeks, but now I have a more specific game plan going into the next few updates. As always, if you're interested in seeing something, let me know! There will be some new hires coming soon, but when I say soon it probably won't be until about September or so in real time. 
> 
> Basically, I do consider things, so if you're a diehard reader and I can hold your attention for a month, you might actually see some payoff XD
> 
> Review, comment, donate if it's something you're interested in! <3


	109. To The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth meets with Cesaro and Dean finds a way to give Seth what he needs.

Though Cesaro continued to assure Seth via text that he was perfectly alright, Seth insisted on seeing him after his workday that Monday. He felt a little foolish, planning to spend some money to cab over to Cesaro's condo with coffee drinks, but it gave him an excuse to do something that didn't require the help of his boyfriends. After all that Cesaro had done for him, Seth wanted to prove he wasn't ungrateful for all the lattes and conversations that had helped him through so many rough spots.

The workday wasn't moving particularly fast, though, and Seth had to remind himself that even though he wasn't lifeguarding, he couldn't be checking his phone every five minutes to talk with his friend.

"So, you have to remember to turn the scanner on..." Sami laughed, showing Seth to the back office area and pressing the button on the flat machine. "First few times I was here, I swear, everyone thought I was stupid because I just couldn't remember to turn it on so I was always thinking there was a problem with the connection port, anyways, we'll go back over here-" Sami put a paper on the bed of the machine and Seth limped after him, heading back to the main computer. "So this digitizes the form and then we just upload it as PDF to their member document."   


"Thrilling," Seth said blandly, quickly checking in a member and handing them a towel. Hunter had told Sami to instruct Seth on handling new membership information and processing payments in person. Nothing was hard, just tedious, with a few key points that Seth was certain he'd forget when the time came where he would have to do it by himself. 

Until the lunch rush, Seth just kept folding towels and brushing lint off his black polo. Cesaro texted him on occasion, but Sami didn't seem to mind that he had his phone out. As soon as the news that Cesaro had messed up his shoulder had been passed around, everyone was keen for updates to be sure he was okay.

"I thought I was going to see you last night," Sami said cheekily to Seth, nodding to a member as they left. Seth perked his head up, confused. Sami wiggled his brows and Seth's mouth formed a small O..

"Yeah, uh," he mumbled, shrugging. "I was having a hard time yesterday with my knee and all, right before the inservice I had physical therapy and it was pretty painful. I really wanted to go though…"

"Well, before the whole shoulder thing I thought you and Cesaro like, were CrossFitting or something," Sami chuckled. "But then Dean and Roman weren't there either so I put it together…"

"We're not a  _ gang _ ," Seth scoffed, turning pink. "We're our own men."

"I just think it's nice is all," Sami said, not sounding entirely convincing. "You came here, what, like six months ago or something? Not a lot of people can make  _ friends _ that fast."

"Well, was it fun?" Seth asked, blushing further, trying to divert the conversation somewhere else. "What did I miss?"

"It was a blast!" Sami grinned, pausing his story to check in an older member and point them in the direction of the spa. "Steph actually cooked stuff for us and Hunter's family is really cute. They had the main TV going in the sort of man cave area in the basement, and then they had the casual viewing going upstairs in the living room…"

Roman came through to grab the AED sign off sheet for January, nodding to Seth as they usually did around work. Sami nodded to Roman similarly and Seth wondered what exactly his game was. 

"Had a couple people coming in for the healthy living position," Sami said to Roman, toying with an empty water bottle in his hands. "Where are you going to school again?"

"UCF," Roman said, not pausing to take much time to talk as he walked out from behind the desk. "Going to be a  _ chiropractor _ . Did Cesaro get back to you, Seth?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go over around two or so." Seth nodded, trying to smile to a patron as they left. "I was just going to use Lyft, it should be fine."

"Let me know when you get done, somebody'll pick ya up." Roman saluted, walking back upstairs to his office. Seth felt his cheeks warm again. If he was going to be front and center to all of White Water, it was going to be harder to pretend he, Roman, and Dean weren't all sharing a bed. 

Making copies of the swim lesson schedule, Seth leaned on the machine, mixed up with everything he was feeling. He'd decided to do the majority of his home-therapy in the evening so it would be fine for him to lay down afterwards if he was feeling particularly sore. If Seth could really get his brace off in two weeks, it was something to look forward to, but the face of Sarah, his physical therapist loomed in his mind. The expression she'd made when he'd foolishly exclaimed he was 'done with the hard part' was whipping whatever pride he had left. There were months of therapy ahead of Seth before he was back where he wanted to be, walking, running, driving and, ideally, lifeguarding and lifting weights like he used to. Seth was pretty sure that the next month would probably be the most intense as far as pain was concerned, and he would have to settle for continuing to take things as they came and trying not to put any lofty goals over his head. 

_ I want to go to the gym on my birthday though _ , Seth thought, stacking the fresh ream of warm copied sheets in his hand and wobbling back to the front.  _ I want to go for a run and try to lift if they'll let me _ . 

The math gave Seth a little over two months to do that. He wasn't sure if it was lofty or not, but he filed it away for later to ask about.

A few more copies, towels, some laminating and cataloging of the lost and found, Seth was just wondering what other meaningless task he could do to fill his time when a patron complained that the complimentary coffee was out. Seth limped to the small table in front of the community announcement board and took the water container out of the back to fill. 

"What's up gang," Dean mumbled, drumming his hands on the lobby counter and smacking the gum he was chewing. Seth's head perked up just in time to watch Dean blow a rather impressive bubble, only to have it pop in his beard and tangle with the hairs. Sami laughed, but Seth just rolled his eyes.

"Why do you-" Seth frowned, looking at the bag in his boyfriend's hands. "You're not eating all that and calling it your lunch are you?"

Dean was holding a huge bag of flavored sunflower seeds and a Mountain Dew, obviously fresh from taking a break to purchase them at a store. 

"Nah that would be silly," Dean admitted, shaking the bag. "I ate a gas station hot dog and picked these up for snacks. The only time I make headway quitting is if I have gum and stuff like that."

"Quitting cigarettes?" Sami asked. Dean nodded, pushing his sunglasses into the dip of his work polo. His jaw worked lazily on the gum, as though it could fall out at any moment. "Good for you! But I'm sure we'll miss seeing you running back and forth all the time."

"Don't tell Hunter about it. I like goin' outside and takin' breaks and stuff." Dean smirked, walking off. 

When his shift was over, Seth called for a Lyft ride to take him to Starbucks before making his way to Cesaro's apartment. That morning, his friend had gone to get MRIs of his shoulder, and apparently he had indeed torn his rotator cuff. Seth knew he was taking everything much too personally, likely projecting the grief from his knee onto another person, but if Cesaro wasn't guarding, he probably wouldn't be at White Water at all. There was a sort of selfish wish for himself and Cesaro to work together in an office work capacity, similarly disgruntled about their situations, but Seth didn't know what to expect.

"Two Flat Whites, please, medium," Seth ordered, shaking his head as the barista's eyes flicked to the pastry cabinet. "That'll be all."

His Lyft driver obliged to carry the drinks to Cesaro's front door as Seth's hands gripped the handles of his crutches. Sweating a little and looking around the rows of identical condominiums, Seth grinned as soon as he saw his friend outside the far house, waving with his good arm.

"Starbucks knock off Cortados? You are too much!" Cesaro laughed, grabbing the drink carton and pressing the door open with his leg, barely able to keep it propped enough for Seth to squeeze inside. "Between the two of us, we have one healthy person I should guess."

"That's the hope. How are you man?" Seth panted, barely remembering Cesaro's living space. Zoe the cat meowed as he came inside and Seth set his crutches against the wall, limping to the couch. In the corner, a record player was playing a blues record quietly. On the surface of the coffee table, Seth could see a stack of papers that looked as though they'd come from the doctor's office.

"It hurts some, but I am keeping the sling very tight to my chest so it doesn't move around too much. I iced it all morning." Cesaro sat in the armchair, lowering himself carefully and sighing. "I just got done talking to my family on the phone."

"Yeah?" Seth sipped from his drink, watching his friend carefully. Cesaro's lip folded and he looked at the ground. He didn't really look sad exactly, but his face was strained, exhausted. Zoe lept up onto the chair and Cesaro began stroking her fur, staring at his pet.

"I am thinking I am going to go back," he said. "I cannot work and the healthcare here is very expensive… It would make sense to take some time and be with my family. My parents miss me and it would be a nice excuse to spend some extended time with them."

"That… makes sense…" Seth said, heart sinking into his feet. Cesaro was his closest friend in Orlando, and not having him around would be a rather large loss. Seth wasn't angry, he was enormously sympathetic as he'd been sure that he would have had to do the same at one point in his injury, but it still hurt.

"I am still not sure yet, but as of right now, it seems to make the most sense," Cesaro continued quietly. "I have a few options with my recovery. I could do surgery and they could go in and manually repair everything, but apparently there are good means of injecting stem cells and doing something with that too." 

"That sucks, I dunno," Seth sighed, looking at the floor. "Seems like… well… your personal training… I mean, I dunno if you could really do it with your arm in a sling, but you've been working so hard lately..."

"I had plane tickets to go to Texas for a conference." Cesaro laughed darkly and Seth groaned. "I will get a refund though, it is no problem…"

"STILL," Seth whined. "Fuck man, that's so rough. You don't deserve any of this."

"Nobody does!" Cesaro laughed, Seth just shook his head.

"You especially though." 

Cesaro tilted his head to his good shoulder in a sort of modified shrug. Zoe purred and closed her eyes, looking thoroughly pleased. Seth wondered if it would be simple for his friend to leave and perhaps take his cat with him, or how long he might be gone. He could hardly remember the time he'd spent, laying depressed in bed at Roman's house, trying to sort his life out. It had been so stressful, Seth wondered if Cesaro wasn't going through anything similar. He appeared calm and collected, but Seth knew it was probably frustrating him more than he was letting on.

"Do you…" he wondered aloud, trying to think. He didn't want to ask any questions that didn't have answers yet, but Seth was made fidgety by the awkward silence. "Did they say what the recovery time was?"

"Six months," Cesaro sighed. "I could probably work again in four or five, but for a full range of motion, it would take more time." 

The record in the corner ended, letting off the sort of dusty sound of dead air before the needle lifted and machine stopped spinning. Zoe lept down and Cesaro bit his lip, thinking.

"It…" Cesaro huffed, staring at the ground. "It is just… annoying… all of it. It has made me stop and think about what I am doing and it doesn't feel very good. I am gathering all of my documents for taxes and I look at the money I made last year… and… today…" Cesaro's voice wavered strangely and Seth blinked, heart racing. "I look at my goals I had for last year and I didn't  _ really  _ do what I wanted. I wanted to do more- I wanted to stop guarding and go to more conferences. I thought I would have more clients, but it is hard to retain people… all of my clients want quick fixes and I can't build a relationship with them. I do not know why." 

Seth watched as Cesaro laughed darkly and rubbed at his eye. 

"I wanted to do better when I came here. I think I did not realize it, but I envy you a lot, Seth. I work too much and I have a hard time making time for anyone-"

"You make time for me!" Seth argued, caught between wanting to be closer to his friend and being trapped behind a coffee table. Cesaro laughed. 

"I mean  _ women _ ," Cesaro choked. "I put all this time into my work and I sort of… half try to see people but then my work is not good and I do not really put any time into others."

"Cesaro… man." Seth felt wrecked, seeing his friend blink, trying to smile and laughing nervously against tears. "Look… I dunno… I'm sorry-" he began, feeling his voice tremble. "When I got injured, it was like… three or four days of me just… just feeling  _ terrible _ . I think I played over my whole life like a _ dozen _ times just feeling mad at myself, thinking I was stupid for moving down here and overtraining and putting myself in this mess. It's not-" Seth shook his head, feeling stupid. "It's not the same as you, it's different. I'm sorry I'm just talkin' about myself here… but like, I think you're being too hard on yourself."

"Maybe." Cesaro sniffed, sitting upright. "You are right, but… these are things I have thought about for a while now, it is just… as you said, it is all just sort of coming to the front of my brain right now."

They each sipped their coffee, thinking. Seth felt stupid, wholly unable to comfort his friend and sure that he was relatively spoiled in comparison to what Cesaro's situation was. Seth hadn't come out of his emotional funk until Dean and Roman had pulled him by the ear to a point of responsibility with his situation. Seth was very aware that the moment he left the condo, Cesaro would only have his cat for companionship.

"It sucks because you want to just workout, right?" Seth asked, managing a smile. "Like, fuck, my life sucks, I just want to lift!"

"Right." Cesaro laughed, brightening. "If only."

The revelation of Cesaro's dissatisfaction with his life was difficult, but the more they talked, the more Seth realized he really didn't have to try to fix anything or quickly give some sloppy, half formed take on what he thought about it all. As horrible as it was to see his friend so distraught, the moment he'd gotten it out, Cesaro looked content and calm. For all the times Seth had treated Cesaro like an earpiece when he'd been struggling with figuring out his relationship, Seth though he owed him some active listening. 

After detailing his physical therapy visit, Cesaro brought out some chocolate wafer cookies to snack on and flipped the record over, filling the living room with an ambient buzz again. Roman texted Seth around four, wondering how he was doing. 

"If you had somewhere to be, it is no trouble," Cesaro said, stuffing a frozen bag of peas against his brace and sitting back down. "I was going to check and see about airfare and call my family again."

"Do you think…" Seth paused to clear his throat. "If you had it your way, how long do you think you would be gone?"

"I think it would be nice to just recover from surgery there." Cesaro shrugged. "Whatever operation I end up having to get, I think it will be nice to just not worry about anything and be with my family. I do want to come back." Cesaro nodded, grinning a little from Seth's look of relief. "I just… I want to take some time to make a strategy about what I am going to do and what makes the most sense. But also, it would be nice to go to Munich or something for a few days. Like have a little vacation."

"Where…" Seth bit his lips, putting his hands in the air. "I'm… bad at geography… isn't it by like… Norway…?"

Cesaro restrained an eye roll, but he held up his good hand, pointing down from where Seth was miming a map. "South." Cesaro grinned. "It is in between France and Germany and Italy. The last time I went home I flew into Zurich and then I take the train, but I think my family will just pick me up at the airport and then it is a very pretty drive to Lucerne."

"Is it expensive? Are there a lot of stops?" Seth asked, hiding his hands and blushing.

"Sometimes, it is random," Cesaro said. "Last time, I went to Toronto and then to Iceland. It's not too bad. I think this time I will get first class as well so I can be sure nobody bumps into my shoulder…"

Around five, Roman came to collect Seth. The two men had polished off a container of wafers and were talking about music and the Super Bowl when a knock was heard at the door. Seth stood as Cesaro went to open up the door, running a hand through his beard to make sure he wasn't holding onto any cookie dust. 

"Hey man, I heard the news..."

"Yes, but I'm okay." Cesaro sighed. Roman walked in, taking off his sunglasses and observing the man's condominium space, smiling to Seth. Seth hopped out from behind the coffee table, grabbing his crutches. 

"Thank god too, he almost freaked when you texted him last night." Roman nodded to his boyfriend. Seth just scoffed, putting the crutches into his armpits, uncomfortably aware of his ears burning. Cesaro just looked flattered.

"Well, it was very nice for you to come," Cesaro said, extending his good arm, Seth leaned into a quick hug, making sure to pat his friend on his lower back so as not to hurt him. 

"We need to hangout again if you end up going," Seth said firmly. "It doesn't need to be a big deal… but… we could do dinner or somethin'."

"That would be nice, thank you." Cesaro nodded, following them out as Roman led the way to the Jeep, parked right by the curb. They waved, and Seth felt very quiet and strange as Roman started the car and turned the radio down a notch.

"He's okay though?" Roman asked after a few minutes of driving. "Or, he's  _ going _ to be?"

"Yeah," Seth mumbled, clearing his throat. "He's going back to Switzerland though for a bit, so that sucks."

"Yeah?" Roman frowned. "Damn…"

There had been some general conversation about dinner and evening activities but Seth wasn't really hungry. A general numbness was filling his chest as he knew he shouldn't be expecting a lot more time with his closest friend outside of Roman and Dean. There was a fear that Cesaro would return home and realize he wanted to stay or something, but Seth doubted his friend would leave his condo and the majority of his belongings in another country if he didn't intend to return. The whole situation just sucked and for someone that usually only had one or two close friends, it was an annoying reminder that he probably needed to socialize and befriend others if he wasn't going to just monopolize his boyfriend's time.

Staring in the side mirror at his reflection, Seth just sighed as they pulled into the garage spot, feeling like his reflection looked more glum each day. He didn't look nearly as weird and skeletal as he had after surgery, but he wished he felt less heavy.

Dean had apparently taken Kevin on a walk as neither of them were around. Roman helped Seth with the doors and turned the central air up a little more as they walked inside. 

"I think I'm going to stretch a little on the bed," Seth explained, putting his crutches by the door and nodding to Roman. "I'm okay, I swear."

Roman just nodded attentively, turning on the kitchen radio and washing his hands. Some pop song started playing just as Seth shut the door to the bedroom, hoping for a little quiet.

Sighing, he undid his brace, wondering how painful his knee would be after a little activity. Seth didn't remember ever single stretch he'd done with Dr. Del Ray, but he had an idea for a few things he could do. Being with Cesaro, even in a non-exercise setting, always made him want to push himself a little and do better, but Seth had to remind himself that they both probably needed a better outlet for their frustrations than putting undue stress on their bodies. Physical therapy was fitness, but it also wasn't. More wasn't better, and it would take a more deliberate, meditative way of thinking if Seth was going to get through it.

Laying with both legs extended in front of him, Seth flexed his ankle, pointing his toes and quads back and forth, just trying to see if he couldn't match the movements knee for knee. Carefully extending his right leg into the air, Seth breathed hard, counting in his head at a steady tempo, bringing the leg up to hover above his left toes, then down again until he was sweating a little from the tenderness. It wasn't quite as sore as before, but Seth wasn't using the machines that were at the clinic.

He tried standing up, limping on his leg until he reached the wall so he had something to lean against if he lost his balance. Experimentally, he steadied himself on his left leg, hissing as he wobbled slightly, feeling the hard pressure of his knee working to lock and support his weight. It was oddly satisfying, but only because Seth could set his own pace, putting his leg back down when it became too much.

Footsteps came down the hallway and Dean came in, looking slightly alarmed at Seth standing without assistance. 

"It's okay, it's therapy stuff," Seth explained, regarding his boyfriend. They were both sweating a little, but Dean was wearing a pair of Roman's exercise shorts and a white tank top, slightly mismatched.

"Hmm." Dean nodded, grabbing a towel from the hamper. Seth continued to hover, trying to stabilize himself on his right foot while Dean shucked off his clothes, wiping his forehead on his shirt and sitting on the bed.

"Did you go for a run?" Seth asked. He was facing the wall and he was highly conscious of Dean's breathing, just slightly overloud. 

"Nah's just hot," Dean said. "Went a little far. How was your boy?"

"Not great, well, he's going back home." Seth grunted, shifting the weight on his knee. "Tore up his shoulder. Not much else he can do, we just talked."

"That's good you're there for 'em though," Dean said quietly. "You know that game now."

Seth came back down on two legs, surveying his knees and thinking. The one stretch that had been really good was extending his leg out high as he'd laid on his back, getting a good pull in his hamstrings. However, he didn't have any tubing at home to pull on the bottom of his foot.

"Can you hand me a belt?" Seth asked, trying not to think about Cesaro. Dean sat up, reaching for a belt that had been draped over the side of the hamper. "I want to try something…"

Seth breathed, pulling his leg up high and straining hard. It was a hard stretch and there wasn't a lot of flexibility in the hard leather to work with. Dean stood, watching, as after about twenty seconds, Seth's let his leg glide back down. 

"Hurt?" Dean asked, watching Seth nod, blushing hard red from the effort. He put a hand on Seth's left foot, rubbing his toes. 

"I forgot where I put the sheet with all the stretches," Seth admitted dumbly, staring at the ceiling. "I think I did most of them though."

"When you go back in?"

"Sunday."

Dean pulled, hearing Seth's pinky toe crack loudly. He pushed against the knuckle of his foot until Seth recoiled, staring.

"What, you can't crack it like that?" Dean smirked, bringing up his own foot and pushing against the knuckles, popping a few off loudly. Seth shook his head, morbidly amused. "I dunno, I always could."

"Can you… can you try something?" Seth asked, hovering his right leg up again. "My doctor did it, she like, pushed on my leg a little bit just to help stretch it."

Seth bent his knee at about ninety degrees and Dean edged onto the bed, following Seth's instruction to fold his knee carefully against his chest, easing the joint back for a moment's rest before pushing it down again. It was very tender and Seth grit his teeth, but Dean watched him nod affirmingly, following his lead.

"I was scared it was gonna pop or something." Dean laughed, helping Seth ease his leg back down to lay on the surface of the bed. "Feel good?"

"Like, in a bad way, but yeah," Seth mumbled, sighing. He gazed up into Dean's face, blinking. His mind was weirdly quiet and he didn't really know what to do. Dean just watched him back, shirtless and squirming slightly, his downturned eyes looking relaxed and peaceful. The sun was shining through the window behind him, giving his gingery hair an extra intensity. 

"You gonna be okay?" Dean asked quietly, looking down at Seth's arm and poking a little freckle under his fuzzy hair.

"Of course," Seth sighed, feeling really stupid for being so emotionally distraught the night before over his friend. Everything would be fine. It wouldn't be fun, but that was life and Seth didn't want his boyfriends thinking he was a baby.

"Mmkay," Dean said, lowering his head and setting it in the crook of Seth's arm, half burrowing into him and half kissing his side. Seth jerked, feeling slightly tickled. He pulled Dean out by the hair and rolled him onto the bed, moving himself over so they were both diagonal. They were getting each other excited, and as usual when Dean was in close proximity, Seth's dick was making it's presence felt. 

"Do you think if you fucked me, would Uce be mad?" he whispered devilishly, rolling over and pressing himself to his boyfriend's body. Dean frowned, turning.

"Why?"

"'Cause my knee?" Seth said, frowning back. 

"Oh, uhhhhh…" Dean squinted, sitting up and looking at Seth's knee, slightly bent. "Naaaahhhhhh…"

There was still some element of sneakiness in their actions as Dean jerked off his pants and Seth's, taking care to make sure he wasn't messing with his knees much as they kissed. Seth tried to be quiet, giggling a little as Dean pushed him into the mattress and fisted Seth's hair behind his head with little tugs as they made out. Seth could smell the sunshine and sweat on his boyfriend's face, his tongue cool from mint and some ice water that was probably still resting on the kitchen island. He chuckled to himself as he realized that if his mouth tasted like cookies, it would probably only make Dean like him more.

Seth groaned, feeling Dean's backside and gripping it firmly with his hands, making his boyfriend buck and poke the head of his dick against Seth's hip. Looking down, Seth let out a sympathetic hiss, seeing all of Dean's groin a mess of angry, irritated hair follicles from the waxing.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Seth piped up against Dean's teeth, holding onto his dick carefully and inspecting the area. Dean sat up, eyebrow raised.

"Not that bad, it's whatever," Dean mumbled, pressing him back down. Seth grunted, feeling his eyes roll even though they were shut. "I've been thinking about how'm gunna fuck ya…" he continued, changing the subject by putting his hand up to Seth's breast and teasing his nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Seth gasped, his belly tightening up. "But I kinda wanna hear you  _ ask _ for it…"

"Pleeeease," Seth sighed. Dean's other hands went to his left nipple, pushing his breasts together and pulling on the buds hard. "It's been so long…"

"Yeah?" Dean asked. He was kissing Seth's neck, manipulating his chest so thoroughly that Seth's dick was leaking on his leg, tensing and looking for a hand to play with it. Seth closed his eyes hard, trying to keep from drooling into his beard as Dean sucked playfully behind his ear. 

"Please, I don't care if it hurts a l'il," Seth hissed, a weft of his own hair falling in his face as Dean nosed around, giving his earlobe a friendly lick. "I jus' need it..."

Dean ended up going down on him as Seth tented his leg carefully, feeling a soft twinge. However, it wasn't too bad and the blankets gave him something to rest his foot against. The moment he felt lips around his backside for the first time in what felt like months, Seth was unable to stop himself from letting out a ragged moan. 

"Yeah, it has been too long." Dean laughed, giving Seth's dick a pump and watching pre come lazily drip down the length of his cock. Seth pressed a pillow to his face,  letting little groans and whimpers trail out of his mouth as a careful tongue circled his entrance, teasing and prodding around. "You gunna let me bust off in your ass?"

"Yesssss," Seth whined, sucking in a breath as he felt his good knee bend and his body tilt, while Dean hovered over his bad knee, leaning and lining up his dick with Seth's entrance. Seth pulled the pillow away in time, watching as Dean poked around, holding Seth stable and measuring, not unlike a boxer finding their distance. 

"Lube, babe," Dean said, motioning for Seth to give it to him. Seth reached for the lube on the bedside table and tossed it to Dean. He smeared a generous amount across Seth's backside and all over his dick, finding his target before easing in.

It was difficult, and Seth probably should have had a little more finger prep before being pressed into by a full dick. His hips shook slightly, trying to remember the sensation and relax, while Seth lay, mouth slightly agape, staring at the ceiling and swallowing hard. Dean was very careful, making sure not to go too quickly, enjoying the fit all the same. Trying as hard as he could not to shake Seth unnecessarily and jar his bad knee, he thrusted tiny little strokes, pushing against Seth's good leg and feeling sweat accumulate in the hair and skin. 

"O-okay?" Dean breathed, staring at his lover. Seth nodded, eyes wild, breathing deeply. Another little kick and Seth sighed long. Dean's dick had found his happy spot and was now rubbing enthusiastically, massaging and working up to a thrust that was almost half of the hurried pace they used to work at. For Seth, who had been so long without penetration, it was more than enough. His hands gripped the bed and his hair was a frazzled mess. The sun beating down through the window fell across his chest and he felt like he was on fire, so full up with pleasure. His knee burned slightly, just a little uncomfortable as Dean came in to tap with his hips, but for the most part, they'd found a good position.

"I l-love you," Seth muttered, the words beat out of him by the motion of Dean's cock. "F-fuck."

"Mmmhm," Dean growled, beating a little deeper, but keeping the speed the same. "I missed your lil' hole… Your lil' cock all fuckin' thrilled…"

" _ Mmgheh _ ." Seth threw his arms up over his eyes, his mouth falling open as he felt as though he was about to come, but the feeling receded slightly as his knee twinged. His mind felt weak, just as warm as the rest of his body and overloaded by all the stimulus. He couldn't really hear the trees rustling in the wind outside or Kevin scratching anxiously at the door. Dean panted, pausing a little to stroke Seth's cock with his hand a few times before continuing to beat, sure and careful as ever. Seth felt it again, the building, blooming sensation, but it seemed to plateau and he let out a gasping little cry. 

"Look at me babe," Dean coughed, struggling. Seth put his arms down and Dean shuddered, face wrecked as he began to fall apart. Seeing his lover so melted and compromised had them both vibrating like bowstrings, ready to be let go. 

Seth's whole body seemed to blink and he began to shoot, leaking all over his leg until his dick seemed to buckle like a hose, making a mess all over his stomach. Dean let out a huge breath, and Seth could feel come in his ass as Dean's cock jerked, hard and manic. With a quick hand, Dean pulled Seth's dick up, giving it a few complimentary strokes as his orgasm rolled. The leg across Dean's chest was sliding around in sweat, but Dean just kept leaning in, keeping it secure. 

" _ Fuck _ ," Seth breathed, his vision spotting slightly. Everything felt amazing, warm and tender, surely, but  _ so _ good. Jerking off just wasn't the same when Dean could fuck him so perfectly it was unfair. He leaned in, smirking his usual dumb smile and kissed Seth quickly on the forehead. Before he could get away. Seth hugged him, holding him tight, not caring much that his knee was throbbing angrily.

"Love ya back," Dean said into his hair. Seth just nodded, feeling tears at the corners of his eyes. He wasn't sad or happy really, he just hadn't realized how much he had needed some sex. As they separated, Seth guessed Dean had needed it as well. His shoulders had slumped down and his face was dopey and light.

With the usual inappropriate squelching noises, Dean withdrew his dick and pushed a towel under Seth's behind, catching the come before it could land on the sheets and call for a load of laundry. Dean paced, clearly forgetting what he was doing, but Seth just lay, content and vaguely sore. His brace had been pushed off the bed during their roughhousing, but Seth supposed it was probably good to just let his leg rest at a slight angle. 

"Do you think-" Seth sighed, feeling his slightly swollen joint. "Can I get… some ice?"

Without stopping to put on a towel or say another word, Dean turned, marching out the door and down the hall. Kevin immediately came in, hopping on the bed and eagerly looking for pets. Seth hissed, feeling his dog's cold nose press on his exposed skin. He lifted him in the air and smirked, watching Kevin's little legs flail, scrambling around as he grunted and sneezed. Seth lowered him to his face and kissed his furry head, earning a lot of licks.

In the kitchen, Seth could hear the radio being turned down. He listened, sure that Roman was probably exasperated they'd engaged in something that could possibly tweak his knee, but Seth would defend his boyfriend to hell after such a thorough fucking. It was was hard to make out what they were saying, but Seth could hear the freezer open and Dean mumbling low. As soon as the door was shut, Roman groaned.

"There's lotion in the bathroom! Go put some on!"

"It's fine!"

Seth laughed, sure they were discussing Dean's unfortunate pubic hair situation. He returned a few minutes later with the ice pack over his shoulder, an ice cream sandwich, and globs of lotion in his hand, working around his groin in the sticky mess. 

"I'll bet that feels refreshing," Seth giggled. "Where's  _ my _ ice cream sandwich?" 

"Thoddamnit," Dean cursed through a full mouth and walked back to the kitchen. Seth laughed, he looked like a mess. "Th'an a guy get a break around 'ere?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the last chapter or anything, don't let the title fool you. May the ambrollins bless us in this summer of great abundance.
> 
> I'm not writing Cesaro out forever either, just a little while! He will come back better than ever and he and Seth will be back to CrossFitting eventually. Keep reading and reviewing for the big Valentines Day celebration coming up quick!
> 
> <3


	110. Rolled Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domesticity and the expectations within. Can Dean quit smoking? Seth weighs some pros and cons.

With the exception of his friend's injury, Seth began to feel as though he was starting to fall into a rhythm with life that he could manage again. By supplementing coffee at the appropriate times and taking some melatonin in the evening, he was sleeping a little better and staying lively during the day. Working behind the desk was still boring, but Seth felt more confident doing his tasks and playing music quietly with Sami during the midday lull. Each night, he stretched his leg and took some time balancing and walking carefully without his brace, and though it was tender, the pain was receding and becoming less focused. Even the tiniest form of progression felt huge.

Dean had his interview for Roman's position early in the week, and Seth tried to be as supportive as possible. The whole time, Dean seemed sort of shy about discussing the possible promotion, his voice going just slightly quieter whenever it was discussed, but Seth wanted to encourage his usual cocky confidence. The first day Dean had decided to quit smoking, he'd been rather broody and irritable, but he was slowly leveling out to his usual luke-warm attitude.

"I dunno, I feel like Hunter's lookin' for new blood is all," Dean had said, pushing a case of orange soda into the bottom of their food cart. It was the first time Seth had gone grocery shopping with both his boyfriends and he leaned over the trolley railing, keeping the weight off his knee.

"You never know though, I feel like it makes sense. You've been there so long," Seth reasoned, looking to Roman who was opting for some sugar-free sweet tea. "Is AJ helping with the hiring?"

"He didn't interview me," Dean offered after Roman shrugged. "But still, he's probably gunna have a hand innit."

Seth felt good about finally being able to pay for some portion of his food expenses, walking after the two men and dodging between families who occupied the narrow aisles. Even grocery shopping was made more fun with his boyfriends, especially since food seemed to occupy so much of the time they spent together. Roman liked to cook and Seth didn't mind eating whatever he was offered, and so he gladly agreed to help pay for things like fresh veggies, herbs and spices, or shrimp and crab to be prepared from scratch.

Dean could appreciate the thought, but for every fresh mango or bag of beans, a box of frozen McNuggets was usually tossed in the cart for good measure.

"Picky much?" Seth teased, watching Dean turn his nose up as Roman put a bag of collard greens in the top of the cart. "I don't think I've _ever_ seen you eat a salad before, come to think of it."

"Yeah, well, when you grow up eatin' stale bread sandwiches, you don't _do_ fancy stuff," Dean muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets and walking down the snack aisle quickly. Seth bit his tongue, feeling a little guilty. He hadn't meant to be mean.

"He buys the junk food so I don't have to," Roman said, poking at a box of Cocoa Puffs with a sigh. "He's actually gotten a lot better. He used to only eat mac and cheese."

Seth just nodded. Living with Roman and Dean still required some adjustments, and as much as he was starting to get cozy in his surroundings with his dog, he still had to remember that he had an apartment to go back to. As nice and convenient as it was to use Roman's beard trimmer, Xbox One, fancy Bose sound system or smart home assistant, Seth felt guilty about lying around in his underwear, snuggling a duvet that wasn't his. Now that he was slowly getting accustomed to standing for longer periods of time, Seth tried to clean as much as possible so he could keep himself appreciative for his boyfriend's space. Wednesday after work while Dean was at his knitting club, Seth vacuumed the whole house and dusted while Kevin barked and ran circles around the living room anxiously.

"You don't have to do that," Roman assured him as Kevin yelped rather loudly, making to bite the front of the machine. "Saturday I'm actually gonna get the carpet steam cleaned, so it doesn't matter."

"Yeah… just…" Seth shrugged. "Dog hair, I dunno. What are you doing?" Roman was putting an earbud into his ear and connecting it to his laptop.

"I have some videos to watch before my orientation," Roman explained, sighing and leaning into his palm. "I'm going in Friday morning for a few hours and I'll get my student ID and stuff. I wanted to talk to the financial aid office about a federal loan, too. Dean's gonna cover tabata."

Seth leaned down carefully to wind the cord around the vacuum and Kevin calmed a little, growling and giving the device some distance. With the house strangely quiet without the noise from the machine, Seth stowed the vacuum back in the linen closet, unable to stop himself from sauntering over to distract his boyfriend.

" _College_ boy," he teased, sticking his nose to Roman's neck and kissing under his ear. Roman grunted, pulling out a single earbud. "We should have a nice dinner to celebrate!" 

Roman snorted. "We're _always_ having nice dinners," he said, pausing the video and lightly tickling under Seth's armpits. "Its Valentine's this weekend anyway! You excited to go see monster trucks?"

Seth hadn't thought about Valentine’s Day much at all. Even when he was with Marek he hadn't really ever made a big deal out of the holiday. The usual advertisements for roses and diamond jewelry dominated the radio, while nice chocolates and cards lined the displays at the grocery stores, but Seth couldn't imagine what a Valentine's Day with two boyfriends would entail.

Really, Roman was the one to consider, as he was the only one that put any effort into those sorts of things. Immediately Seth's chest twinged with anxiety, wondering if he was supposed to be planning something.

"I had those two extra tickets too," Roman continued, watching Seth's eyes come in and out of focus. "I thought, depending if they had planned anything, you think Bayley and Sasha would want to go with us? My cousins said they wanted to go back around Christmas time, but I think they forgot."

"Huh? Oh, maybe." Seth blinked, considering it. "I can ask. Were we…" He sucked his cheek for a moment. He didn't want to seem insincere or come off like he was scolding Roman for planning anything extra, but he also didn't want to disappoint anyone. "Were we like, doing anything… like…"

Roman grinned. "Like what?"

"Like… gifts or… I dunno…" Seth blushed. "I feel like going out is enough for me. You've…" His brain sprung, finding his words. "You guys have been so helpful lately, I dunno if I can deal with any more niceness."

"It's okay, lil' Uce." Roman pulled him closer, squeezing his butt. "We'll just go out. I was going to pick and clean some flowers for the garden for the table, but nothin' crazy. I feel like trucks are enough."

"Y-yeah," Seth said. "Cool, cool."

If he had the money to pour on his lover's, he would have figured something out, but checking his bank account was still a kind of punishment. Seth wasn't working as much as he had been when he was guarding and teaching, and the time he'd taken off of work was still evident in his rent savings. The last thing Seth wanted to do was ask his grandfather for money, but it would be a very narrow squeeze to pay his bills for the month.

Each evening, as he ate dinner and watched television with his boyfriends, Seth was realizing he really _didn't_ want to go home. It was an awful feeling, because he _knew_ he had to, but it didn't stop his heart from wanting it. Every time Roman put a plate of food in front of him, his chest ached, and when Dean obliged to rub his feet or read to him, Seth was very aware of how heavy he was, rooted to the spot.

There were a few very simple reasons why he knew it was a bad idea, and Seth liked to list them in his brain whenever he was feeling particularly attached.

First and foremost, there was just the fact that Seth's pride was so unbendable. He couldn't imagine the conversation he'd have with his mom, telling her that he'd decided to stay at his boyfriend's home. In his head, he pictured her face, shocked and upset for what he could see as evidence of his poor judgement. The relationship was too young, it was too soon, and the fact that he was in an unconventional pairing was still too foreign and suspect to be properly respected. Holly would frown and purse her lips, likely to lecture her son about 'thinking about more than just the moment'.

Most days, Seth felt that he could maybe argue back, but then a mini drama would unfold and essentially prove his point. Usually, Seth would get snappy with Roman fussing over his knee or Dean would accidentally trip on Seth's outstretched feet and make him grumpy for twenty minutes.

But, just as often, Dean and Roman would cross each other, leaving Seth to rub his temples and groan. It was almost always the same bullshit, with Dean doing something mildly offensive and Roman overreacting. This week, it was all about laundry.

"Okay, look," Roman said, overloud. Seth immediately sighed from his spot on the couch, hearing him across the house where Roman and Dean were huddled by the laundry closet. "There's _two_ settings, literally all you have to do is just move the spinner. I'm not making you sort by lights and jeans and shit, it's not that hard-"

"Uce, it's fucking _underwear_. Your work shirts are all fuckin dark and I couldn't give a shit about whatever tint of white-"

"I have two white dress shirts!" Roman said quickly. Seth set his book down, listening. "I need this shit cleaned right, it's really not that much to ask-"

Before the bickering could escalate, Seth was on his feet, limping over and feeling his blood pressure rising.

"I gotta whole other laundry basket at my apartment, okay?" he interrupted, leaning on the wall for support. "I'll bring a 'whites only' container and _I'll_ do the damn laundry, how does that sound?"

"Cool. I already fuck with all the chicken coop shit, seems pretty fair to me." Dean stomped off.

It took Seth a few more minutes to realize he'd just committed to integrating himself more into Roman's home. He was glad he had stopped the argument, but he felt stupid.

Even leaving the minor stupid disagreements aside, Seth couldn't imagine discussing the possibility of moving into Roman's house with Roman's mother and father. Lisa's voice kept popping up into Seth's mind the moment he began thinking of staying and immediately he felt numb and uncomfortable. Moving in meant that he would have to respect the wishes of whatever Roman's family thought was best, and Seth knew that it would lead to conflict at some point. As much as Lisa liked to smile and insist that he was family, Seth was still sure that she was privately praying Roman would break up with one of them and pursue a monogamous relationship.

It wasn't a good feeling, but then again, neither was paying expensive rent on an apartment he didn't use. Seth had grown accustomed to having Roman or Dean's arm draped over his side at night, and though he knew was an adult and he could handle living alone, deep down he knew he didn't want to do it anymore.

For the most part, things were really good, maybe even the best they'd ever been despite the normal day to day idiosyncrasies. The honeymoon period was sort of over, if there had ever been one, but Seth still felt little bubbles of joy on a daily basis, even though he was just folding his boyfriends’ shirts orlistening to them talk about work or school or baby chickens.

"You doin' okay?" Seth asked, watching Dean on the couch, picking at his lips quietly and jiggling his foot more than usual. Dean inhaled sharply, coughing a little.

"Yeah, just jonesin' to smoke." He sighed. "Every time I quit my throat heals up all slimey and weird… all phlegm…"

"Gross," Seth said simply, looking around. Roman was outside in the garden checking on the chickens and turning the compost pile. It was almost dark and it had been a relatively cool day. "Tomorrow you're covering Uce's class, yeah?"

"That's the plan." Dean sniffed, patting the couch for Seth to come sit if he wanted. Seth came in and moved the coffee table so he could prop his leg up.

"I was thinkin' how it might be nice to make him some breakfast," Seth offered. "It doesn't have to be big or anything, but it might be sweet if we just like, do that."

"Like a Valentine's thing?" Dean's nose wrinkled a little but Seth shook his head.

"No… just like a nice thing cause he's going to school, yeah?" He grinned, watching Dean shrug. Seth almost questioned Dean, wondering if Dean's family had never made him a nice breakfast on his first day of school before, but instantly he knew he would regret asking. "I mean, I guess he's not starting classes really, but I feel like he's probably been all stressed out about it and it would be cool to just let him know we care."

"I don't know how to make anything." Dean shrugged, biting his lip. Seth sighed, he knew Dean was still sort of crabby from craving nicotine, but it was starting to get annoying. "I know like _one_ recipe."

"What one?" Seth asked, trying to be encouraging and sweet. He rubbed Dean's arm, nuzzling a little closer. Dean didn't really move or encourage it, but let Seth run his fingers down his front.

"Like an egg toast thing," Dean mumbled, scoffing. "Shit you can make in five seconds for no money. I used to call 'em Happy Bowl sandwiches." Seth giggled. "What?"

" _Please_ , tell me all about this..."

"It's the only way to eat eggs on the go," Dean said defensively. "You toast a bread and then you like, scoop out the insides and fill it with egg over easy."

"Well fuck! that's breakfast food. I was going to say we could make pancakes or something, but that sounds just as good if not better. We could put like some meat in there too, or like onions or peppers, make 'em thick," Seth said, fantasizing. "You wanna do it?"

"If I'm awake," Dean mumbled. "Wake me up and I will. If Uce really needs it. Why didn't you make _me_ breakfast on my interview day?"

"Uh… because you didn't tell us it happened until after it happened?" Seth raised an eyebrow. "You know I woulda, but you gotta tell us if you want it."

Dean didn't say much, but put his arm around Seth, pulling him in closer as the sliding door shuffled open and shut and Roman came back inside, putting his work gloves in a drawer. Seth listened to his boyfriend's breathing, snuggled next to his chest. Dean never asked for much, and Seth always assumed he just didn't really care, but looking at Dean's faraway expression, he wondered if maybe he wasn't holding onto some feelings he was keeping under the surface.

"Did you ask Sasha yet about Valentine's Day?" Roman asked Seth, wiping a towel over his arms were some dirt had clung to his sweat.

"Oh fuck, I forgot," Seth mumbled, pulling out his phone and sitting up a little as he made to text his friend. "I was gonna ask her when I saw her come into work, but she slipped by me."

"No problem," Roman muttered, nudging Dean's foot with his shoe. "How's your headache?"

"I'm fine," Dean said. "Just gotta wait it out a little."

Sasha ended up texting Seth with a sort of confused excitement to accept the tickets if Bayley got back to her and similarly agreed. Cesaro messaged him as well about picking up airfare to go back home to Switzerland for about a month. He was leaving on Valentine's Day, and so they agreed to do something nice the next day to catch him before he spent his weekend packing.

"That must be hard though, trying to load a suitcase with one arm," Roman said sympathetically, scanning through his DVR and trying to find a particular episode of Game of Thrones. Seth sighed, setting his phone on the table so he didn't get too caught up in checking it.

"Yeah, I guess his friend Tyson was helping him out and taking his cat for a bit. I offered to help, but he says he's got it." Seth fidgeted with his own leg brace, thinking he should pull it off and stretch a little. "

Kevin grunted and whined a little and all three men watched him struggle for a moment before hopping up onto the couch and into Dean's lap. Seth frowned, slightly jealous that his own dog hadn't immediately come to him for attention.

"Yeah, ya love me, I know." Dean smiled, pulling the little dog up higher on his chest and batting him on the head to play. Kevin sneezed and whined, flashing his little teeth as Dean bopped him on each ear, getting him excited.

"He's getting way too comfy here," Seth said, more or less without thinking, lying back on the couch and staring blankly at the TV. Neither Dean or Roman said anything, allowing the television to fill in the holes of noise in the living room.; Dean went to bed after a single episode and Roman eventually got up too, stretching his arms. Seth felt wide awake, having forgotten to take his melatonin for the evening at the usual time.

Consequently, his sleep sucked. Roman pulled him up to go to bed and Seth felt overwarm and fidgety, catching little pockets of rest before waking again when his brace caught on the bedding. Roman snored loudly and the central air would kick on in cycles, making the whole house hum, and Seth lay, eyes open and mind fuming, wondering what the hell to do. It was dark, his knee wasn't hurting terribly, but he was aware of it. All he could do was lay and think in circles.

If he moved in with Roman and Dean, the relationship would be moving _really_ fast. It wasn't necessarily the worst thing in the world if they handled it appropriately, but Seth wasn't sure if he knew what to do. He could imagine both of his boyfriends would be happy, but they'd likely have some reservations. Out of everything that was concerning him, Roman's family seemed like the largest hurdle, but if he discussed it openly with Roman, they could probably figure out the best way to handle it.

On the other hand, if he _didn’t_ move in, Seth didn’t really know what he would do, either. Seth  sighed with frustration and rubbed his tired eyes. It seemed like a regression to move home and be commuting back and forth to see his lovers, even if it was the smarter option. He couldn’t say whether or not he expected to spend the rest of his life with the men, but being with them was much better than being by himself for so many reasons. They had their off days and things weren't easy, but every night, there was someone who could help. Food tasted better, television was more entertaining, and his recovery was much easier with a helping hand nearby.

For now, it made sense. Seth didn't know the future, but there, in that moment, it wasn't such a stretch of the imagination to stay.

Around two, he groaned, trying to push his looping mind to silence so he could rest. Squinting through the darkness, he decided to try to pee and drink water before sleeping again, so he tried to quietly shuffle across the hall without stirring his boyfriends.

It wasn't until Seth got to the kitchen and turned on the light that he saw Dean was sitting outside on the patio, smoking a cigarette. He jumped as soon as the light came on, but Seth didn't move, waiting a moment to wobble to the door and slide it open.

"I thought you were Uce…" Dean admitted, not meeting Seth's eye. "Scared me…"

Seth just shrugged, not really angry or disappointed that Dean had indulged in his old habit. The backyard was humming from sounds of the night and Seth could see lizards darting around the concrete. Even in the darkness, Seth could tell Dean seemed upset, quickly putting out his smoke.

"You… want anything?" Seth asked. "I wasn't spying on you or anything, I just wanted-"

"I'm fine." Dean shook his head. "It's fine."

Seth poured him a glass of water anyway, feeling slightly more confident about walking with his braced leg and two cups of liquid. After making sure Kevin didn't slip outside, Seth turned on the porch light, immediately signalling a swarm of gnats to circle the area. Dean just sighed as Seth put the glass in front of him, stowing his pack of cigarettes out of sight.

"I'm not gonna lecture you or anything, I really don't care," Seth said quietly, rubbing his face. "I don't smoke, I don't know like, how hard it is to quit or whatever."

"It's stupid," Dean mumbled, scratching at his hair and leaning back to swat a bug away from his face. "I'm just tired of it. I don't wanna talk about it."

Seth nodded, sure he was probably only making Dean feel worse by sitting down and making his presence felt. Feeling a little anxious, he traced the edge of the table, keeping his gaze low and soft.

"You excited for Valentine’s?" Seth tried. "Monster trucks?"

Dean nodded, staring off in the direction of the chicken coop. He dusted some ash of his leg and Seth frowned.

"Is something else buggin' you?" he asked quietly. Dean sighed again, jiggling his leg. He opened his mouth a few times, trying, and Seth waited patiently.

"I'm fine, just… I dunno." Dean folded his arms, looking at his feet. "I'm gunna sound like a bitch if I complain, but 'm just sort of feelin' like I should be doing better here."

"Better with what?" Seth asked, his eyebrow raising. Dean just shrugged.

"Better with everything, I dunno," he said, exasperated. "This year has been like, really weird and bad so far- not because of you guys-" he amended quickly. "Just like, I've just been thinking I should be doing better and feeling better than I have been. I tried stopping my meds and that was a horrible idea and I want to like, get better about my habits and like the little things-" he gestured uselessly. "You and Uce have got so much more figured out, I feel like, 'n I just look like an idiot all the time. I feel mad I'm not like, better or smarter. I know I'm not going to get this job-"

Seth bit his lip, waiting for Dean to finish, but he sort of trailed off, putting a hand on his bouncing knee and still staring into the void as though Seth wasn't there.

"I mean, I like fucked myself up pretty bad," Seth tried, poking his knee. "We can't be winners all the time."

"I've been doing this shit for _years_ ," Dean grouched. "I think for awhile I was just happy I wasn't getting into trouble and I just had my own place and shit, but I dunno…" 

"D-do you…" Seth thought carefully, trying desperately to be helpful and equally terrified of saying the wrong thing. "You know like… I love you. I think you've been doing really great.” Seth licked his lips nervously. “Do you know like, what you want? It sounds like you just aren't sure of it yet."

"I'm not goin' to school, that's for sure." Dean snorted, patting his pocket anxiously. "But that's just it, I dunno what the hell I'm supposed to do if I'm not doin' that. Like, how do you get ahead in life if you're like me?"

"What would you do if you have a million dollars?" Seth asked. "That's the question, right? Like, what makes you happy?"

"I dunno!" Dean shrugged. "Bein' with you guys is all I care about at this point!"

He'd said it sort of angrily, but Seth couldn't help letting off a stupid chuckle. Dean just stared, shoulders slumped, looking blank and tired. They were both a little old to be talking about big life stuff so early in the morning, but Dean looked particularly frustrated and morose and Seth wasn't really sure how to comfort him.

"Well… it's a start I guess… but… yeah, babe… I-" Seth sighed, scooting his chair closer and holding out his hands. "You want a hug?"

After a moment's pause, Dean nodded, looking to him with a sort of numbness. Seth pulled him in awkwardly, pressing a kiss to his head and rubbing his shoulders.

"I think… you'll figure it out, it just might take a bit. You like biking and knitting and… chickens… there's something in that," Seth said stupidly, grinning and feeling Dean exhale, relaxing. "I think like, life has been really crazy for a bit and like… there's finally some normalcy I think. I'm sorry if my knee has sort of fucked up your time a little-"

"It's not that," Dean said quietly. Seth continued to hold him, privately proud of how Dean seemed to be melting against his shoulder.

"But… you need to be nicer to yourself too. You've been a really good boyfriend and you've helped out a lot. Just because you can't be magically med-free doesn't mean you fucked up or anything. Uce doesn't give you grief for smoking, does he?"

"He doesn't _like_ it," Dean muttered. "But he doesn't say anything, I just know."

"I don't care," Seth said. "I mean, it's best for your long term health if you don't, but like… I dunno." Seth thought for a moment, rubbing Dean’s back absentmindedly. "You should treat yourself to somethin'. Quit for a week or so and then get yourself something you've wanted for a long time."

Dean didn't respond, content to just let Seth babble and squeeze his shoulders.

"But… for real…" Seth sighed, turning his leg, slightly disgusted as he was sure a lizard had just run by it. "Your life has been a lot harder… I feel like, weird sometimes because I don't have as much money and stuff as Uce does, but it's all just stuff, you know? You shouldn't compare your life to ours, especially when we've been handed pretty much everything. I love you, I don't need you to change or whatever, so don't do it for us, just think about you."

Dean shifted just to be more comfortable, but continued to sit, half leaning on his boyfriend as Seth moved to run a hand down his back to scratch lightly, the way Dean liked. It felt a little like the chat they'd had, sitting outside of Roman's parent's house, except that Seth felt a lot more stable despite being so tired.

After several minutes, Dean sat up, cracking his back.

"Thanks," he sighed. "I love you, sorry for whining."

"It's fine, I wanted to hear it..." Seth said, emboldened by his success with talking. "I love you, too… Can I tell you something?"

"Hmm?" Dean turned, actually meeting his eyes. Seth felt more confident.

"I… I think I wanna move in, but I dunno," he said, trembling slightly as his body jittered from the admission. "I feel like it could be a bad idea, but also a good idea. I just don't know about Uce's family and obviously I want you guys to think it's smart."

"I already told you you should just move in," Dean said, chuckling. Seth felt relieved, though he'd never really thought Dean would object.

"Yeah… well…" Seth blinked. "Parents are probably the only real issue here… I just feel sorta stupid, since it's still early and all. Don't want to jump into everything and mess anything up."

"I mean… what's gonna change?" Dean asked, unfolding and recrossing his legs. "You've already been here so long, we're all used to it."

"Money and stuff, I dunno," Seth said. "It's a bad time, too… My leg…"

"We'll help," Dean said, pulling out another cigarette and lighting it. After a few drags, his mouth twitched and he addressed the floor. "Uce was all trying to figure out how he could ask you and not take it personally if you wanted to go back home, so, it's probably not as big a deal as you think."

"Really?" Seth asked, brightening. "Well, I still dunno. I gotta figure out with my landlord what the process is… It might be too late in the month to get out without paying for March." He felt a little lightheaded from hearing Dean's perspective, but all he could do was yawn widely.

"We should go to bed." Dean snorted, scratching his nose. "If you're still fiendin' to get up early and make Uce some food."

"Yeah..." Seth sighed, pulling his hair out of his high bun in an effort to retie it into a better knot. "If we can…"

They re-entered the house after Dean obliged to put out the half-smoked cigarette. Seth hushed Kevin as they sauntered inside, feeling the slightly sweaty veneer on their skin cool instantly from the air conditioning. As quietly as they could, they shuffled back into the bedroom and reoriented themselves onto the mattress. Roman's thick snores stopped as the bed moved, but Seth pulled the thick, tattooed arm over his side and his boyfriend groaned, unconsciously spooning him up tight.

After such reassurances that his boyfriends were anticipating him staying, Seth couldn't help letting out a sort of happy sigh, keeping his leg out of the fray as Dean came in, smelling like menthols.

"Thanks babe," Dean mumbled. He found Seth's hand and quickly squeezed it. Seth squeezed back.

Roman muttered something that sounded like _sweet potato_ in his sleep and they both snorted, giggling against the pillows. They'd be tired the next morning, but Seth was happy to have traded good rest for good news. Filled with relief and good vibes, he faded out, snoring just as loud as Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cue me singing turn turn turn by Pete Seeger with a crappy guitar. 
> 
> Next update might be a double update, we'll just see. I'm very busy these days X( I appreciate the really cool reviews I've gotten recently! Knowing what you specifically are enjoying helps me direct. 
> 
> Next time: Valentines day. How will Seth break the news to Roman? Monster Trucks!


	111. Eye in the Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth tells all. Is there a problem? Happy bowl sandwiches and mysterious new comers.

"You like, scoop it out, but leave the bottom in," Dean said, carefully gutting a thick piece of bread with his fingers to demonstrate. Seth watched, blinking a little from sleepiness. The sun was rising, fresh in the sky, and both men were wearing just their underwear as they puttered around the kitchen, pulling out ingredients for Dean's happy bowl sandwiches. Seth sat, hair in a low pony, working to gut a stack of bread slices.

"We got more cinnamon rolls, too," Dean mumbled, crouching to inspect the fridge. Everything was strangely loud without the usual hum of the radio, but they'd managed to slip away from the bed without disturbing Roman, so they were being extra quiet to keep the secret.

"Mm?" Seth blinked, looking as Dean held up another roll of cinnamon rolls. "Does that go with egg sammys?"

"Cinnamon rolls go with  _ everything _ ," Dean said, setting the bread tube on the kitchen counter and turning on the oven. Seth continued to stack the bread guts, wiggling his thighs a little to shake off the crumbs that had landed in his lap. He frowned, watching Kevin lick up the scraps eagerly.

"I can't keep eating tons of sweets and  _ not  _ workin' out," Seth said, scratching at his side. "I'm not like you, I'll get fat if I eat junk."

"That'd be the day," Dean scoffed, grabbing at the stack of bread Seth had gutted.

Though he was tired, the relative stress of his admission just a few hours ago felt like a huge weight off of Seth's chest. The two worked, mostly keeping to themselves, frying eggs over easy and stuffing them into the Texas toast with peppers and ham. Dean's sleepy, passive expression was enough of a confirmation that Roman would be similarly unfazed with Seth's desires to move, but now that his anxiety had been eased, Seth wasn't burning to tell Roman the moment he got up. 

He wanted to save it for the end of the day so they could talk about it for awhile and figure out how to pitch it to Roman's family. Seth knew Roman well enough now that if he sprang the news on him before going to his college orientation, it would be a huge distraction and probably make him worry a lot more about it. Tired and yawning, Seth was trying to push the whole task away and prepare his brain for work.

"You gunna eat some?" Dean asked, pointing at the cinnamon rolls he was now putting in the pan. Seth sighed, rolling his eyes before he nodded. The coffee maker began to pour and around seven, Roman came wandering into the kitchen in his bathrobe, looking perplexed.

"Happy first day of school… sort of…" Seth said, grinning as Roman pulled down a coffee mug, staring at the mess of bread guts and egg shells littering the kitchen island.

"Is that what this is?" he laughed. Dean had put a sandwich on a plate and leaned in, offering it up. 

"Aren't we great?" he asked, puckering his lips expectantly. "Don't start expecting it or anything." 

Roman's giggling blush was enough to make Seth smile, watching him kiss Dean sweetly on the mouth, rubbing a hand up and down his side as he took the plate. Seth raised his own head up, laughing when Roman came over and blew a raspberry against his cheek and beard.

They ate, stacking plates with rolls and sandwiches while Dean and Seth mostly just ribbed Roman for pursuing his education. An orientation packet was on the table, and Seth looked over a map of the campus with handy stars for all the places Roman was supposed to visit to complete his day.

"For parents-" Dean began to read at the top of one of the papers. Roman picked up the pepper shaker and eagerly began dumping spice onto his food until Dean shrieked, pushing the man away. Before long, they all needed to leave and Dean hurried to the bedroom to change while Seth quickly stacked the dishes in the sink to soak. 

"I'll come pick you up when I'm done, yeah?" Roman said, kissing the nape of Seth's neck as he quickly wiped crumbs off the countertops. "Shouldn't be too long a day."   


"Okay." Seth nodded, kissing Roman quickly before he had to hobble to change as well. "Good luck! I love you."

"Seth! Can we take your car?" Dean yelled from the bedroom. "I forgot gas."

The Cadillac had over half a tank and Seth obliged, handing Dean his keys before pulling a pair of khaki shorts over his knee brace. They didn't normally have to leave so early, but with Dean covering the water exercise class, there was barely time to pour coffee before they were racing out of the house and onto the highway. Seth sighed, peering at the murky, humid sky, his mind back on moving.

He didn't want to sell off his things, so it would be smart to see what he could fit in Roman's garage to store. Roman's cupboards were already filled with much better cups and plates than Seth owned, and his mattress and bedding was basically superfluous. At this point, Seth even had his own profiles on most of Roman's gaming systems, so he didn't really own much of anything that couldn't be boxed up for another day. 

Seth wondered if maybe they could have a garage sale. He tried to think if there was anything in his apartment that could just be parted with. His sofa had been fished out of a dumpster so there really wasn't anything of much value. Roman probably had some junk he could part with, Seth knew that he really only used about a quarter of the things he owned.

Through most of his shift, Seth sat in silence, staring and thinking about the logistics of moving out. He obviously couldn't call his landlord until he'd gotten the stamp of approval from Roman and his family, but depending on how the conversation went that night, he could probably do so as soon as next Monday. Sami was formatting the monthly newsletter on the computer so there wasn't much conversation to be had, but Seth didn't really feel like telling the man much more about his relationship situation, lest it became common knowledge around all of White Water. Seth fiddled with the buttons on the front of his work polo and picked at his beard in the down times, bored and fidgety from sitting behind the desk.

Around a quarter to noon, a rather sharp dressed man came in wearing sunglasses Seth could only describe as "douche bag chicc." He sauntered up to the desk with a smirk on his face,  addressing them carelessly. 

"Yeah, hi, can you show me to Mrs. McMahon's office?" he asked Seth, drumming his hands on the counter surface.

"Did you…" Seth's eyebrow raised. "Did you have an appointment or something? Are you a member?"

"Are you Mike?" Sami asked over Seth. "Hunter mentioned something."

"Yup!" The man name Mike grinned, his teeth incredibly even and white. Sami picked up the walkie talkie on the desk and radioed for Hunter while the man continued to stand, looking around lazily and taking in the environment. Everything about him oozed with a cocky confidence and Seth was incredibly turned off, clearing his throat and trying not to look inviting. After working up front for several shifts now, he'd figured out a pretty good resting expression to deter unwanted conversation.

However, the man, Mike, didn't seem to take a hint.

"How do you guys like working here?" he asked, pocketing his sunglasses. Seth looked up and saw his eyes were blue and generally insincere.

"It's great!" Sami nodded. "Good atmosphere. Great benefits if you're a swimmer or you've got kids and the like. Management is always really communicative and friendly."

"Good team?" Mike beamed, looking to Seth expectantly, but not waiting for any sort of answer. "That's really the most important thing. The foundation. Everyone has to have a sense of community so they can be efficient in working in aquatics."

"Water… brings people together, yeah," Sami said awkwardly. Seth just nodded dully. It occurred to him that the man was probably there to interview for Roman's position and it left a poor taste in his mouth. Stephanie came up to the front in no time, shaking Mike's hand and showing him to the back. As soon as he was gone, Seth rolled his eyes, groaning loudly.

"He called earlier, too." Sami chuckled. "High energy…"

Seth just stuck out his tongue. Hopefully, the man's personality would be enough of a deterrent to guarantee Dean the job. His mind went back to pondering his living situation, smiling slightly as he imagined Roman's excited expression. He knew it would probably be best to talk to his mother sooner rather than later, but his chest tightened, trying to think of the best way to initiate the conversation.

**New Gear** Roman texted him just as Seth's shift was coming to a close. Eagerly, Seth opened the attached photo, seeing an image of Roman taking a selfie in a mirror with a new UCF sweatshirt, likely purchased from the campus bookstore.

**Dont u have like 20 sweaters?? XD** Seth replied, stifling a little yawn. 

**Yes** Roman replied, then,  **I think ill be done soon so i could maybe come get u in about an hour or so?**

Seth checked the time. He didn't mind waiting around a little, but he doubted he could manage to stay on the clock without a good enough excuse. It was a relatively cool day outside, so Seth squinted, staring out the window and wondering if he couldn't just sit outside for a little bit. 

**Sounds good to me** he typed out.

The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to break the news to his family before he confided in Roman. Seth wasn't sure if it really mattered which one knew first, but Seth wondered if he would go through with the move if his mother didn't at least have a warm approval in mind. Deep down, Seth knew he was going to do whatever he thought was best, and even though Holly might have some ideas, he needed to do what made the most sense for his own life. 

Getting up and taking a slow walk around, Seth's lip curled at the thought of his grandfather. His family had been really supportive of him lately and he knew that it would be a really poor move to do anything without properly consulting with them. His mom had visited, met Roman and Dean and seemed to really like them. What was the worst thing that could happen?

**Ill meet u outside** Seth texted Roman, intending to sit at the picnic benches that families sometimes gathered at and Randy used for smoke breaks. There was a slight breeze, but Seth was sure that he could make a phone call quick and hear properly over the wind.

Dialing his mother, Seth's palms began to sweat and he wiped them on his shorts. She was probably still at work, but she was usually fine to take personal calls. Without much pause, the line picked up and Holly's voice came through the receiver.

"Hey sweetheart!"

"Hey ma," Seth said clearly and confidently. "I'm fine, uh, I just wanted to talk to you for a sec quick if you had the time."

"Oh, sure, I was just finishing something up. What's going on? How's your knee doing?"

"Well, uh..." Seth sniffed. "Knee's good, getting a lot better lately. I'm walking around a bit now. Still can't drive, but it's getting there. I was…" He took a deep breath and he could tell his mother was listening intently. "...calling, uh. I've been doing a lot of thought lately, and I'm thinking it might be best for me to move in with Roman and Dean."

The silence was tricky and Holly cleared her throat. 

"Umm…. o-kaaaay…."

"Yeah," Seth said, feeling his mother's nervous stare thousands of miles removed. "I know it's a lot and it's fast-"

"Oh well thank  _ goodness _ ," Holly said sarcastically. Seth grit his teeth.

"But really mom, I don't think it's a shit idea. It's a  _ good _ idea. We've been through a lot already and it hasn't gotten the better of us. We're helping each other out a lot and we're all a lot happier together than apart," Seth said quickly, trying to sell his case. "I still can't get around very easy. It would be a lot to ask them to be helping me out if I wasn't there, and I know once I get better, I'm not going to want to leave and they're not going to want me out! Plus-" he added, trying to think of one of the more logical reasons- "Plus, if I stayed with Roman, I wouldn't be paying nearly as much rent as I would if I had that month-to-month apartment! I could save up some money again and I'd be in a way better spot... I'm trying to think long term here..."

His hands trembled and he licked his lips, hearing his mother sigh on the other side of the phone. He had to convince her, it just couldn't be done right without her clearance. Seth didn't want to feel like an unruly child.

"What do your boyfriends think?" she asked quietly. 

"Dean thinks it's fine. I haven't told Roman yet, I was about to right after I called you, but I think he'll be really happy about it. I don't have any reason to believe he won't. He's the caring type of guy, you know? He's all about that."

"Well…" Holly sighed, clearly not very pleased. "I mean, so long as everyone is in agreement…"

"But are you gonna be mad at me if I do this?" Seth asked, slightly rude. Holly just sighed again, clearly at a loss for anything to say.

"I… think that Roman and Dean are both really great… partners…" Holly said carefully, clearly not trying to upset her son. "I think they really want to help you, but I just… I don't want you jumping into this because of money or your health or anything sweetheart-"

"I'm doing it because I want to," Seth said firmly.

"I-I know," Holly said. "I know, but… if you want to be this serious this fast, money is going to be something you'll have to talk about and, well…"

Seth waited, staring in the distance at a very large cloud slowly crawling across the sky. 

"I don't want you to get into a position where you're going to feel indebted to Roman or Dean because of money or help," Holly said. "Things can get really complicated like that and I know you've lived with Marek before and everything, but… I don't really know how it works with two boyfriends…"

"It's… easier actually," Seth admitted, trying to calm himself and not be so upset. "Splitting everything three ways makes it all cheap."

"But see, that's the thing," Holly said. "I don't want you to do this because you think it will be good financially. Relationships don't work like that because things can change so quickly-"

"Well what am I supposed to do, Ma? Just keep robbing Grandpa of all his money?" Seth snapped. Holly made an angry noise.

"No,  _ son _ , but just think for a moment, please," she snapped back, just as fast. "What if Roman or Dean lose their job? What if Roman's parents decide they don't want you there anymore and kick  _ all three of you out _ ?" 

A cold shiver went down his spine and Seth licked his lips again, feeling them chap.

"Does your relationship fall apart then? What… what happens if one of you decides to leave? You can't think of your relationship like a piggy bank, because things are going to change a lot over time and it can be for better and for worse. There are  _ a lot _ of questions you need to know the answer to before you go jumping into this!"

Seth's face burned. He knew she was right, but it felt awful. Anger and frustration were building in his chest and he angrily plucked a loose thread from his pants. 

"I don't know," Seth said honestly. "But I don't think any of those things will happen. Do you know what would happen if that happened to you or dad?"

"Bob and I have retirement funds and savings sweetheart." Holly laughed. "We've been around a  _ little _ longer…"

Seth sighed, actually feeling tears at the corners of his eyes. He felt like a brat, being so upset with his mom, but at the same time, he really wanted everything to work out and be fine. At this point, there was nothing he could say that would sound convincing, but all he wanted was for his mom to believe he was making the right choice. The clouds continued to flow by and Holly shuffled some papers on her side of the phone. Part of Seth just wanted to hang up, but he wasn't a teenager anymore, he had to be reasonable.

"Well…" Seth said, voice wavering slightly. "It's not like I'm not going to talk with Roman and his family still… I'll probably know more after I talk to them."

"Of course dear," Holly said quietly. "I don't want to make it sound like you haven't thought about this, I just know that it's going to be a lot more complicated than just being a smart money move."

"It's not just that," Seth said, wiping his eyes. "It's really not just that. I'm not doing it for money, I just… money's really hard right now and I don't wanna… disappoint you or…"

"Sweetie, you're fine, it's okay," Holly said comfortingly. Seth pulled the phone away from his face so he could sniff loudly, wiping his face on his sweatshirt. "Just… keep me in the loop with what's going on. I know you're going to do what you want to do… Don't feel bad asking for help or just talking with me or Bob, we wanna help…"

They continued to talk about less hot-button topics and Seth began to feel a little better, pulling his braced leg onto the tabletop to stretch the inside of his hip and listening while his mother discussed life matters. Apparently the relationship Brandon had been pursuing had now failed, and their parents were now encouraging his brother to move out by himself or find a roommate. It was a balmy 42 degrees in Davenport and Seth began to stand up as he saw Roman's Jeep pull into the parking lot, slowing to a crawl.

"Grandpa said you hadn't called him yet," Holly said accusingly as Seth stood, waving to his boyfriend.

"I  _ definitely _ did." Seth frowned. "I did last week. We talked about the chickens and stuff."

"Hmmm," Holly sighed. By the tone of her voice, Seth could tell she believed him, but the alternative - that the conversation hadn’t been able to stick in his grandpa’s mind - was something that she didn’t want to accept. 

"Um… Roman… just got here," Seth said, unable to perk up significantly as Roman parked, waiting patiently for Seth to wrap up his phone call. "I'm going to talk to him, I'll let you know what all happens with it."

"Good luck sweetie," Holly said firmly. "I love you a bunch. I trust you, okay?"

"Thanks, love you too… bye," Seth mumbled, hanging up and minding the curb as he carefully walked to the Jeep, holding onto his phone and jingling his keys. 

"Was… talking to my mom," Seth admitted, trying to look happy and inviting. "How was it?"

"It was such a waste of time, Jesus." Roman laughed, pulling his sunglasses back over his eyes and putting the car in reverse. "I thought… I thought eighteen and nineteen year olds were adults… I think everyone thought I had a kid there or something. There were all these whole families making sure their kids got through okay."

"I guess that's to be expected." Seth smiled, looking down at a tote bag with the UCF logo on it. "Still, you don't really start for a bit?"

"Just a few online things I gotta do." Roman sighed. "But hey, it's Friday. Shit can wait till after the weekend…" 

Seth was rather quiet when they got home, trying to put off talking about moving for a little longer. He managed to take a shower by himself, tying plastic bags around his knee and sitting on the edge of the bath to clean his hair. Roman took a short nap on the couch, and after checking on the chickens, he regarded Seth carefully. 

"What're you thinkin' about?" Roman asked, hugging him from behind as Seth leaned on the kitchen island, staring out the window. "When was Cesaro's thing tonight?"

"I think around six." Seth sighed, swallowing. After getting cleaned up and changing into more comfortable clothes, he felt a little less anxious, but his mother's words were still banging around his skull. Would Roman think that he was moving in just for money reasons? Could everything work with parents for landlords?

He cleared his throat, threading his hands around Roman's and peering at the tabletop. 

"I talked to Dean last night…" Seth said softly, rubbing his knuckles. "And then I talked to my mom this morning… I'm thinking about moving in, if you're okay with it, of course."

Roman shivered a little, his grip tightening. He kissed Seth on his ear and Seth could tell he was smiling.

"Yeah?" Roman said cheerfully. "Of course I am. Of course you can."

"Yeah… I just…" Seth sighed, softening a little. "My mom was worried about money stuff and your parents. She was worried that we might be rushing a little probably, but… I dunno…"

"What do you think?" Roman asked, turning him around so they were face to face. Seth just stared at his feet, feeling stupid.

"I dunno. I think I got excited because I knew I wouldn't have to pay so much rent. Obviously that's not the only reason, but I told her that and now I think she's worried about me. More so than before. I just…" Seth rubbed his temples, meeting Roman's stormy eyes. "It's a lot to think about. I think I just wish everyone would agree with me so I won't feel all dumb about it."

Roman chuckled a little, rubbing Seth's hands.

"Well… I dunno. Parents are like that sometimes." He shrugged. "I think it's a good idea, not just for money or having your butt around here more, but because I think it would be weird if you left and you weren't here anymore."

"Yeah, like, I'm used to this," Seth agreed, nodding. "I don't wanna go. But… if something did happen… like…" He blinked, not wanting to be rude. "What are the chances your parents will kick us out of here?"

Roman raised an eyebrow.

"Like, if they got mad-"

"Why would they get mad?" Roman asked. "Cause we're Poly?"

"Yeah or like… I dunno…" Seth shook his head. "I just feel like your parents are more touchy than mine…"

"They're not gonna throw us  _ out _ ." Roman laughed. "They're ridiculous sometimes but they'd never like… cast anyone  _ out,  _ it's like my mom said, you're family now. They're serious about that."

"But like, if they got mad at you, they wouldn't-"

"Babe, if my mom or dad have a gripe with me,  _ I'm _ the one who has to deal with it," Roman asserted. "Fuck, if they have a gripe with you or Dean, I'm gonna be the one who has to deal with that too. I've never seen my parents raise their voice at any of my siblings’ partners. They're not crazy, just… very protective and opinionated…"

"Okay…" Seth said, feeling a little better. "I think I'm just a little uneasy about them controlling the house and stuff. Or paying them rent money or whatever without an agreement. It just… it's not something I'm used to."

"That's okay, look-" Roman laughed, hugging Seth. "We'll talk this all through, okay? After the weekend or something, we'll call my mom and figure this all out! It'll be okay. Look, you got a bad taste of my family over Christmas. They're weird and all, but it was really my bad for trying to lie about us to them. Me and my mom have it pretty okay right now-"

"What… what was she mad about the other day though?" Seth asked, slightly skeptical. Roman just waved his hand.

"Just bullshit about getting the carpets cleaned, really nothing," he said. "Honestly? She's been in a really good mood because Mandy's pregnant and she's going to go to the islands soon. Really, we'll probably all need to find a way to get Easter off so we can go visit, but we can figure all that out later." 

"Okay…" Seth repeated, trying to perk himself up. "Cool…"

"I want you here," Roman assured him, swaying him and squeezing him extra tight. "I didn't want to put pressure on you-"

"Dean told me," Seth said, burying his head in Roman's chest and breathing him in. Roman scratched his scalp sweetly. "He said you wanted it…"

"Yeah, we talked some. I knew you didn't want to be here with all the knee business and the thought was making you miserable, but you  _ belong _ here. We love you, it'd suck for you to leave."

"I do the laundry," Seth said hypnotically, cracking a grin.

"Yeah, we need you." Roman laughed, tickling his sides a little. "Need you a bunch."

"Dean…" Seth remembered, pulling the conversation he'd had the previous night to the forefront of his mind. "When I talked to him… he was feeling really down. Did he talk to you about that?"

"About what?" Roman asked, squinting.

"Just, about a lot of stuff." Seth held Roman's hands, wondering if it was really worth explaining. He didn't want Roman to worry unnecessarily, but he wanted to make sure they were all on the same page. "We talked super late last night 'cause neither of us could sleep and I found him outside smoking… Maybe he was just sorta ashamed about it, but I think he's feeling really down on himself lately."

Roman's mouth twitched. There really wasn't anything either of them could do other than be supportive. Dean's moods were always a little touch and go. Some days he was very talkative and manic, eager to be touched and given affection, whereas others he was unreadable and distant. Roman and Dean both had worked very hard to keep Seth going through his injury, Seth just supposed it could be a form of burnout from all the stress and caretaking.

"I don't think we need to like,  _ intervene _ or anything," Seth said quickly. Roman shook his head.

"Yeah, I feel that." He sighed. "Poor Deano. At least he talked to you about it…"

"Maybe… you could take him on a bike ride or something," Seth tried, putting his hands on Roman's chest and smoothing the surface. "Find a trail around here or something."

Roman leaned in and kissed Seth on the forehead, leaving his lips there until Seth giggled, tilting his head up so they could kiss on the lips. 

"We'll figure it out," Roman said softly. "Figure it all out."

As if to consummate Seth's decision to move in, Roman put his hands on his bottom and hoisted him up, carrying him front to front and walking carefully down the hallway. Seth hugged on tight, nuzzling his boyfriend's neck with kisses and enjoying the sound of a playful smack tapping him over his shorts before he was put down on the bed. 

"Dean fucked me like this-" Seth demonstrated, pushing his uninjured left knee up toward his chest and spreading his hips wide enough to slap at his thighs. "It didn't hurt so bad..."

"I'm big babe," Roman said, looking very tentative. "We gotta be careful…"

"Well what're we gonna  _ do _ if I can't get your  _ dick _ ?" Seth whined nasally, flopping down on the bed theatrically and looking upset. Roman slid out of his pants and strode over to the wicker chest, tapping the surface. 

"Have a little imagination." Roman smirked, opening up the top. Seth frowned, sure that he wanted his boyfriend more than anything. "I know what you like..." 

Seth _ liked _ rowdy, sweaty sex. But Roman's knee friendly kinky afternoon was something he could settle for. The two made out for an absurdly long time, teasing each other to pieces and going back and forth until both of their beards were sloppy and wet. Roman's huge hands kept sweeping up and down his sides, nearly tickling as he alternated between grabbing at Seth's hips and lightly grazing his ribs.    
Seth, handsy as ever, was undecided between grasping at Roman's thighs, cock and arms, his fingers pressing hard, leaving little imprints in the skin. Keeping his knee well out of harm's way, Roman drew back only to kiss little marks against Seth's bare skin, trailing down his front and between his breasts.

"Been awhile since we used clips," Roman said deviously, pulling out the conjoined chain nipple clamps. Seth groaned, already feeling his chest tingle. He was so fucking sensitive, even for hours after using the clips before he'd felt raw and vulnerable. Roman swooped in quickly, lips finding his little buds, sucking sweetly as Seth whined and arched his back. Fingers matted through Roman's hair and they spent several minutes making Seth's nipples perky and swollen.

"Not yet," Roman mumbled, pushing Seth's hands away from his own cock, which was poking straight in the air between his legs, begging for sensation. Seth wiggled uselessly. Roman's kinky times were fun, but he really wanted to get off and stroke his dick. "You'll like it, you'll see."

"What're you-" Seth exhaled hard, wincing as Roman was able to pinch his bosom tight, letting the clamp fall to the side, tugging hard. Seth knew his dick was leaking everywhere and his arms trembled, begging.

"Gunna…." Roman said, quickly tossing a few toys onto the bed from the wicker basket. "Gunna stuff you up good and full… More than I can give you." He held up a titan of a dildo that Seth had never seen before, making his heart race. It was thicker than Roman's wrist. 

"...And just torture you a little," he continued, laughing dryly as he powered on a massage wand, humming over loud and dangerous. "All the good stuff."

"Not too much," Seth whimpered, eyes fixed on the humming wand. He'd never used such a toy and the vibration seemed intense. He wondered if Roman had been saving it for a special occasion, though he had seen it sitting out before, evidence of some activity he hadn't participated in.

Demonstrating its effects, Roman idled the toy around the inside of Seth's thigh softly, pressing back and forth. It wasn't too much, but it did tickle quite a bit and Seth's hips bucked from the feeling. 

The wand ended up wandering between his cock and ass as Roman worked, rolling well lubed fingers around Seth's entrance, occasionally giving his nipple a flick, rolling the clamp to an alternate side. Seth could only breathe, sweating hard and pink all over, feeling the rolling waves of orgasm catch his breath. Roman retreated a little, giving him a moment to collect before continuing to fuck him with his fingers or wand behind his balls. 

"This okay babe?" Roman asked, pushing Seth's legs apart so his hips were wide enough to take the dildo. Seth moaned, opening his eyes and tilting his head to his chest. His knee was a little shaky, but he was so overwhelmed that the sensation was barely reaching him. Nodding, shaking his head, unable to really object, Seth just flopped back, tossing his arms over his head and humming as Roman lined up the dildo with his backside, grinning. It took about ten minutes of careful sliding and Seth's whole face was scarlet, mouth gaping by necessity to keep his ass soft and pliable.

"Fuck yeah," Roman breathed, leaning forward to kiss Seth's rosy cheek. "Can I... take a photo of you babe? With my phone?"

" _ I duncare _ ," Seth mouthed, crying out as Roman tilted the wand to jitter against the dildo, sending shocks up his stomach. Roman panted, beating his own dick as he flicked the camera open on his phone and held it up high, taking in the scene. Seth was too loopy to really distinguish any one sensation, and his dick had leaked all over his legs and belly, pulsing intermittently like the closing pressure of a fist. 

" _ Yeah… _ " Roman choked, taking another picture of Seth's stretched rim. "Fuck you take it so  _ good _ … You wanna come baby? You want me to touch you?" 

Seth let out a gurgling whine, his dick nosing down, looking for Roman's hand. Seth wasn't even sure if he could feel the difference in touch any longer, so thoroughly compromised. But as soon as a fist closed around his cock, Roman pulled the wand away from his balls and tipped it deftly against the clamp on Seth's right nipple. Seth let out a breathless, broken scream, suddenly aware of all the other things he could feel.

"There you go!" Roman said fondly, beating Seth's cock dutifully. Seth bucked noiselessly, veins popping in his neck as he struggled to catch his breath. Hands bat at the surface of the bed, pulling and groping, trying to ground himself as ropes of come beaded lazily down his dick and all over the thick dildo still stuffed up his ass. Roman relinquished the wand, beating his own dick over Seth, emptying out over his belly. 

"Off…" Seth cried, fingers dancing anxiously around the clamps. "Help!"

"Easy." Roman smiled, his eyes half lidded and fond as he leaned in with messy fingers, easing the clamps away and giving Seth's chest a careful pat. "Fuck… you good?'

"Mmmgh," Seth whined, pressing his hands to his head. He was nursing a headache. He opened his eyes and Roman laughed, making Seth's brow furrow. 

"Your eye-" Roman said sympathetically. He leaned in and kissed Seth's temple, unable to stop giggling. "Hon, you bust a blood vessel in your eye…"

"What?" Seth frowned, staring ahead. Roman just kissed him again, rubbing his head. 

"It's okay! It happened to me once, it just looks weird and goes away after a few days…"

Roman showed him, handing him his phone and allowing him to inspect the damage in the reflection of his camera. Sure enough, there was a red blotch in the corner of his eye, giving him a slightly foreboding appearance. As revenge, Seth kicked Roman lightly in the side as his boyfriend worked to clean up the scene of the crime.

"If anyone asks… I sneezed or something." Seth pouted, tossing the phone back on the bed surface and grunting as Roman slid the dildo away. His nipples were stinging a little and Seth felt loose and empty after having such a huge toy in his ass. Padding off to the bathroom, Roman just kept humming and scratching at his backside, a little wobbly from such a good time. After a few moments, Roman's phone buzzed and Seth picked it back up again, seeing that Dean had messaged him.

"What's your unlock pattern?" Seth asked, playfully guessing and drawing lines in the grid of Roman's phone, failing. Roman picked the phone out of Seth's hands, unlocking it before handing it back without a second thought. The pictures of Seth, flat on his back, stuffed up with dick and nearly crying from the exertion had been sent to their group chat.

Seth didn't care, but he wished he hadn't looked so painfully slutty, hair all over his face in sweaty strands.

**Seth took his keys and now im stuck** Dean had messaged. Seth's stomach turned to ice.  **Glad u guys r having fun tho**

"Fuck! I forgot!" Seth yelled, pulling Roman's phone to his face and dialing in an instant. Roman raised an eyebrow, freezing on the spot. "We- we took my car, but I-"

"Oops." Roman grimaced, walking over to the laundry bin and pulling out a mostly clean pair of shorts. In no time, Dean picked up the line.

"Babe I'm so sorry!" Seth said quickly, fumbling to get back to his feet so he could put on clothes. "I completely forgot… I'm an idiot."

"It's okay," Dean mumbled. "How was sex?"

"I'm… good... " Seth said stupidly, nearly tripping as he tried to locate his pants. Roman gestured for the phone and Seth handed it over. 

"Hey, we'll come get you, just give us a sec." Roman laughed. "Yeah… No, it's fine… Did you just want to go to Joe's with us right away? Did you need to stop by the house for a second?"

"I can't believe I  _ did _ that," Seth said, embarrassed, as they made their way out of the house, fully clothed but still a little sweaty and tousled. "Fuck…"

"He's fine, don't worry," Roman said, adjusting his sunglasses and turning the key in the ignition as Seth pulled himself inside. "He's done that to me before. Mostly it's my fault though ‘cause I forgot that we agreed he would like, take my car and come pick me back up, so I just forgot to text him when I was finishing up. He's not mad or anything."

Seth nodded, looking at his reflection in the vanity mirror inside the sun flap. His eye was all roughed up and his lips were red and puffy from kissing and licking. Hair frizzed out in every direction, Seth just sighed, pushing the flap back so he didn't have to look at how messy he appeared.

"You going to give me sex headaches every day we live together?" Seth asked, rubbing his affected eye and grinning. Roman grunted, his hands finding Seth's leg, patting softly. 

"Yeah, why not, right?" he muttered, pulling onto the main road with one hand firmly on the top of the steering wheel. Seth felt butterflies in his stomach, but he played it cool, looking out the window and sighing deeply.    
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three down, just Roman's family to go... What's the worst the Reign's clan can think? Next chapter is Cesaro's goodbye party and Valentine's Day! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed- please let me know your thoughts. I'd love you hook my beta reader up with some pizza if you can donate to this chapter <3


	112. Truck Yeah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cesaro's goodbye party. Physical therapy. Gains made in small steps. What does one do at a monster truck rally? 
> 
> WARNING: Recreational Drug Use!

Seth was personally grateful that there were plenty of people already at Joe's by the time they arrived with Dean in tow. Disheveled and a little anxious, he was sure he smelled like sweat and sex. But Cesaro was as sweet and accepting as ever, bringing him in for a small side hug without mentioning his eye before they sat down at the large group table.

Dean had guessed the cause of Seth's mark immediately, but whether Sasha and Bayley figured it out right away was up for interpretation.

" _Really_ big sneeze," Seth lied, blushing as Sasha frowned, eyeing up his face. The only open table was on the far side of the room at that point. "It was gross… snot… everywhere."

"Ick," Sasha said, tutting and looking across the table at Roman. "You guys excited for trucks though? I've never been to anything like that. I haven't even been to the Citrus Bowl yet since I've moved here."

"Oh yeah." Roman grinned, pulling out his ID to show the waiter. "I need to look online to see exactly where our seats are, I don't know where they are just off the top of my head. Were you-" Roman looked to Bayley and the ladies blinked. "Were you guys… doing anything special?"

"I work Valentine's Day in the morning. We were going to go to a movie after this though," Bayley said candidly, leaning her shoulder into Sasha playfully. Dean blushed and Seth stirred his water. Everyone around the table was good company, but as far as Seth knew, Bayley and Sasha weren't _out_ to White Water.

"We still have them… gummies." Dean nodded in Seth's direction, peering at Roman mischievously. "We can make monster trucks a _real_ fun night."

"Yeah?" Roman grinned. "How many are left?"

"I dunno," Dean said lowly. "A couple I think."

Seth just frowned while Roman and Dean speculated how fun the experience would be during an edible high. After all the torment of getting through most of his knee pain, he didn't want to think about any kind of drugs for a very long time. Eventually, the waiter came for their orders and Seth ordered a taco plate and treated himself to a locally brewed beer.

The night was very enjoyable despite Cesaro's circumstances. They joked around, trying to find food items that didn't require two hands, and as soon as people were starting to pick up their bills, Cesaro seemed to still, just noticing the amount of people that had come out to wish him a speedy recovery.

"I just want to say thank you," Cesaro insisted over his glass of water. The group hushed and Seth smiled supportively, watching. "I didn't know what to expect tonight but I am sad to leave now."

A few 'awws' and 'we love you's were mumbled. Cesaro just grinned sheepishly. It was dawning on Seth that this would be the last time he saw his friend for what could be a long while. There were certainly other people he could hang out with, but nobody was quite as cool as his Swiss friend.

There wasn't much energy to get wild and drink, so people began to leave slightly awkwardly, saying long goodbyes and hovering around the table. TJ had already paid for Cesaro's meal, but Seth tossed the man a few dollars to assist, wanting to be supportive.

"You don't gotta, it's cool man." TJ shook his head, but Seth just pushed the bills forward, not listening. Dean and Roman stood behind him, holding containers of take out and waiting patiently to get their turn to give their goodbyes. As soon as Bayley finished hugging him, Seth turned to Cesaro, pulling him into an adapted hug of similar intensity.

" _Please_ come back," Seth whined, his fears tumbling out of him. "As soon as you're well and sick of Europe, you gotta come back."

Cesaro laughed, patting Seth on the back and blushing. "Of course," he said. "It's very pretty there, but once I get my surgery I'll be home. As much as TJ would like to take Zoe, I would miss her very much."

"Good," Seth said, gazing down sadly at Cesaro's arm in a sling. "Lots of love man… I dunno what to say…"

" _Thank_ you," Cesaro said simply. The way he said it though, Seth felt it from his head to his toes. Dean and Roman pushed in, patting Cesaro's good shoulder and wishing him well before they all made their way towards the exit, a little quiet and withdrawn.

"Do you wanna text us on Sunday?" Sasha called across the parking lot to the three men. She and Bayley were standing next to her car, enjoying the night breeze.

"Yeah, yeah, sounds good!" Seth replied loudly, waving. "We'll see ya ladies!"

With only a little strain on his knee, Seth managed to pull himself into the back of the Jeep. Roman drove and Dean fiddled with the radio, all three men content after eating a good meal and talking with their coworkers. Seth sighed, staring out the window, wondering for a moment what his life would have been like if he had had to move back home and rehab his knee in Iowa with his family. Aside from the obvious heartbreak of splitting off his relationship with his lovers, Seth was sure he would have busted his knee even worse, trying to crutch around on ice and snow to get places.

"Thanks again," Seth blurted out, without any context, staring at a carwash at the intersection as they waited on a traffic light. Roman peered in his rearview mirror, making Seth's face out in the darkness as he turned, blinking. "For everything, for the hundredth time. I'm sure you're tired of hearing it."

"Nah, keep going," Dean mumbled, smirking. Roman smiled, watching as Seth blushed from the back seat.

"Thank you thank you thank you," Seth said, toeing the back of Dean's seat just hard enough to nudge his back. "For my knee and for agreeing to let me live with you and all that."

"Of course babe," Roman said softly, accelerating through the light. "We love you."

* * *

Valentine's Day seemed to slowly diffuse backwards into the whole weekend, making everyone horny and snuggly in advance. Despite their own apathy for formal celebration, Saturday morning meant waking a little early so the three men could sloppily fuck each other before Roman went to work. It was overcast and rainy for most of the morning, and Roman had agreed to cover some of Dean's work for helping previously, so Seth and Dean just laid in bed until nearly noon, spooning each other. Feeling extra lazy, they took a shower together before lunch, and then proceeded to massage each other back and forth until they were both hungry and restless. Neither man said much, just leaning into touch and humming with their eyes closed, enjoying the moment.

"What's the biggest thing you ever did for Valentine's Day?" Seth asked, finally breaking the silence after they'd heated up some leftovers for a meal. Dean sat at the kitchen island, scratching at his collarbone and wrinkling his nose. Both of their hair was a mess.

"Me and Renee went bowling once," he muttered. "Why? What about you?"

Seth thought for a moment, trying to think back to one with Marek that had really been memorable. After so many years, they'd all sort of blended together.

"I dunno, I think I went to a steakhouse once, a pretty nice one," Seth said, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. "We dressed up. No reason really why I asked, I just was thinkin' about it…"

A little later, they decided to go to Seth's apartment and pick up the extra laundry bin and a few more things that could be used around the house. Seth knew it was a little stupid, trying to move any more of his things over before discussing it with Roman's parents, but he was too excited to really contain himself. Surveying the space, he began thinking about the best ways to move the rest of his belongings out of the house. The idea of a garage sale became more and more inviting, as none of his kitchen appliances or personal items were better than Roman's counterparts. Though Seth knew he couldn't readily sell off all of his possessions, despite how sure he was of his decision.

When he began fishing around the dumpsters outside for boxes, Dean raised an eyebrow, watching him limp around, inspecting the cardboard.

"We'll figure that shit out later," he mumbled, nodding to the Cadillac. "Don't worry about it."

"I was just going to set them upstairs, I wasn't going to pack yet," Seth explained. "It always sucks trying to find boxes when you need them."

"Uce has a billion broken down boxes in the garage, you're set," Dean said simply, jingling the car keys. "They're pretty big too."

Seth felt stupid, lamely following his boyfriend to the car and remembering what his mother had said about moving too quickly for the wrong reasons. Dean lit a cigarette, dangling his hand out the side window as he slowly rolled down the block. Seth's laundry bin thudded dully on some of the pot holes.

"You don't think I'm moving too fast, right?" Seth asked, looking for some confirmation as Dean tapped ash outside the window. Dean just shook his head, as though the question was boring.

"No. Didn't you ask me this before or somethin'?"

"I dunno… probably." Seth sighed. "My mom just thought I might be moving for the wrong reasons when I told her. It's dumb." His cheek twitched and he struggled for a moment, trying to change the conversation. "I'll feel better once we talk to Rome's family and hopefully they won't be too… judgy or whatever."

Dean just shrugged, sighing as Seth folded his arms, sinking a little lower in his seat.

"Not everybody's gunna be on board," Dean tried, tilting his head. "Doesn't matter though, right? Your ma ain't payin' ur bills."

Seth snorted. "She kind of _is_ ," he said. "My family was helping me."

"Yeah… well…" Dean cranked the steering wheel, turning carefully and merging into the rightmost lane of the new street. "Me and Uce are excited, and we're the ones who're around you."

"I just wish my mom got that." Seth sighed, tapping his phone against his thigh. Dean shifted, giving him a sidelong glance.

"You care too much about what other people think," he said plainly. Seth watched him, neither stunned nor upset, waiting for some elaboration. However, Dean looked content with his answer, watching the road and occasionally flicking his gaze to his mirrors. Seth looked out the window. Privately, he agreed, but it didn't really stop him from caring.

Roman came home, dinner was made and Seth stretched his joint in the late evening. The next day, he'd have his second physical therapy appointment and he was dreading the subsequent soreness. He hadn't thought much about it, but he hoped he wouldn't be feeling too pained to enjoy his Valentine's Day plans. This time, at least, he was resolved to take actually take some ibuprofen beforehand.

Dean was feeling extra frisky, and ended up making out with Roman as soon as the lights went out. Seth huddled closer, moaning as an errant hand found his butt and squeezed. The three traded off lips and fingers while Kevin whined from the floor. But it wasn't until morning that they engaged in another heady, sweaty session of round robin sex, determined to make the most of their Valentine's weekend.

Before Dean drove Seth to his appointment the next day, Roman cut flowers from the garden and the three ate breakfast with the smell of red roses and lilies wafting around their noses. Seth tried to psyche himself up about going to the clinic by taking a large ibuprofen and drinking down a substantial amount of coffee, though he was still anxious about all the pain. Similarly to White Water, the lobby of the clinic was bedecked in a few pink Valentine's decorations and a bowl of candy was sitting on the desk when Seth checked himself in.

"I'm just gunna run to the grocery store quick, you want anything?" Dean asked, staring at the mostly vacant gym area through the glass. Seth shook his head, twirling a chocolate kiss in between his fingers. Dean didn't have to walk him in, but Seth still felt a little dopey and sexed up from that morning, smiling as his boyfriend obliged to see him off properly.

"'M good," he mumbled through the chocolate treat. "Thanks a lot, I'll text you."

Dean held out his hand and Seth knuckle bumped it, in lieu of a public display of affection. Soon after he left, Dr. Del Rey came out to meet him, dressed in her usual leggings and fleece jacket.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" She grinned, expression falling slightly as he got to his feet. "There's something… in your eye-"

"It's fine, just a blood vessel..." Seth sighed, following after her to the gym area.

A few rounds on the CPM, STIM, static stretching and some wall sits, and Seth was sweating and breathing hard from the strain of doing lateral swings of his leg against a slight resistance. It wasn't quite as bad as the time before, but it was still very difficult.

"Awesome!" Sara encouraged, writing something down on her notes as Seth finished a tube walk across most of the gym floor, standing back up to his full height and wiping his brow. He could feel his knee, warm and slightly upset with all the activity. "It looks like you've been doing those raises. We can start unlocking your knee some with the brace, giving you a slight range of motion again. How's your pain right now?"

"It's there, but it's not as bad as earlier," Seth said, taking a drink from his water bottle. "Like a four or a five…"

Sara assisted in helping him stretch like she had before, putting pressure on his knee as he folded it. Seth winced slightly, gripping the bench as she laid into his shin, her touch the perfect measure of professional and practiced. Taking a break for a few minutes to give Seth a chance to breathe and text Dean, they sat, just talking about a natural chain of progression that would get Seth back to walking and driving normally with as little discomfort as possible.

"Are you available in the mornings? Evenings?" Dr. Del Rey asked, marking down her clipboard. "We could see about doing hour sessions two or three times a week. Do you like coming in on Sundays?"

"Yeah, this works fine," Seth mumbled, thinking. "I'm free mostly after four or so… I just need to see about getting a ride." He grinned, thinking. "My boyfriend has an… art thing on Wednesdays, so maybe I could do it then and he could drop me off before he goes or something."

"Yeah?" Sara asked. "What kind of art?"

"He… knits…" Seth blushed, wiping his sweaty cheek on his shirt. "He goes to a club at the library."

"That's so cool! I only know how to sew!" She smiled warmly, undeterred by any prejudice. "Are you guys doing anything for Valentine's Day?"

"We're… going to a monster truck rally…" Seth laughed, his eyes falling upon his therapist's hands, expecting to see some sort of ring. "Were you…? Did you have something that you were going to do?"

"Oh! No, not with anyone." Dr. Del Rey shrugged, "One of my friends might be bored too and we might watch some movies, but it's not a big deal."

"Friends are cool." Seth shrugged, extending his knee out again. Seth supposed there was absolutely nothing wrong with Sara being single, it was just that she was very attractive, with soft lotioned hands and a very trim physique. Combined with the fact that she was perfectly lovely and kind, and employed at a likely well paying job, he wondered if she was the type of woman that was just more career focused or something.

Seth reminded himself that it was also possible she was gay, hearing Sasha's voice in his head, tutting him. After a few more stretches, Seth was pencilled in for a Wednesday appointment and Dean came to collect him from the lobby.

"Have a great time at those monster trucks," Sara said, waving him off. "Enjoy yourself!"

"I will! Thanks!" Seth half smiled, limping as he made his way out. An unactivated cold pack was sticking out of his pocket and Dean walked slowly to keep pace with his boyfriend down the wheelchair ramp.

"Hurt bad?" he asked. "I got more ibuprofen in the car."

"Nice," Seth mumbled. "Thanks. I can move it a little back and forth now, see?"

Seth demonstrated, making the degree to which he could move his knee more obvious by his steps. Dean whistled excitedly as they made their way to the car.

When he got home, Seth showered, at a loss for what he was to expect that night. Really the whole idea was a bit foolish, as he only ever remembered hearing about monster trucks when he was a little kid. Seth supposed it was the sort of thing that 'simple' people enjoyed, probably with fireworks and big explosions. If he'd had to have paid, Seth would have probably opted out, but he figured comped tickets always made for a good time.

He texted Sasha as soon as he got out of the shower, wandering around the bedroom in search of some clothes that would be suitable for the evening. Seth wasn't sure if they might be at risk for getting splashed with mud or dirt, and so he wandered out into the living room in his towel to find Roman.

"What am I supposed to wear?" he asked, peeking around into the kitchen where Dean and Roman were lingering. The radio was on and they'd dipped into beers. The bottle of gummies was in Dean's hand, and Seth frowned.

"Wear whatever you want babe." Uce shrugged, taking a sip off his Coors. "I'm just doing jeans and a sweatshirt."

"You guys aren't going to take those, are you?" Seth asked, nodding to the gummies. Dean raised an eyebrow, looking defensive.

"We're three grown men going to a monster truck rally," he said plainly, leaning on the kitchen island. "We don't have a lot of options here."

"You're driving though," Seth said, looking to Roman. "It'd be one thing if I could drive you guys…"

"I mean…" Roman turned a little pink, clearly uncomfortable. "I take one here, we get there, I have a good time… by the time it's over…" He shrugged. Seth wasn't convinced. "Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"I... don't wanna ruin the fun," Seth said, "But like… I wanna be safe. We're going to an arena. We got Sasha and Bayley with us and _they're_ not going to be all messed up."

"I paid for these," Dean said simply. Roman sighed, shrugging a little and standing upright.

"I won't take any. I should be clear headed to drive, you're right," Roman admitted. "You owe me a sober ride though."

"Deal," Seth said without having to think twice. "That's fine with me."

"Are you _allowing_ me?" Dean asked, unable to not sound patronizing. Seth rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, just like, be safe," he said. "Don't clown on our friends."

"No clowning," Dean agreed, shaking the little white bottle. Seth went back to the bedroom to change, thinking about which shirts he had that were clean. Kevin barked stupidly as Seth pushed the sliding closet doors open and he shushed the dog quickly.

**We're ready 2 go whenever u guys leave! We were just going to take a Lyft over because fuck parking!** Sasha texted him.

**Sounds good** Seth replied. **dean is going to be on those weed candies so dont ask him any hard questions**

Seth wondered if maybe it was a little petty to out his lover so obviously to his friends, but if Dean ended up making an ass out of himself, Seth supposed it was good to give out a fair warning. Really, he was just glad Roman hadn't thought to take an Uber. He didn't want to be stuck as the sober one all night, Seth wanted to have a single beer and relax without the fear of suddenly having to be responsible.

"You ready?" Dean asked, poking his head in the bedroom and watching as Seth picked at his beard in the mirror. Kevin jumped down from the bed.

"Yeah, let's just let him out one more time," Seth muttered, walking out to the back door to allow his dog a potty break.

Going to the Citrus Bowl meant a ride through downtown, westbound through Parramore, just north of Clear Lake. Traffic became heavily focused the closer they got, and Seth craned his neck, trying to find cheap parking that wasn't related to the event.

"Have you guys ever been to something like this?" Roman asked, cursing under his breath as they passed another full lot. Seth just shook his head and Dean thought for a moment.

"I went to… what was it… with the bikes…"

"Motocross?" Roman suggested.

"Yeah, that," Dean mumbled, toying with his shoelace. "When I was younger."

"So… what is this even going to be?" Seth asked, trying to guess. "The trucks go in a circle? Really fast and loud?"

"Yeah, that…" Roman grinned. "They'll race and their wheels will fall off. I dunno which trucks will be here. I haven't gone to one of these things since I was a kid, but there's ones that go through generations of popularity and stuff like that."

"Hmm…" Seth stared blankly, still not sure what he was going to see. "Hope the girls like it."

Roman's patience won out with some street parking a few blocks away from the stadium. The three walked, looking a little lost and unsure as they made their way to the main street to cross. Waiting with them at the light were a few families with younger children, all wearing light up shirts and slap bracelets advertising their favorite trucks.

"This is a whole world I know nothing about." Seth laughed, trying to walk briskly through the crosswalk without putting strain on his knee. On the side of the stadium, bright displays showing the trucks looped, along with information on ticket prices. After a few moments of trying to figure out which entrance to queue for, Seth spotted Sasha's bright hair and Bayley's side-pony from across the lot.

"Hey!" Seth called. "Sasha!"

The girls grinned and sped up, marching over. They were both wearing old and faded tank tops, holding tiny purses that wouldn't offend security.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Bayley cheered, hugging each of the men in turn. "You guys excited? I haven't been to any big event like this in so long!"

"I guess," Seth said, accepting a ticket from Roman as they made their way for the southern entrance. "Mostly I just want a hot dog and a beer."

"Orange Bowl has awesome mini donuts too," Roman explained eagerly, handing a ticket to Dean and pulling out his own ID. "Hunter gives out killer Christmas presents."

After being wanded, herded and otherwise dehumanized by the stadium security agents, the five joined the massive crowd that was spilling onto the concourse, all trying to find their seats. After huddling against a wall and being guided by one of the many staff people wandering around with flashlights, Roman led the way across the concourse to a set of stairs which led them right into the first level of seats. Seth blinked immediately, staring across the huge structure with several layers of lights. A dirt track and obstacles had been constructed, complete with rows of damaged cars. The whole place smelled like exhaust and oil and music was playing loudly as everyone took their seats.

Swallowing and mumbling awkward apologies, they shuffled past a small family to find their seats, in the lower corner of the stadium. Looking to the row of trucks, all painted with different colors and characters, Seth could now imagine them, speeding up to ridiculous paces and racing right up against the barrier they would be looking over.

"Damn those trucks are huge," Seth said to Dean, who was looking a little absent and glazed over. Immediately, Dean broke down into a fit of laughter and they all sat, speculating on how the show was going to play out.

"Okay, forreal though, that truck is painted like a dog-" Sasha pointed excitedly, tugging on Seth's sweatshirt and gesturing at a truck the had floppy ears, a tail and a big pink tongue. Bayley and Sasha were on the outermost side, while Seth was sitting in the middle between his boyfriends and the girls.

"It's a shame that the programs cost so much, I just wanna know which trucks are which." Seth sighed, squinting as he could see people working on the trucks and running around through the dirt, getting the show ready.

"We can look online too-" Sasha began giggling, looking through her phone. "It's name is _Monster Mutt!_ "

"I want food," Seth mumbled, kneading at his knee against his brace. It wasn't too difficult to sit with his hip opened to accommodate his mostly straight leg, but he had been moving around a lot that day. Ever the helper, Roman got up, looking to Dean as well.

"I'll take two trips if I gotta, I'll text you the options," he said sweetly, patting Seth's thigh.

"I love you," Seth blurted, feeling weird stares on the back of his head as Roman left. Everyone in the immediate vicinity appeared to be aggressively heterosexual. Dads with trucker hats and Moms with diamond necklaces and color treated hair attended to their children, all raucously excited for the show. Seth didn't feel too uncomfortable, used to years of feeling like an outsider punk-kid in high school. It wasn't anything new.

"Did you guys… have fun at your movie?" Seth asked, looking to Bayley and Sasha, who were also debating getting some snacks.

"It was okay," Sasha said. "We saw _How to Be Single_ because Xavier had a friend at the theatre and we didn't really want to do anything to serious."

"I wanted to see Deadpool," Bayley admitted. "But they couldn't get us tickets for that one or something?"

"The concession stand snacks were best part." Sasha laughed. "But yeah, I guess we're getting our fill of shows and events this weekend. How about you guys?"

"Uh..." Seth looked to Dean, who was melting out of his seat, staring at the ceiling and breathing loudly. "...You good over there Deano?"

Dean raised a thumbs up, his gaze unmoved. Sasha smirked.

"We've been… fine... " Seth shrugged. "This was sort of the thing we were all going to do… but yeah…" Seth swallowed, considering his words. "It's still not official yet, but… I'll probably be moving in soon, assuming Roman's family is all on board…"

"Oh really? That's so cool!" Sasha said, clapping her hands. "I was sorta wondering if that might just happen… with all your knee stuff…"

"Yeah… well…" Seth muttered. "I really like it there. I think it makes sense. It's a little early, but… we'll just figure things out as they come up."

"Yeah?" Sasha said. A booming crest of music began and American flags appeared on the displays. The national anthem was starting and everyone rose out of their seats, observing the moment.

It wasn't until the first race that Roman returned with hot dogs, beers, curly fries and donuts, taking a few trips to get everyone settled without spilling drinks. Seth nearly jumped as the first trucks began their first lap, deafeningly loud and kicking up huge dust clouds that gave the light a sort of red-brown quality. Seth was unable to stop grinning, watching as the trucks jumped over huge dirt mounds, flying in the air.

First, it was a team race, and then some sort of beat-the-clock challenge where an announcer encouraged all the children in attendance to yell for their favorite trucks. Bayley and Sasha were determined to root for _Monster Mutt_ , but Seth found himself taking a liking to the _Metal Mulisha_ truck, occasionally whooping and blushing for how stupid he felt.

"This is really fun," he said matter of factly as the competition took a short break to award a young boy with a set of monster truck toys. The kid smiled and waved for the camera and Roman squeezed Seth's hand, feeling around in the sweat from his beer cup.

"Glad you like it," he said with a grin.

An all pink truck took the field and rose vendors came out to badger men about purchasing flowers for their sweethearts. Without blinking, both girls bought flowers for each other and Seth groaned, waving the man away before he could make any assumptions.

"What are you even going to do with those! They'll die!" Seth squawked as Bayley and Sasha put their flowers in a cupholder, letting the long stems stick into the bottom. On the display screens a Kiss Cam had begun and a couple screamed in surprise and quickly embraced.

"I have a book where I press the flowers," Sasha explained. "They'll live for a day or so and then I'll just put them in there." She made like she was going to stand up. "Did anyone want a refill or anything?"

Everyone around them turned in their seats and stared. Sasha frowned, looking around and Roman nudged Seth, giggling madly. Seth turned and his whole body went numb, seeing his face and Sasha's on the huge titantron display, enshrined with hearts and cupids. He could see the camera filming them and Seth looked to Sasha stupidly. She looked just as horrified.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" the crowd began to chant. Their neighbors clapped and Seth's hands shook. With a sidelong glance at Roman, he quickly leaned in and Sasha offered her cheek, laughing nervously. The crowd cheered dully and the camera shifted to some other man and woman of little relation.

"That was so cute!" Bayley laughed. "Oh my gosh you guys."

Seth and Sasha just stared at each other, mutually apologetic. Dean looked extremely confused.

"The camera went on them," Roman laughed, struggling to explain it to Dean. "They had to kiss for the camera."

"Happy Valentine's Day you two!" a complete stranger giggled at them, leaning in to pat Seth on the shoulder and smile at him through crooked teeth. Seth just made a nasally noise of affirmation, swallowing hard.

The rest of the evening was fairly straight forward as a freestyle competition was announced and each truck was supposed to complete a routine within a certain amount of time. Seth wasn't really sure how the shows worked- if there was some predetermined winner or real point system or if it was all just audience participation. But the first three trucks botched their landings and their huge wheels came spinning off, landing in a heap while the audience clapped and screamed loudly.

"It's like they like it better when the trucks don't finish." Seth laughed, coming to life a little more as a truck called _Mass Destruktion_ was hauled out of the arena by tow trucks. Looking around, he noticed Dean wasn't in his seat and Seth raised an eyebrow, looking around.

"Where'd Dean go?" He nudged Roman, gesturing to his empty spot.

"He went to the bathroom," Roman said loudly, just as _Metal Mulisha_ came out onto the track. Seth fidgeted uncomfortably.

"How long ago did he go?" Seth asked. Roman shrugged.

"I dunno, like ten minutes? Before the second wreck." He patted Seth's arm. "Don't worry lil' Uce. He knows what he's doing."

_Does he_ ? Seth thought, biting his lip as _Metal Mulisha_ stopped at the far side of the dirt ring, sizing up the track for a moment. Everyone began hollering and standing up, so Seth scrambled to his feet, leaning on his left leg as the truck picked up speed and came screaming into the huge dirt mound right before their section. Seth's mouth fell open as the truck flipped and landed hard on it's huge tires.

"Holy shit!" he yelled, nearly dropping his phone. "How the hell?"

Behind him, he heard his own nasally voice repeated back. He turned and groaned as apparently Sasha and Bayley had filmed the moment, recording the flip on their phones with Seth's reaction.

"It's actually perfect, look-" Sasha exclaimed, giggling hard as Seth watched the truck flip and then his own excited face took in the frame.

"Glad you got the hot take…" Seth snorted, sitting back down and looking around for Dean. He knew that the bathrooms were probably really busy at an event like this… but Seth remembered back to his own struggles with taking the weed edibles. The last thing he would have wanted to do was be around huge groups of strangers in a loud environment, trying to appear coherent and normal. What if Dean was in trouble?

After a few freestyles, even Roman seemed a little antsy about the situation. Seth watched as he checked his phone and typed out a quick **u gud?** to their group chat. Seth didn't care about monster trucks so much that he would feel bad looking for Dean, but with his bad leg, he wondered if he would be of much use.

After another full half hour and two more wrecks, Roman finally agreed to get up and do a lap of the concourse. But with a soar of relief, they could see Dean slowly ambling down the opposite stairway, just as Roman got to his feet.

" _Dean_!" Seth yelled, shooting an apologetic look to their neighbors, who stared at them crossly. Dean probably couldn't hear, but Seth let out a great snort, seeing huge bags of cotton candy and kettle corn in his boyfriend's hands. After a few moments of Roman waving and Dean realizing slowly he was in the wrong section, they caught each other's eyes and Dean went back up the stairs to reorient himself.

"See, I told ya." Roman laughed.

"He could have _died_ ," Seth argued, nudging his boyfriend. "That was _so_ much time."

Dean returned and Seth felt embarrassed, watching his boyfriend amble back to his seat, looking sweaty and labored. His eyes were red and exhausted looking, with a sort of manic tint. His mouth was ringed with pink sugar and he kept licking his lips.

"Dude, what happened?" Seth asked, leaning over Roman. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah m'fine," Dean mouthed, blinking and looking at his boyfriends. "Can you hear me…?"

"Yeah." Roman smirked. "You're talking normally."

"Oh good." He sighed, eyes nearly rolling back as he slouched back in his seat. "How many more trucks… are there? I got… snacks…"

Seth took the bag of kettle corn, watching his boyfriend incredulously. If he had to guess, Seth would have thought Dean was out of his mind as he seemed to struggle to keep his eyes open the moment he sat down.

"Is he okay?" Bayley asked, looking to Seth. Seth just shrugged, offering up the kettle corn to the girls as he took a mouthful.

"I went… to the bathroom-" Dean explained, a few minutes later, barely audible. "I followed the signs and it was busy, so I just kept walking in a circle… I think I just walked in a circle for like fifteen minutes cause I think I just passed by the same bathroom three times. I don't remember if I went or not, but I got snacks."

"Do you still need to go?" Roman asked, laughing. Dean just shrugged.

"I dunno." Dean rubbed his eyes, giggling. "I took too many. Whew."

"How many?" Seth asked, past being upset. So long as Dean was alright and wasn't wandering around any more, it was probably fine.

"Th-four?" Dean said, making a speedboat noise with his lips and pulling on the skin on his face. "I just took what was left. Yeeeeahhhhhh…"

"When you gotta be in P-pool tomorrow?" Roman asked, slightly alarmed.

"Tw-one?" Dean laughed. "I'll… I'll make it… I'll be back on earth… soon. I just can't drink 'cause I think I might puke..."

"You sure you're okay?" Seth asked seriously. The trucks were lining up and doing victory laps. Dean made a weird noise in his throat, looking to Seth with a loopy grin.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine, just a little… rocky… It's cool."

Sasha and Bayley left a little early to beat surge pricing for a cab and Roman got Dean some water just as the show ended. Standing back up again was a little rough, Seth's knee was still very tender from physical therapy. He hadn't brought his crutches, but he figured if he could barely walk out of the stadium, he could sit with Dean and wait for Roman to pull up with the Jeep.

Between his knee and the sort of frantic swinging movement of Dean's arms as he walked, Seth was sure they looked really weird, piling onto an escalator that took them back down to the parking lot. Passing by one of the stands, Dean tugged a length of fabric out of his pants pocket, laughing.

"I forgot I bought a shirt-"

"How did you _forget_ you bought a shirt," Seth spluttered, watching as Dean unraveled a black t shirt with slime-green writing that read _GRAVE DIGGER_ across the front.

"I dunno dude I just don't remember it at all."

"Did you buy anything else?" Seth asked, poking at Dean's pockets as they began to disembark from the escalator. Dean dug into his pants and groaned, pulling out his pack of cigarettes.

"No, but this is what I wanted."

Seth pushed himself to walk the extra few blocks to the car and Roman slowed his pace, keeping Dean from becoming distracted as he walked and lit a cigarette, pausing as the wind threatened to blow out the lighter. By the time they were back to the Jeep, Seth was ready to sit with his legs propped up against the whole back, but apparently Dean wanted to lay down too.

"This is the day, this's the day we cuddle a bunch," Dean mumbled stupidly, pushing himself in the back as Seth tensed, trying to keep his leg out of the way. Roman watched, somewhat exasperated as Dean sniffed, pulling himself up over Seth. "Issit okay?"

"Yeah," Seth said breathlessly, easing Dean to lay sideways against his front. "You become a big cuddle monster when you're high?"

"I am now." Dean said, rooting around in Seth's front. The car was somewhat refreshing, but Seth could smell the fuel exhaust on their clothes from being so close to the action inside. Unable to stop himself, Roman took a picture of the two cuddled up, too large to be comfortable, but coming to some sort of agreement with the positions of their limbs.

"Man, I hope you're not fried tomorrow Deano." Roman laughed, pulling the car out and speeding up to make the light at the end of the street. "Wouldn't wanna do lessons all foggy like that."

"I'll be m'kay," Dean said into Seth's shirt, sniffing a little and coming to rest on Seth's chest. Seth let his hands rest on Dean's head and shoulders, smoothing back his sweaty locks and scratching slightly. Dean moaned, going limp and letting his eyes close.

"You guys are so good," he said sleepily. "Make me have fun, make me feel better when I'm sad. I thought I wouldn't have a lot of fun if I was in a relationship with people but you guys are so good and you're not even _mad_ …"

Seth smiled, putting his lips to Dean's head and continuing to pet him.

"Now I like Valentine's day. I used to not because it was dumb… It still is dumb, but like, you guys don't make it dumb. We just get to have fun and not worry about it."

"Yeah man," Seth laughed, feeling his cheeks burn. "Don't worry about it, it's cool."

"I wanna have sex with both of you at the same time," Dean said sleepily. "I wish I had _two_ dicks."

Roman spluttered but Dean just hummed, eventually falling into heavy snores. Seth caught eyes with Roman in the rearview mirror, nonplussed. It had been a good night; he'd worried and he'd had his reasons, but everything had worked out, somehow.

"You think you can carry him out of the car?" Seth asked, patting Dean's shoulder. "My ass is falling asleep."

"Yeah yeah, I got it." Roman snickered. "You can wake him up too."

Seth's chest shook with little laughs and Dean shifted his head, drooling slightly. Despite the discomfort of the cramped backseat, Seth just enjoyed what he could, shifting his fingers back and forth hypnotically, content to keep close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little break from the stresses of moving. What will Roman's parents think? Will the boys end up going to Pensacola for Easter? How is Seth going to move out of his apartment with a bad leg? 
> 
> Let me know how you felt about this chapter. A lot happened! Donate if you can, review if you have time :)
> 
> EDIT// This weekend is really crazy for me and my job and I've had to do a lot of studying for a certification exam! I'll likely be posting a new chapter on Wednesday or Friday instead of Monday. Sorry about that! I don't want to rush these bits of the story though. Thanks for being great readers :)


	113. Eye of the Needle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A test of the system. Can Seth stay with Roman and Dean? 
> 
> *Discussions of drug use toward the end!

Roman was happy enough to be the first to rise on the morning of the fifteenth, and Seth was grateful that he slid out from between them to check on the chickens and get coffee started. Seth's knee was particularly sore from so much movement and therapy the day before, and Dean was like a zombie, bundled up in the sheets, uncharacteristically still. 

"Was it worth it?" Seth asked, trying not to sound too patronizing as Dean turned, sighing and licking his lips. He didn't answer, but rather pressed his face deeper into the bed. When they'd all gotten home after the monster trucks, Dean was exhausted, but still insisted on grinding on Roman and Seth until they all had a little bit of sleepy fun. Seth had cuddled Dean until they'd both fallen asleep, but at some point during the night they'd rearranged and separated.

"Hey, you think you'll want breakfast?" Seth tried, scooting closer and running his chin close to Dean's back. Dean shivered and groaned, moving to the very edge of the bed, out of reach. Seth just sighed, sure that he'd probably exhausted his boyfriend's tolerance for extended physical touch.

Roman made them all waffles before seven-thirty, and Seth ended up leaving with him to get to White Water, allowing Dean some time to gather his faculties and make his way to work later in the day for lessons. Seth toyed with the locking mechanism on his brace, still sore even after taking his ibuprofen.

"I texted my ma when I got up," Roman said as they pulled into the parking lot and proceeded to the far end where the staff were instructed to park. "I guess she just watched some sixty minutes documentary about non-monogamy, so she's in a really 'educated' mood I guess…" 

"What does that mean?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow. Roman grinned.

"Nothing, just that she's happy. She said she learned a lot from it and wanted to support us or somethin'. I feel like now's as good a time as any to talk to her, so I asked if she wanted to Skype us tonight and we could talk about what we wanna do about moving."

"Oh, yeah," Seth mumbled. It wasn't so much that he'd forgotten the situation with his apartment, it was just that he didn't really know what he wanted to say to Roman's family to make a case for staying. He thought it was best to have a few points to make, maybe even apprehensions to address that could hopefully be eased through conversation. Seth had a nagging fear that Lisa or Sika might think he was entitled or ridiculous for having any concerns, but Seth knew if he couldn't trust them then the move would be a bad idea.

Which, frankly was why he'd put it out of his mind, but Seth just nodded, pulling hard on the car door to hoist himself out of the seat. He really wanted to live at the house now, and he wanted to call his landlord and finally tell them that he was leaving the apartment. Roman's family was the last check off the list, it  _ had _ to go smoothly. 

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Seth couldn't spend his whole day thinking of what he'd like to say to Roman's mother over Skype, because Hunter pulled him aside as soon as he'd clocked in at the front desk. Immediately Seth's heart began beating as he followed after his boss, making their way to the office in a strange silence. Hunter always looked a little tired and grave, and Seth was hurriedly trying to think if he'd messed something up as he sat down next to Hunter's computer.

"I wanted to red shirt the morning guards," Hunter explained in a secretive tone, glancing at Finn as he made his way past the glass window, watching the lap pool carefully. Immediately Seth relaxed, a sort of cheeky grin coming across his face. Red shirting meant constructing an emergency situation to assess responsiveness for real life situations. 

Which basically meant Hunter would be faking emergencies and Seth would likely be playing dead all morning. 

"So, we've got Finn, Baron and Maryse," Hunter said, pushing some assessment forms onto a clipboard and looking to Seth carefully. "Have you met her before?"

"Uh…" Seth strained, thinking. "New hire?"

"Yes, there's a couple new guards that will be starting soon for the first week of March. Blonde woman? She has a french accent."

"I might have seen her upfront." Seth shrugged, not particularly concerned. "What all did you want me to do then?"

Finn's assessment was first, as he was the closest guard in the vicinity. All of the assessments would have to be on land because Seth still couldn't soak his incision, but there was plenty to do on the deck that was relevant to lifeguarding. Hunter grabbed a tube to guard, giving explanations when necessary, but Seth was eager to have a little fun, unable to stop grinning smugly the entire time. 

"Lifeguard-" Seth said sharply, coming over to Finn's spot by the first aid cabinet. "My chest hurts and… it's hard… to breathe…" 

Finns face immediately fell as he saw Hunter take full coverage of the pool, watching Finn out of the corner of his eyes as Seth slumped dramatically. Finn shuddered, realizing he was being tested. 

"W-what's your name sir?" Finn spluttered, helping Seth to sit on the floor and looking to Hunter as he mimed pressing the emergency alarm rather than actually doing so. Hunter slid a practice AED across the deck, and Seth listened for Hunter's cues. 

"He's lost consciousness," Hunter said. Seth followed along, going limp and laying on the floor while Finn scurried to grab the AED. "No pulse, no breathing."

"Don't actually rip my clothes off," Seth whispered under his breath, trying not to giggle. Hunter continued to watch, lifeguarding the pool and observing as Finn pulled off the nodes, sticking them to Seth's shirt in the appropriate places and running the AED. 

"That was good," Hunter said after Finn finished on Seth and then completed two minutes of CPR on a dummy provided for him. Seth stood up, putting the cords of the AED back in the kit as Finn came back to himself, smiling nervously and pulling off his gloves. "Just remember to 'clear the pool' You can just say it in the scenario, but obviously you'd have to do it if that was real."

"Ded I pass?" Finn asked, blushing. Hunter nodded, shooting the man a smile as he took off the tube. 

"Absolutely, good job. Thanks Finn." Hunter signalled to Seth and they continued on their way, going to the adaptive pool to visit Baron. 

The other two assessments weren't quite as smooth as the first, and Seth felt awkward throughout Baron's incredibly easy test that shouldn't have been as difficult as it was. Rather than a full CPR scenario, Hunter just had Seth mime a laceration to his leg, but Baron's first aid skills were rather poor. 

" _ Gloves _ ," Seth said under his breath, cheating slightly. Baron grunted, pulling out the contents of his fanny pack and looking at Hunter angrily.

"There's no gauze in here," he said, standing up and making his way to the first aid cabinet slowly. 

"Seth's starting to get pale and dizzy," Hunter said to Baron, urging some sort of motivation to act faster. "He's bled a lot and he's sweating."  

Baron just pressed gauze to Seth's leg, annoyed at the tedium of the scenario. Seth frowned, hearing Hunter scribble notes onto his clipboard. If they'd switched roles, Seth would have checked for a pulse, and probably assumed that his victim was going into shock. 

The woman named Maryse was given a rather difficult assessment and even Seth was a little unsure of the proper protocol. Almost no one was in P-pool that morning, seeing as it had just opened, and the woman's head turned on a swivel when they came in. Seth promptly approached the guard chair with his hands over his throat.

"What is-" she caught Hunter's look and stood up, looking confused. Seth's eyes widened and he continued pawing at his neck. 

"He's choking," Hunter supplied, pulling on a tube to guard as Maryse snapped into action, stepping down and looking alert. 

"Can I halp you?" she asked in her thick accent, waiting for Seth to nod before she came up behind him. Small hands danced over his front as she put her hands on his upper belly, pressing softly to indicate she could perform an abdominal thrust. Seth waited, feeling her hands slap against his back for back blows, watching as Maryse stared at Hunter, waiting.

"Nothing," Hunter said, watching Maryse work. "He's turning blue and he's losing consciousness."

Seth slid onto the floor as gracefully as his leg would allow, lying on his back while Maryse struggled, standing over Seth with her eyes wide. Personally, Seth felt sympathetic, as he was similarly foggy on the procedure for choking victims. Usually abdominal thrusts and back blows did the trick. 

"I don't… remember…" Maryse held her head, thinking hard. Seth lay, watching the ceiling passively as Maryse mimed taking his carotid pulse with shaky hands, still staring at Hunter.

"No breathing, no pulse," Hunter said. Maryse made a noise, upset. Hunter clicked his tongue, waiting.

"I would want to do CPR but… if there is a blockage there is nothing I can do," she said, sounding more and more emotional. Seth frowned, listening. He didn't think a fake choking scenario was worth  _ crying _ about… Her eyes were huge and wet, panicking. 

"Well, what do we do then? For unconscious choking?" Hunter prompted. "EMS is on their way, you activated the EAP, what now?" 

Maryse groaned, pulling at her hair. Seth continued to lie still, feeling slightly tingly where she'd touched his back and front.

"I do not know… Suction? But… I do not know," she admitted quietly. "I know I need to use an AED to get his heart back…"

"CPR, it's just like CPR," Hunter supplied, pushing a dummy toward her so she could begin. "Even if the breaths don't go in, we try. You can do a mouth sweep and check for debris, but all you can do is CPR until EMS arrives."

Seth stood up again, watching Maryse go through CPR on the dummy, looking defeated. It was a harder scenario for a new recruit and he wondered what her training must have been prior to working with White Water. At the end of the scene, Hunter thanked Maryse and finished filling out the forms, putting away the dummies and AEDs for another day. Seth just waved awkwardly, not really sure what to think. 

"I helped my old boss do red-shirting a few times," he chuckled to Hunter, limping back up to the front where Sami was talking with Kevin over the desk. "I think in like a week or so I can get my leg wet again."

"That's great, thanks a lot Seth." Hunter nodded. "Let me know in a couple months or so, when you've got your range of motion back. I'll just give you the physical lifeguard test to take and then once you pass that, you can guard again, yeah?"

"O-okay." Seth beamed. "I've been making great progress. Hopefully it can come sooner than later."

A tall, thin Japanese man dressed in a red leather jacket was waiting in the lobby area and he immediately caught Hunter's eye, standing up. He grabbed his gym bag and brushed his hair to the side and Hunter waved, nodding to Seth. 

"Hey Shinsuke." Hunter came out to the front and Seth went behind the desk, watching with interest as the man grinned, revealing a very warm smile. "AJ told me you would be the best dressed one here!"

"It pay to have good style," the man called Shinsuke said jovially, following after Hunter. Seth watched them go, only pausing as Kevin threw a towel at him to get his attention.

"Hey, I'm gonna need a hand next month with the park stuff. You should help me out," he said, nodding to Seth. 

"What park stuff?" Seth asked, tossing the towel back. 

"Gettin' the park ready, so we'll get all the park equipment returned from storage, and we have to oversee some independent contractors that clean all the slides and stuff," Kevin said, leaning over his rolling cart and thinking hard. "Restocking stuff, ordering things for vending machines. Ru and Lana will do a lot of the office stuff, but all the crap they order has to be put away."

"I'll do whatever I can." Seth shrugged. "Tell Hunter you want me."

With only a few more hours on his shift, Seth ordered pizza with Sami since he'd forgotten his lunch at home, and then spent some time spraying weed killer in between the cracks of the sidewalk leading up to the front of the building. Dean came in, only marginally more alert than he'd been that morning, and Cesaro texted Seth a few pictures of Lucerne, showing off his hometown.

**Its beautiful!!!** Seth sent back, looking up as Roman came into the front area, poking at the now empty pizza box that Sami and Seth had worked on.

"I thought about just ordering pizza for dinner," Roman admitted. "But then, my stomach's been a little off since all that monster truck junk food."

"I need a salad or something," Seth whined, sitting up a little straighter. "All I've eaten is crap lately."

"Chicken thighs… Spanish rice?" Roman asked, straining to think what they had in the fridge. Sami watched them, pulling staples out of several packets of paper with a tool.

"Do you guys live together then? I thought it was just you and Dean?" he asked, looking at Roman carefully. Seth blushed, but Roman shrugged coolly.

"It's not official, but we helped him out with his knee and all," Roman said, face set and impassive. Sami just nodded, still looking curious.

"You ready though? We can stop by the store if we really need to." Roman nudged Seth and Sami shrugged. It wasn't as though there was really anything that needed to be taken care of. Summer would be there to take over  in less than an hour. 

* * *

Seth became more and more anxious on the way home. He tried to think of what he wanted to talk about once Dean came home and they were going to Skype Lisa, but he kept getting distracted. It didn't seem to make sense, why he couldn't just think of a good way to say "I've been here for some time now, and I think that it makes sense for me to continue living here," but after Seth's discussion with his own mother, he was very mindful of sounding immature. Roman threw together some leftovers to make chicken wraps, but Seth had trouble sitting outside on the patio and cleaning his plate.

In the meantime, Roman walked around his vegetable garden, drinking a beer and examining the progress of some perennial plants. Seth sighed and got a beer as well, trying to ignore how tender his knee felt and how the pain would only escalate after his mobility exercises that evening. 

"The chickens look huge now," Roman noted, pointing over to where Crispy was sitting in a mound of dirt. Peep 2 was clucking and digging for worms, but Lars and Junior were sitting next to their adoptive mother, eyes closed and content. Their legs looked hugely disproportionate, while their necks had started to elongate, making their baby feathers look insufficient. Seth approached them slowly, setting his drink on the chicken coop. In an instant, the chicks peeped, waking up and shuffling away, alarmed.

"They don't like us much." Roman laughed, watching as a dismayed Seth slowly chased the birds, in an attempt to get closer. Lars, his own bird, tried to fly, ineffectually jumping and flapping her tiny wings until Crispy clucked and stood up, following after Seth at a run. 

"It's bullshit!" Seth said in mock anger, grabbing his drink again. "Is it just because they're small you think?"

"Well, Crispy is raising them, not us," Roman noted, standing up again and putting his hand on the small of Seth's back. "We hand reared Crispy, so she probably thinks she's a person. The chicks never really lived inside, they just think Crispy is their mom. It's a pain in the ass, if we need to catch them we'll probably have to lure them into a cage since they don't like being picked up."

"So long as they aren't aggressive I guess." Seth sighed, hearing Kevin scratching at the back door. He knew his dog would have to meet the chickens sooner or later, but Seth didn't want to deal with it at the moment. He leaned into Roman's touch, taking the weight off his bad leg. "When is your mom gunna call?"

"I think around seven or so, she said she wanted to eat first," Roman said.

Dean arrived home around six, still tired and a little moody. Seth watched as he napped lightly on the couch with the television muted, wondering if he was going to sit in on the call with the family . It wasn't strictly necessary, but Seth was sure Lisa would want to see all three of them. 

"Do you think… your family will have any issues?" Seth finally asked quietly, turning to Roman as he pet Kevin lightly. Roman looked up from his computer, shaking his head.

"No, my dad might think it's weird, but my mom will be happy, and she's the one who has all the investment in this house. They might not want Kevin on the furniture, but… I mean… they're not here, and I really don't give a shit."

Seth blinked, wondering how Lisa could possibly expect such a rule to be obeyed. However, he tried to put it out of his mind, changing the subject.

"I was also thinking of doing like, a garage sale or something, just to get rid of some stuff I don't really need," Seth proposed, scratching his beard. "Do you have stuff you'd wanna sell?"

Roman made a strange face. Seth couldn't tell what he was thinking exactly.

"I dunno if they'd go for that."

"They? Your family?"

"Yeah," Roman said, looking resigned. "Not really their thing."

"Well, I mean,  _ your  _ stuff, not theirs. Do they own  _ all  _ of this?" Seth asked, laughing slightly. "It could just be my stuff too, but I don't think I have enough for a good sale."

"No… I just mean…" Roman sighed, sliding his computer a little further down his lap. "My family doesn't really  _ do _ garage sales, you know? You could ask, I just don't think my mom would be cool with me doing one off my lawn or in the garage or something."

"Why not?" Seth scoffed, confused.

"Well, I dunno really, but like… I think they just think it's… weird? Or like… I dunno…" 

Seth frowned looking at Roman. He felt like Roman did know about his parents misgivings, he just didn't want to say anything rude.

"When we were growing up, we sometimes donated stuff to church sales or the Salvation Army, but we never bought things second hand," Roman explained, trying to make his case. "I didn't even wear secondhand clothes in my family, but I think that was mostly 'cause my brother was a lot older and stuff. My mom loves  _ sales _ , like, she likes finding things that are discounted, but we never went to Goodwill or anything like that."

"Mmm," Seth said, privately exasperated. Roman's family's privilege aside, he didn't know why they couldn't have a stupid little sale without Roman's family knowing.

They were all in a sort of strained mood when seven rolled around and Roman's mother called on the phone to verify that they were available. Dean sat up and Seth smiled, watching him rub his eyes and blink, trying to be alert.

"If you just wanted to go lay down, it'd probably be fine," Seth offered, putting his hand close to Dean's thigh, but not touching. "Or maybe you could just pop in and then go."

"M'okay," Dean muttered, smoothing his hair to the side. Roman began setting up his iPad on it's stand, moving the coffee table and sitting on the floor so they were all crammed in the frame.

"We good?" Roman asked, looking up to Dean and Seth on the couch. Seth leaned in closer, wincing a little at his slightly bent leg. He nodded.

After a few moments of tinny ringing coming from the speaker and Roman adjusting the lights so they would all be illuminated on the screen, the call connected. Seth blinked as he could just see Sika sitting in front of the camera, bearing the same stern face Roman usually wore at work. He smiled and Seth smiled back politely. 

"Your mother is getting a drink," Sika explained, folding his fingers under his jaw. "How is things son?"

"Hey dad, I'm good," Roman said, voice pitching just slightly. "I'm working less now so it's nice, I have more free time…"

Seth and Dean waited patiently while Roman talked with his father, going back and forth about work and the prospect of starting classes again. Just as he had been when they'd been in Pensacola for Christmas, Roman seemed much more meek and changed, stumbling over his words slightly as he tried to talk while his father stared at the screen.

"How are we all doing?" Lisa asked excitedly, coming in with a drink in her hand and waving happily. "Hello boys!"

"Hey!" Dean and Seth both waved and Roman grinned, watching. 

"I saw someone today at the post office," Lisa began, smiling to her husband. "He had hair just like Seth's except it was… more silver," she commented, grinning to Seth. "It was funny."

"Well..." Roman said, fidgeting. "We wanted to talk, but we've been talking a lot- all three of us-" He looked over to Seth and Dean. Seth nodded, heart racing as he leaned in.

"Yeah, uh, I uh, talked with my family and I wanted to ask you if you thought this was possible-" Seth cleared his throat. "I've been here for a bit now and… I've been staying because it's just been a lot easier since I can't drive, but I've been realizing that, I want to stay _ for good _ ?" He swallowed, hearing his voice waver. "Obviously, I want to do what you approve of, and I wanted to make sure I respect… what you want…"

"Well, of course!" Lisa said happily. "Yes, we very much appreciate you asking. When did you want to move in?"

"Well…" Seth laughed. "I'm already... kind of here, I guess, but I was hoping I could get out of the apartment I'm in as soon as possible, just so I don't have to pay more rent."    


"There is enough room for the three of you there?" Sika asked, slightly skeptically. Roman blushed, biting his lip.

"Yeah, it's fine dad, we fit." Roman nodded. 

"How many cars are there?"

"Three… We all have cars," Roman continued. Sika's lip twitched.

"You need make sure that the garage door is always shut," Sika said carefully, "I do not mind more than one car being in there, but we cannot leave it open."

"Yeah dad, don't worry, I always shut it."

"We cannot have any more people after this," Sika said firmly, his gaze isolated on his son. "I do not mind with two people, but the house is a single home."

"Yeah, yeah dad," Roman said quickly, voice cracking. "It's just us."

"And if you have visitors, you need to tell us," Sika continued. "I wanted to have that bedroom there for if your cousin wanted to visit or your mother, no parties with lots of people-"

"Of course… yeah…"

Seth swallowed, resisting the urge to put his hands over Roman's knuckle, beneath the frame of the camera where no one could see. It was almost as though Sika didn't see Dean or Seth at all, his intent focused solely on his youngest son. Lisa sat beside her husband, nodding affirmatively, but still smiling. The thought of asking about a garage sale seemed laughable. 

"I want to get your phone number and an email address," Sika said, apparently pulling out a pad of paper. Leaning in, Seth spelled out his contact information as clearly as possible. 

"I was hoping you could make me up a sort of housing contract too," Seth said quietly, clearing his throat so he could be louder. "Just so… we have something official. I don't know how much you'd like me to pay… or when… or how." 

"I can do that, that is my job." Sika laughed. "I will send it to your email. You can look it over."

"O-okay," Seth said, slightly concerned that he wouldn't know right away. "But… this is okay? You don't mind?"

"Seth honey, I just  _ knew _ you would want to stay with Roman," Lisa said, her lips twisting toward her twinkling eyes. "You're just fine, we want to keep you boys together! Roman is going to need help when he's in classes so we expect you boys to help him like he's helped the both of you."

"Of course!" Seth said, feeling relieved for the first time since the call had started. "Yeah… for sure."

Seth's phone buzzed and Sika nodded as he examined it for a short moment. 

"That is my number, so now you have it," he said. "We want to see all of you for Easter too."

"Oh, yeah," Roman said, grimacing. "Okay, so, we're going on that houseboat vacation during the maintenance week at the pool-" He turned to Dean and Seth. "Easter's the last weekend of that… so… if you guys both got time off on Monday… just for the drive home..."

Seth blinked, the way that they'd talked amongst each other about the holiday, it seemed as though Roman would give his parents an excuse not to go. Now, with Lisa and Sika staring at them, it seemed as though they had little alternative. After their trip to the Keys, Roman wanted them to drive from the very bottom of the state to the northern-most border... It made Seth exhausted just thinking about it.

"We'll figure it out," Dean said, speaking up for the first time. "Hunter's hiring so many new people, it might not be a big deal."

"Excellent, we really want you guys to come," Lisa said. "We wanted to take beach photos with Grandma and there's the Easter egg hunt of course. You boys can stay in the upstairs bedroom this time, I don't think Nia was planning on coming."

"Sounds good mom, I'll talk to Hunter and-"

"And did you get the carpets cleaned?"

Roman blinked and Seth watched as Lisa's gaze looked more penetrative. Seth couldn't tell the relation between the two subjects, but he guessed it didn't matter. 

"I… I forgot… This weekend was busy! I called and I'm getting it done next weekend." 

"That needs to get done, Roman."

"I know."

"With a dog in the house, the carpets need to be clean once a month," Sika said firmly, writing something else down on his paper. Seth shifted guiltily.

"And we can't have any more pets," Lisa insisted, shaking her head. "No more chickens, nothing. Absolutely no cats."

"Don't worry mom, we got this…"

The rest of the call was a mix of socializing and advice for helping Seth move. It wasn't as warm and easygoing as he would have liked, but Seth was just glad he was figuring out exactly what the Reign's family wanted upfront. While the barrage of rules and restrictions was a little blunt and condescending, Seth reminded himself that most of what they were asking was pretty regular of any apartment complex. Dean sat in the background while Roman navigated the conversation, occasionally sipping from his drink or fussing with his bun. Seth noticed his sock covered feet kept tugging at the carpet, twitching and rolling around. 

"I will send the form over in the next few days and you can look over it," Sika said finally, tapping his wife's hand as she yawned. "Does Seth have a key yet? The doors are being locked, yes?"

"Not yet, but yeah, everything's Fort Knox around here," Roman said, adjusting and refolding his legs. "Thanks a lot Dad, Mom, I love you guys a lot, I appreciate all of this."

"Of course sweetheart, we love you too," Lisa said warmly, her gaze flicking up to Dean and Seth. "We're glad everything is okay and you're doing so well. We want you boys to be free to figure out exactly how you want to be happy." 

The line felt weird and forced coming out of Lisa's lips, but Roman grinned huge, blushing as they said their goodnights and the call was disconnected. It took a moment for the realization to wash over Seth, that he was living there, everyone seemed to be at least in luke-warm agreement that it was possible and acceptable. 

Seth was living with Dean and Roman now. He had been, but now there wasn't an expiration date. He looked up to Dean, who was petting Kevin, looking at the dog with tired half lidded eyes. Roman looked significantly more bouncy.

"You're staying here, aren't you excited?" he asked, bending down over Seth and kissing his neck. Seth let out a sort of throaty  _ woo _ , grabbing onto Roman's shoulders and giggling as they sort of wrestled on the floor for a moment. Kevin began to bark, hopping down to join the fray and Dean scoffed, nudging Seth in the ribs with his stray foot.

"Ahh-" Seth whined, pushing Kevin away as the little dog put his wet nose right in Seth's ear. Lying on the ground, he would have sprawled out like he was making snow angels if he didn’t have to keep his right leg from sticking to the carpet. 

"I'm happy, but now I have to do all the moving shit, all the boring crap," Seth admitted, sighing and looking to Roman's face swimming above him. "That part always sucks."

"We'll help," Roman said, kissing his nose. "Jeep's big for a reason."

"I gotta see what we can put in your garage too." 

"There's room in the overhead awning area." Roman nodded, kissing his nose again.

"Valentine's day was  _ yesterday _ ," Dean croaked, watching their affair. "You guys ain' maxed out?"

"We didn't take a handful of scooby snacks like you did." Roman snorted. Dean eased up, coming down on all fours and slumping down right over Seth's stomach, crushing him. 

"You're heavy, g'off-" Seth laughed, struggling to get away. Dean just flailed his arms out, pushing more of his weight down. Playful and giddy, Roman plopped down on top of both of them, effectively winding Seth.

"K'n breathe-" he croaked, pushing at Roman's shoulder. Dean counted to three and they pulled back, stuck in a sort of quiet humming pleasure that was filling the room. Seth stared at the ceiling and Dean flopped down next to him, breathing deeply. 

"I'm happy," Roman said, trying to provoke conversation. "This is all crazy, but we're making it work. Things are going okay."

"Says you." Dean snorted. "I mean… yeah… the relationship thing, but like…" 

Seth turned his head, watching as Dean grumbled, sighing.

"Everything's fine. I just… I dunno…" Dean shrugged. "I think I just get weird around this time of year."

"The season's changin'," Seth said, yawning. "Also you went hard on scooby snacks."

"Yeah, that was like, the most high I've ever been." Dean laughed. "I sort of thought I was going to puke, but I didn't. I don' think I wanna do that again."

"But you've done harder drugs before?" Seth snorted, turning his head. "You seemed okay."

"I was losing my marbles," Dean said, rubbing his face. "I don't remember coming home. I woke up at one point and I felt like I had a fever, it was gnarly."

"You were pretty sloppy, but it was okay," Roman said, untying his bun and letting his hair fan out behind him. "You'll feel better tomorrow."

"So we're goin' to Pen for easter then huh?" Dean asked, changing the subject and laying his hands on his own breasts, kneading the fabric of his shirt. "What is that? Like a  _ twelve _ hour drive from the Keys?" 

"Probably," Roman sighed. "I mean, we'll only have been sittin' on a houseboat drinkin' beers and relaxing for five days. It's not the worst thing in the world. You guys can do that,  _ right _ ?"

"Yeah," Seth said, turning his head to Roman. "But you  _ did _ make it sound like we didn't have to go… like earlier you said we probably couldn't do it…"

"I checked the calendar. I was wrong." Roman shrugged. "If you  _ really  _ don't wanna go-"

"Uce, it's fine," Dean said, keeping the energy low. "But maybe we can stay with your cousins or something. Someplace more chill."

"Maybe…" Roman said, not terribly convinced. "We'll see. We got a couple weeks."

They grew quiet again for a few moments. Kevin came to Roman's side, tail wagging expectantly as he put his paws on the man's thigh, looking for attention.

"He has three dads now," Seth said quietly, unable to keep his cheeks from turning red. "Are we going to tell anyone at work? Sami… today…"

"I'm… not going to go announcing it." Roman shrugged. "I'm going down hours though, it probably won't affect me much. 

"But if you get that job-" Seth said looking to Dean. 

"I'm not gunna get that job." Dean laughed. Seth frowned.

"Well… in any case… I just don't wanna _ lie  _ or say something wrong if you guys say one thing-"

"Just say the truth if someone asks, I dunno," Dean said, craning his neck. Kevin began licking Roman's hand. "Keep it casual like we always do."

Dean put out his fist, their only little work safe PDA that they'd been engaging in. Seth bumped his knuckles to his fist and Roman raised an eyebrow.

"It's how we kiss when we can't," Seth explained, chuckling as Roman leaned in and all three of their fists pressed together. Dean began bumping his aggressively, as if to start a game of bloody knuckles. 

"Aight', well," Roman said, dusting himself off and heading to the kitchen. "I'm having celebration ice cream because this is special and I forgot all my new year's resolutions I might have had." 

"I want a macaroon," Dean said from the floor, looking up as Kevin licked his forehead. 

"You  _ always _ have those," Seth said, grinning and pushing his dog out of the way so he could kiss Dean on the nose.

"You  _ always _ have ice cream, who cares," Dean mumbled, kissing Seth back before they both sat up and went to the kitchen.

"We still have a couple of those Dilly Bars from Sasha," Roman said. Seth whooped and stood up, limping to the kitchen and getting a snack. Dean followed and the three stayed up a little later than usual, eating and playing video games in the living room until Dean fell asleep on the couch, stripped down to his briefs and snoring loudly. 

"I forgot to stretch, fuck-" Seth sighed, kneading at his knee and putting down his controller. It was only midnight, but they had to work early. Roman fluffed Dean's hair and stood up, setting down his own controller and his little bowl with a warm ice cream puddle at the bottom. 

"Do it in the morning?" Roman suggested.

"It's always so sore though…"

Roman put the rest of their trash in the garbage while Seth worked to pick up the controllers and stow the remotes back on the coffee table, shutting off the television before hobbling off to brush his teeth. Dean continued to snore, the noise echoing around the quiet house. 

Roman joined him in the bathroom after a few minutes and Seth felt his heart flutter, seeing their reflections in the mirror, his small lips lined with toothpaste.

"I'm really glad you're here," Roman said softly, hugging him around his front and letting off a contented grumbly sigh. "I didn't think you'd stay, but I'm really happy you're doing this."

"Thanks," Seth said stupidly, turning to look at the Roman at his side instead of his reflection. "I know you are, I c'n tell."

"I know, but I wanna say it too," he said softly, their eyes meeting, dark on dark. "I know how hard it is for you to ask for help sometimes. You and Dean drive me nuts, but I don't want you anywhere else."

"I luth you," Seth laughed, giggling as a trail of soapy spit fell into his beard and he hastened to wipe it out. Roman patted his ass softly before saying, "I love you too."

By hook or by crook, Dean was guided to bed, stumbling and barely awake. The room was cool and dark, and they all huddled together close, finding comfortable spots among the tangle of limbs. Seth felt a little too wired and manic from the good news, but Dean had fallen asleep in no time, snoring almost as loud as Roman.

Outside, the moon was very bright, shining right into the window and emboldening the bugs and lizards outside to hum louder and stronger. Tomorrow would be a new day and Seth would have to figure out how he was going to move. Hopefully his knee would feel a little more stable, especially if Hunter wanted him to do more challenging activities. He couldn't believe the month was almost over, it was crazy how fast time flew by. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! It's here! 
> 
> Big weekend, but somehow not as big as this chapter!! Seth and Dean are tag team champs now! I had some important life shit happened, but it's all good all around!
> 
> Seth gets to stay with Roman and Dean now officially! I mean, I'm sure it felt that way the whole time XD but now I can stop writing about it. New staff members! New developments. Let me know what you think about this stuff, if you like it etc. I wanna say the new chapter should be up on Monday as usual, but I am going out of town, so lets hope I have time.


	114. Food Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Girl Scout cookies come to White Water. Bad Behavior abound.
> 
> *This chapter is a mix of poorly chosen words, body shaming and lots of body monitoring. If you're struggling with these issues, please proceed with caution!

With the weight of asking for Roman’s parents’ approval off of his mind, Seth had slept miraculously well, nodding off in between Roman and Dean with the sheets pulled right up to his nose as he liked. His brace hadn't bothered him, and at some point before morning, Roman had spooned him up tight, pushing down his covers to hold him at the hip. Seth woke to see Dean snoozing right beside him, curled in as they all were facing the middle of the bed. 

For a while, Seth just lay, heart and mind completely content to hear both of his boyfriends breathing softly, mouths slightly open, probably drooling a little. It felt right, and now that Seth was sure he would be staying, he didn't feel so worried, thinking he might miss out on these little moments where all three of them were close and calm and warm.

He'd peek inside the garage before work probably, just to see if the overhead storage Roman had talked about would be fit to keep his bed and a few boxes. Really, most of Seth's things would probably be put up there, and so if there wasn't enough space, Seth might have to look for a storage space around town where he could keep his things in case he needed them. After that, he'd probably call his landlord and see if he couldn't get his security deposit back.

Thinking lazily, he nodded his head back and forth to get his pillow properly squished. Seth hated talking on the phone and running errands, but if they figured it out correctly, he might be able to move all of his things by the end of the next weekend. He'd really need Roman and Dean's help, and for a few minutes he thought about buying them movie tickets or something to repay them for their help. There wasn't very much he could afford still, but Seth wanted to let them know that he was grateful.

Dean made a sleepy noise, snorting and rolling onto his back. Seth's eyes flickered half open. The alarm was going to go off any moment, he was sure.

Roman grunted, grabbing onto Seth's hip a little harder before shifting down to cup his belly. Seth frowned, looking down and feeling strange.

His whole body was a fuzzy mess again, and he was on his side, so gravity was pressing him toward the bed, but in Roman's hands, Seth's stomach had pooched out ever so slightly, furry and soft.

He let out a nasally little whine, sitting up, slightly dismayed. His midriff had rounded slightly, but the skin became more taut as he sat up. Seth prodded the area, remembering how, just a month or so ago, he'd had tight, distinct abs.

For the next 20 minutes or so, he continued to fuss, rising out of the bed and examining his nearly naked body in the vanity mirror of the bedroom while Roman and Dean continued to sleep. When the alarm went off, Seth rushed off to the bathroom before his boyfriends could really wake, still pinching and prodding his ass and the backs of his arms, panicking.

"I didn't know Uce had a scale," Dean mumbled, coming in to take his first piss of the day as Seth eased himself to stand upright on the little electronic scale. The reading kept coming up around 211 pounds, which Seth was sure was wrong, as he vaguely recalled being about 217 give or take before his injury.

"I think it's broken," Seth said quietly, frowning as the scale read 211.09. The realization dawned on him that he had probably lost muscle because of the surgery and gained fat in the recovery, which was less dense. 

Dean didn't seem to think much of it though, giving his hands a quick rinse before passing off to the kitchen to get some coffee. Seth could hear Roman shuffling around as well, and he sighed, incredibly distracted.

Looking at himself in the mirror again, it was hard to say if he really looked different, or if he was just being his usual, over-critical self. His face looked more or less normal, his eye was no longer red and his cheeks were more filled out than his gaunt postoperative profile. Everywhere around his body, Seth thought he probably looked  _ average _ , more soft and less defined, but probably the same size. Any thoughts he had about moving or work were gone as he padded out to the kitchen, face set and determined.

"I need eggs," he said, walking through the kitchen purposefully as Roman pulled down a box of cereal. "Do we have hash browns?"

"Maybe, go for it." Roman shrugged, watching him gather a frying pan and the egg carton. "Going over-easy?"

"I need to eat healthier if I'm not going to do cardio," Seth explained, not looking at either of his boyfriends as he sprayed the pan with cooking oil. "I'm getting fat. It's weird."

"Thought you wanted a booty," Dean joked, stirring a good amount of milk into his coffee. "It all pounds the same to me."

Roman snorted, grabbing the milk from Dean to pour over his bowl of mini-wheats. Seth just shook his head.

"We need to be more… healthy when we shop and stuff," Seth urged, tossing some frozen hash browns in the pan as it began to heat. "If we keep eating junk, we're going to all get fat."

"Not me," Dean said cheekily, licking his stirring spoon. "Lightning fast metabolism, it don't matter for me."

Roman didn't say anything, but nodded, taking an interest in the stack of bills on the kitchen island. It wasn't really either of his boyfriend's responsibility to eat more nutritional meals, but Seth didn't want to fall into a rut of comfortability where they all just ate like pigs and stopped caring about their physiques. Seth himself didn't really like diet food much, but he was sure he could show a little more restraint when he was working the front at White Water and turn down more of the donuts, cupcakes, and other treats that tended to be available. Forgetting to peek into the garage space, Seth ended up carpooling with Roman, staring out the window, lost in thought. 

He was able to put food out of his mind for all of a few hours, but around ten o'clock Randy came through the door with a dolly full of boxes, grinning like a madman. Sami shrieked excitedly and Seth started, raising an eyebrow.

"We're tryin' to make double this year, I think she gets extra badges or some shit." Randy snickered, setting the boxes on the lobby desk top and opening them. 

"Where are the mint ones?" Sami insisted, hoisting the boxes over the counter and tearing into them. "I'll buy three right now!"

Seth groaned as Sami began pulling out box after box of Girl Scout cookies, eagerly grabbing several green ones and foisting bills into Randy's hand.

"Is it that time of year again?" A woman stopped just as she was about to leave, her eyes spelling out her desire.

In a matter of about ten minutes, Seth was sure Randy had made fifty bucks, slyly pocketing his sunglasses and breaking change for twenties as patrons rushed the counter, making requests and breaking into the boxes with little restraint. Often, patrons would leave treats and gifts for their favorite pool staff, and there was almost always leftover birthday cake from children's parties that were hosted by the pool. Bagel day was Tuesdays, pizza was called out for meetings, and Seth wondered how the hell he was supposed to stay lean if the lobby was an endless parade of cookies for the next few weeks. 

"Here! Have one!" Sami said happily, extending a thin mint out for Seth to take. "I like them better frozen, but damn if I don't miss these things all year!"

"Mint is awful," Seth said, wrinkling his nose. "The other ones are okay…"

"All of 'em are five bucks," Randy said, tapping the desk where he had set several boxes to display that they were selling treats. "Just leave the money in this envelope and I'll grab it at the end of the day."

"We're just supposed to sell your stuff? C'mon man, isn't this your  _ daughter's _ job?" Seth frowned, actually kind of annoyed. Randy raised an eyebrow. "This is all cool with Hunter?"

"Yeah man, why wouldn't it be?" Randy tossed Seth a box of Peanut Butter Patties. "Don't work too hard dude." 

Trying not to think too much about it and avoid accusations of being a wet blanket, Seth measured out five cookies to eat for the rest of the day and took his break with two. He sat outside, enjoying the cool day, savoring the treats and looking at storage units on Google with his phone. Most of the places appeared to be very competitive with each other, boasting incredibly low prices. Seth just hoped that they weren't any sort of scam, as he wasn't sure about the rental process.

Just before he left work around two, he called his landlord and left a message regarding his interest in moving out. Seth thought about calling back a little later, but he supposed it was possible that the office might be close to closing for the day anyway. Before he packed up, he ate a third cookie, still fidgeting a little with the waistband of his shorts and sighing. 

"I'm so excited to go to Montreal…" Sami said to just about no one in particular, sliding his card through the computer and punching out for the day. "Not excited about the cold, but it's going to be nice to see my family again."

"Hmm?" Seth turned, seeing Roman and Dean both come shuffling out with paper bags in hand.

"You done for the day?" Seth asked, looking to Dean. "I thought you had lessons."

"I'm just takin' these to the car. I still got a few hours." Dean snorted, craning his neck. "Spent damn near a hundred bucks between us."

Seth sighed hard, watching Dean pull out a box of Carmel deLites and grinning happily as he talked through his full cheeks. "I don' normally like coconut shtuff but these always get me."

Roman probably sensed Seth was in a bad mood before they left. Both men sat silently in the Jeep, caught behind a line of traffic leading onto the highway. The day had been fine and all in all, Roman's family had given them a lot to be happy about, which was probably why it was so confusing. Roman’s hands shifted and tensed on the steering wheel and he paged through the radio dully, trying to find a good station.

"I think my dad will send that thing over tomorrow or the next day," he said quietly, trying to be casual. "I talked to Summer today too, she had brunch with my mom and they talked about it. I really think they're all on board."

"Good," Seth said, tapping at his brace.

"Knee hurt?" Roman asked, inching the car forward as traffic edged along. "I bet it's going to suck… doing therapy a few times a week now…"

"I'm fine… it's just…" Seth sighed, a little mad Roman seemed so oblivious. "I was just saying this morning that we need to like… not be eating trash." His gaze drew up to Roman and he nodded to the trunk where the cookies were sitting, guilty. "And then you guys buy up enough cookies to like, feed a whole _village_."

"That's a tradition," Roman laughed, relaxing. "We always buy a bunch just cause they end up selling out so fast."

"Yeah but…" Seth frowned. "You guys always get a million snacks. I told you I wanted to eat healthier."

"How about you  _ don't _ eat them then?" Roman snorted again, growing impatient and merging into the left most lane to cut across the line. "Me and Dean bought them, we'd gladly share with you, but we're not holding you at gunpoint telling you to eat them. That's your own responsibility man."

Seth quieted, looking out the window. It was all stupid, but he wanted Roman to understand what he meant. He thought he'd been doing really good lately as far as his knee was concerned, Seth had maintained a pretty good to average mood, and tried not to be gloomy about the fact he couldn't guard or drive. Losing his strength was something that felt like torture and he was secretly dreading returning to the gym and finding himself unable to do many of the things he enjoyed, but if Seth was a little fat on top of that, his confidence would be crushed.

Roman did have a point, but Seth wanted them to be  _ supportive _ . Roman grabbed the Girl Scout cookies without question, quickly hurrying everything through the door in one trip while Seth allowed Kevin out to pee.

"I could probably stand to stop buying Ben and Jerry's," Seth admitted, returning inside the house and sliding out of his shoes as though the conversation had never dropped. Roman shrugged his shoulders sarcastically, opening up the freezer door and plopping in boxes of cookies wherever there was room. "I just… I dunno… I just wish I could be at the gym enough so it wouldn't really matter."

"You're fine babe, really," Roman said, shoving the extra boxes into the pantry for storage. "You eat balanced meals and you're doing what you need to do for your leg, that's what's important."

"Yeah, but you gotta  _ promise _ to still love me if I get all ugly and fat," Seth chirped, coming in and poking his head up eagerly for a kiss, smiling teasingly.

Roman frowned, regarding him with something close to frustration and disappointment. Seth's smile faded and his shoulders slumped, confused. 

"What?"

"If I make you Chicken Parm for dinner, will you eat it?"

"Uh… yeah? That's… fine…" Seth blinked, trying to think quickly. "Is… something wrong?" 

"Just… let me cook," Roman said gruffly, shaking his head. "I'll be honest, I don't want to deal with this right now."

Seth's eyes widened and he stood awkwardly, watching Roman pull pans out of the storage above the stove, ignoring Seth as he began to assemble his ingredients, looking broody and dark. After about a minute, Seth slowly walked off, at a loss for what to say or do.

He sat on the couch, immune to Kevin's excited panting and nudging for attention, trying to think what he could have possibly done wrong. It was a little late in the day and Seth's annoyances were a little… ridiculous. Roman probably didn't want to be complained-at right after coming off of work. Seth scratched at his beard anxiously, trying to think. No… it had been something he  _ said _ …

The sound of the TV sounded weird and overloud in the tense room and Seth shifted uncomfortably, not really interested in watching a single thing. In the kitchen, Roman could be heard walking in circles, preparing their dinner. 

**I think i pissed roman off**  Seth texted Dean around five, sure that his boyfriend would be getting done with his lessons. As the light had started to fade in the windows, the television screen reflected against the glass, looping commercials. Drumming his hands on the couch cushions, Seth felt his chest cramp, at a loss for what to do. Roman's presence was putting him on edge and as much as he wanted to discuss… whatever was happening, Seth didn't want to risk making his boyfriend angrier.

**Lol yeah u did** Dean texted him back rather quickly.  **he told me. Y did u do it?**

**I dnt know what i did!** Seth thumbed out, his pulse quickening.  **I was just talking to him about all the cookies u guys got and he got pissed and told me to go away!** Seth paused for a moment, sure that Roman was stopping every now and then to likely check his phone. The thought angered Seth and all he wanted to do was storm into the kitchen and demand an answer. If Roman was talking to anyone, it should be him.  **What did e say? Tell me**

The typing icon bounced over and over. Kevin hopped off the couch and began rolling on the carpet. For a few minutes, it seemed as though Dean was typing out a long response and Seth began to bristle, but the tension evaporated after a few moments.

**Im not sayin nothin thats between u guys** Dean said. Seth had to stop himself from letting off a snarl.

Roman came into the living room after he put dinner in the oven and sat in his usual spot in the armchair with a few mint cookies in his hand. He tossed his feet up and picked up the remote, apparently prepared to pretend Seth wasn't there. Seth frowned, licking his lips, daring himself.

"I'm sorry," Seth tried, sure that he wanted to resolve this before they were supposed to eat. "I didn't mean to like… sound ungrateful or anything."

Roman glanced over at him, expectant. Seth's heart beat faster.

"You make us all food all the time, I didn't want to sound like I didn't appreciate that or like, that I thought you were like… _making_ me fat or anything. That was shitty."

"Mm…" Roman grunted, looking back at the tv. Seth wanted to tear his hair out.  _ What the fuck was he supposed to say? _

"You guys are allowed to do whatever you want too… I didn't mean…" Seth cleared his throat, unable to really meet Roman's eyes. "I'm an adult. I'm not a child..."

Dean's Jetta pulled up into the driveway and Roman seemed to distract himself, lazily glancing out the window and ignoring Seth's words. Kevin began to bark and Seth could distinctly hear Roman's phone buzzing lightly on the kitchen counter top.

Dean appeared in the entryway shortly after, looking a little like a deer that was trying to determine if it was safe to cross a busy road. Seth kept biting his lips, watching as his other boyfriend took off his shoes and tossed his keys on the kitchen island, sniffing around.

"Oven spaghetti?"

"Chicken Parm," Roman said, apparently not so upset that he couldn't laugh at Dean's 'ooh'. He got up again, shuffling off to the kitchen to leave Seth to keep the company of the television.

This continued for most of the evening and Seth was viciously beating himself up for ever having the gall to complain about his eating habits. The dinner was amazing as usual and Seth felt a pang of guilt, watching Roman dump a salad bowl in front of him while Dean rambled a little about some new guard who was shadowing that evening, apparently wearing some sort of head wrap or scarf that Dean was woefully too inarticulate to explain.

"He said he was Pun jab," Dean mumbled, twirling pasta around his fork and wiping the sides of his mouth with the back of his hand. "What country is that?"

"Punjab? It's not a country, it's a part of India… I think... " Roman explained. "I think I've seen that guy though, when he was doing the physical portion of his interview." He chuckled a little, grimacing. "Guy had really bad back-acne. Felt bad for him."

"He looks pissed off all the time, I dunno." Dean shrugged. 

"So do I." Roman dabbed at his goatee with a napkin. "Maybe that's just his work face."

Seth just sat stupidly, looking between both men as they talked, looking for some sort of entrance into the conversation. There wasn't much that he could think of saying, and he had the unmistakable feeling that he was going to be ganged up on if Dean was around. Despite Roman's rather bubbly attitude for his boyfriends, Seth was beginning to see how prickly and stubborn he could be when crossed.

The only opportunity for separation came when Roman washed the dishes and Dean went to check on the chickens around seven. Without much pretense for following along, Seth hobbled to the backdoor after him, actively staring ahead so he didn't catch Roman's gaze as the door slid shut.

"Dude," Seth said, irritated as Dean didn't bother looking back right away. "You  _ have _ to help me out here…" 

Dean just kissed his teeth, hearing Crispy's clucks inside the chicken run as proof that she had already set herself up for the night. Pushing the sliding lock down on the coop, Dean sighed, turning to face Seth.

"Well, what all did you say?" he asked, bored. "Uce told me that you were complainin' to him about food and saying you were getting fat, and then you were like 'you have to love me if im ugly' or something." 

"I wasn't-" Seth felt angry over the accusation of complaining, even though he had been. "Yeah… well… that's sorta what I said, but we had been talking about that stuff earlier, and all of a sudden he  _ shut down _ on me. You  _ seriously  _ can't tell me what he said to you?" 

"Top secret," Dean sniffed, leaning on the coop and folding his arms. "Look, you know Uce was fat, right?"

"Y-yeah, no," Seth spluttered. "Like… he wasn't really…" Seth paused, thinking hard. All the photo's he'd seen at Roman's parents house in Pensacola were taken when he was pretty young. Seth remembered seeing all the pictures of chubby, serious Roman, but Seth didn't really get what Dean meant. "...Was he fat? Like,  _ fat _ -fat?"

"He's fuckin' Samoan dude, did you see his brother?" Dean scoffed, pulling out his phone and fiddling with it for a moment. For a brief moment, Seth was sure that Dean was going to pull out his texting conversation with Roman and Seth would see exactly what the problem was, but after a few seconds of idling in the near darkness with Dean's phone screen illuminating their faces, Seth could see Dean logging into Facebook with his phone browser, cursing as he entered his password wrong.

"I didn't know… like…" Seth said, leaning back and refocusing the distribution of his weight on his good leg. "I knew he was sorta a fat kid, but that doesn't mean anything. Why does any of that matter?"

Dean paged through Roman's Facebook account, doing some serious digging as he went back in time, scanning through photo albums, apparently trying to find something Seth wasn't aware of. Flipping back to around 2006, Seth could see a distinctly different version of his boyfriend, mired in Georgia Tech yellow and much shorter hair. 

"He was still kinda big when he moved down here and I met him, but he was big in college," Dean explained, letting Seth flip through a few photos of Roman when he was probably eighteen or nineteen. It was clearer in group photos, around other classmates and petite women, but Roman was thicker, with a rounder face and a wider frame. His smile was more or less the same, but Seth felt strange seeing it.

"Does he think I don't like… like I hate fat people or something?" Seth asked, handing Dean's phone back. "This is ridiculous."

"Dude, look," Dean sighed, pocketing his phone and rubbing his eyes. "I've been a damn toothpick about all my life and really? I don't wanna hear you talking about how we all need to diet or eat this or that-" Seth opened his mouth but Dean shook his head, serious. "I dunno everything, but Uce told me a long time ago about all the weight he lost and how hard it was for him like… dropping out of college and sort of figuring himself out. He probably  _ really _ doesn't want to hear you talk about any of that." 

"So I'm supposed to _shut up_?" Seth asked, raising an eyebrow. Dean just snorted. 

"You could consider it a lil'," Dean said, "Uce is really… shy about that stuff. You're way into your body and that's great, we love you and you're sexy and all that, but Uce isn't like that. Rome' doesn't feel the same way so you gotta respect that. Words can hurt and all."

"I wasn't trying to _hurt_ him," Seth mumbled, feeling more and more annoyed with the whole situation. It was stupid, all of it. Roman should have known that Seth was only talking about himself and the whole ordeal was just spiraling into something absurd. "I know what I want and I don't want to gain a bunch of weight or anything." 

"You really think that'll happen?" Dean laughed, slowly striding back to the house. Seth followed. 

"I mean,  _ yeah _ if I just don't ever workout and I eat  _ Girl Scout  _ cookies constantly..." 

Sliding the door back open, Roman was standing in front of the sink with another small handful of mint cookies, mouthing along to a song on the radio. The moment he saw Seth, his face fell a little, back to stony and set. 

"Have fun back there?" he asked, looking to Dean, who just made a sort of crude farting noise with his mouth before walking away. Seth swallowed, feeling more confident after some fresh air.

"Hey, I'm  _ sorry _ ," he tried again, coming closer and making his voice soft. "I don't want to make you feel weird… like… talking about diets and stuff…"

"Yeah?" Roman asked, still looking guarded. Seth nodded. All he wanted to do was put his hands on his boyfriend's hips and assure him that he was handsome, but touch still seemed dicey. 

"Yeah, like I said… I'm an adult," Seth reiterated. "But like… I don't think  _ you're  _ fat or anything. I was just talking about myself…"

Roman's eyes narrowed again and Seth was again, confused. 

"Look, I'm just… I'm just sorry if I'm being dumb, yeah?" Seth said quickly. "I just… I love you. I wouldn't ever be like, talking about your weight unless it was a problem or something. You know what I mean?"

"No. I  _ don't _ ," Roman said angrily, taking a step back. "I dunno what Dean told you..." 

Seth watched, fearful as Roman's face began to grow red and upset. "...but you don't know what you're talking about."

"Can you _tell_ me?" Seth said, flustered as Roman began to turn away. "Rome… please?"

"You're not going to  _ get _ it." He grunted, turning away and shaking his head. After a few steps, he paused, turning and giving Seth a hard stare, trying to think of his words. Seth trembled, more scared and confused than angry. 

"Just… think for a second... " Roman grunted, every syllable hard and cutting. "Why are you trying to apologize to me? Are you sorry? Or do you just want me to stop being mad at you?"

"I don't even know-" Seth put his hands to his head. He was sure Dean was probably listening in from the other room, being as still as possible. "Roman, I don't know _why_ you're mad!"

"That's why I'm mad," Roman said, an almost paternalistic tone overtaking his voice as he pointed, before turning on his heel and walking to the bedroom. Seth leaned on one of the kitchen chairs, more confused than ever, angry that the day had even happened. Somehow, in his head, this was all still Roman's fault. If they hadn't been spooning and if his boyfriend hadn't been groping around his navel, none of this would have happened. 

On the other side of the wall, Seth could hear Dean and Roman talking quietly, shuffling around the bedroom, probably sitting on the bed out of necessity to stay out of Seth's reach. It was still too early to sleep, but nobody was inclined to be social or lively.

Blood boiling, Seth turned off the radio and foraged around in the freezer, pulling out his open box of Peanut Butter Patties and shutting the door rather sharply. Three cookies were stacked in the little plastic wrapper, but Seth kept the box in his hand, feeling his knee twinge as he made his way to the sofa. In the absence of CrossFit, cookies and Madden video games were his only other outlets.

Starting up the playstation, Seth just felt empty and annoyed, trying his best to think of what Roman could have possibly meant about what he'd said. It was infuriating to try to piece it all together- Roman himself had been the one who'd insisted they talk about their feelings and try to process them together. Why did this have to be any different?

_ Ugly _ seemed to be the keyword here, and Seth thought hard, trying to think if he'd ever gone so far as to insinuate Roman was either ugly or fat. Seth knew his own expectations of himself were different than the ones he had for other people and tried not to shame others. Nobody was perfect, and Seth truly thought both of his boyfriends were sexy. Dean was smaller and thin waisted, with large enough arms, but with narrow little hips that always made his legs and backside look larger. Roman was wide all the way around, leaner or thicker. His frame was just  _ large _ and his stomach had never been tight and defined. Seth didn't think that was a problem and he didn't think he'd said anything wrong. 

Seth groaned as the system had to update and he set down his controller, staring at the ceiling and wiping little cookie bits out of his beard. 

If he was going to live here, he might actually have to shut up a little bit, just as Dean had said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth's a real jerk amirite? If this stuff isn't your cup of tea, it won't be going on for much longer, don't worry. I should note that I really don't condone Seth's thinking in here, but I wanted to reveal the shallowness of his behaviors and sort of faux health attitude of exercise culture that he subscribes to. It's not supposed to be read comfortably, but I hope I haven't put you off. 
> 
> Next time, can Seth figure out what he's trying to say? Can Roman come around to talking? Physical Therapy and probably makeup sex in the near future.


	115. Thin or Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman shares a part of himself that Seth wasn't aware of. Can everything be made up?
> 
> *Similar warnings from last chapter! Body shaming and problems with self esteem!

If Dean hadn't come to get a glass of water and dragged Seth to bed, he probably would have spent the night on the couch. It was such a ridiculous ordeal, but Seth couldn't stop himself from swinging madly between confused and angry as he lay on the outside of the mattress with Dean acting as a sort of buffer in the middle. Sugared up and loaded with things to agonize over, Seth slept fitfully and pondered calling into work, prepared to sit at home all day and figure out how to solve this.

However, by morning, Roman seemed a little more reasonable and actually put his hand on Seth's shoulder as they began to rise from the bed and start their days.

"I'm sorry for not talkin'," he grunted, staring at Seth carefully through similarly sleepy eyes. Dean slid into his pants slowly, not really looking at either of them. "I don't wanna do this now though, we'll sit down later tonight."

Seth just sighed, nodding. He was sure the day was going to suck. He'd be tired, cranky and probably inarticulate if he could manage to string any words together after working the front. Roman tucked himself into his robe and made his way to the bathroom. As soon as he was out of earshot, Dean tutted softly, looking through the dirty laundry bin for a less than stinky guard shirt.

"What?" Seth said defensively, sitting up and pushing hair out of his face. Dean just shook his head.

"He's such a goddamn diva, I swear," he mumbled. "You guys better figure this out."

"I put up with both of your crap plenty, don't make me feel any worse," Seth grumbled, pushing back the sheets. "Makin' me wonder if I'm even supposed to be here…"

He hadn't meant it to be dramatic, but Dean sighed hard, rubbing his eyes. The look on his face was difficult and Seth stopped fussing with his hair, unsure.

"Hey, we  _ want  _ you here," Dean said simply, less some assertion of love, more a simple fact. "It ain' that big of a deal. Uce'll probably just… talk at you after your doctor's thing and all you gotta do is nod and don't take it too personal."

"Is that what you do?" Seth snorted, watching Dean scratch at his beard, checking to see how unkempt it was, shrugging slightly. "Can you… you can still drive me there, yeah?"

"Yeah, it's on the way to my thing," Dean said. "No prob."

"Thanks…" Seth said, tacking on a "...Love you…" just for good measure. 

Selling Girl Scout cookies to happy patrons all day wasn't really helping Seth's mood as he sat behind the desk, folding and unfolding his knee the few degrees he'd been permitted to move it. Sami sat quietly, typing up the newsletter and eating Thin Mints while Seth attended to most of the check ins and towel service. Outside the window, storm clouds were gathering and a little roll of thunder echoed around eleven, making it appear much darker and later in the day than it actually was. Seth sighed often, disgruntled and anxious, sure that he should probably be thinking about moving.

**Any updates on the house or the apartment?** Seth's mom had texted him that morning.  **Let us know!**

It was probably just his bad mood, but Seth really wasn't sure what the smartest thing to do was anymore. The three men had their little arguments, but this was something bigger than bickering over chores, and it was impossibly draining. 

Seth tapped one of the ball point pens he was twiddling in his fingers and rested his head in his open palm, rubbing his eyes. He could hear Sami's chair turn around, catching slightly on the carpet.

"You good man? Long night?" he asked, reaching to pull a digital camera from its protective case. "How's your knee?"

"I'm fine," Seth grunted, taking a deep breath and sitting up a little straighter. 

"Well, if you want a second, I need a few pictures for the newsletter," Sami explained, letting the camera dangle on its wrist strap. "Shinsuke probably won't come in for another hour... " He peered through his writing on the computer file. "But if you wanted to sneak into P-Pool and get a picture of the Hillcrest kids, that would be good. It sucks that it's raining… I need to take something to talk about the park re-opening soon too."

"Yeah, sure…" Seth said, slowly rising to his feet and taking the camera. "No prob."

Another roll of thunder boomed as Seth ambled his way down the hall toward P-Pool, trying his best to smile and nod to patrons that were heading toward the front on their way out. A few kids from the elementary school were running down the halls in some sort of race, but they faltered as he walked by. The locker rooms were loud and busy, so Seth opted to use the front desk key to pop in through the emergency exit.

The noise and the water splashing onto the deck made Seth glad, perhaps for the first time, that he wasn't able to lifeguard at the moment. There really weren't that many kids in the water, but they were all playing so loudly it was grating to the ears. He shivered slightly as he saw Roman talking with one of the chaperones who were sitting on the bench, grinning and nodding along with the conversation. 

Seth just stopped stupidly, trying to picture exactly what kind of photo Sami wanted, but also certain it probably didn't really matter. His brain felt so foggy and dumb he could barely think. 

He actually jumped as the whistles blew long and loud. Cass and Sasha were both standing on the deck and began gesturing for the children to exit the pool. Seth groaned, looking at the time, sure that he had missed his opportunity.

"Guys, grab the noodles!" Sasha groaned, pointing out to the middle of the shallow end where the kids had abandoned their toys. Already the boys and girls were running up the ramp and lining up by the locker rooms, wet and cold. Roman turned, waving off the chaperone and making his way to the lockers before it would be full of screaming, excited boys. 

Wordlessly, he nodded to Seth. He was as platonic and professional as always, but much less warm than usual. Seth just nodded back grimly, angry and annoyed in the pit of his stomach. 

"Wassup?" Sasha asked, coming around the deck with an armful of noodles and trying her best not to trip. The chaperones were holding open the doors and ushering the children inside, discouraging noise. Seth just made a nasally sound, pocketing the camera. 

"Do you think you can set aside some boxes of cookies for me?" Sasha continued, pushing the noodles back into the noodle cart and looking to Seth over her shoulder. "Bayley owed me a couple bucks and I was going to pick some up today, I just didn't want all the coconut ones gone before I could get some."

"Randy literally brought like hundreds of boxes, it's fine," Seth mumbled, looking dismally at the empty pool. "Plus there's like no one coming in because of the weather."

"Yeah?" Sasha said, looking to Cass and pulling off her tube. Cass just sat in the lifeguard chair, looking grumpy and ignoring them. "I guess that's nice for you guys."

"It's boring," Seth said, folding his arms. "I was supposed to get a photo of the kids playing for the newsletter, but now they're all gone."

"There's another group at noon. The other school." Sasha shrugged. "Take one of them?"

"Sure, I guess," Seth said sourly. "If Sami doesn't care."

"Somethin' up?" Sasha asked, looking him up and down carefully. "How's your knee?"

"It's fine, I'm fine." Seth shook his head. "Just… didn't get much sleep…"

Seth didn't want to bother Sasha or anyone else with his problems, especially since he was worried that if he confessed the entire situation, he'd have more people upset with him. The whole affair was just so childish, he wanted to just call the sports medicine clinic and reschedule the appointment. Roman's words had crawled under his skin, and Seth was already anxiously touching his sides and his stomach, sure that his inability to properly exercise would accumulate with each day.

Grabbing some lost-and-found items in the men's bathroom before he left for the day, Seth weighed himself again on the communal scale, convinced he was bigger despite the fact that only a day had gone by. Just to make him paranoid, the scale held steadfast at 210.84. 

Driving home with Roman later was strained and difficult, and if it weren't for the fact that he was sick of being at work, he would have agreed to stay and just leave with Dean in a few hours. Seth resolutely said nothing, staring at his braced knee and the road ahead, sure that he wasn't under any obligation to initiate the conversation. Instead, he just stewed, wondering when Roman might pipe up with some explanation, and trying to think of what to say when he did.

Seth wanted to argue that regardless of what his boyfriends thought, if he was being stupid for caring so much about his body or not, they still had to respect that. There was a little twinge of guilt in his chest, remembering he'd essentially demanded that his boyfriends eat healthy as well. But Seth knew that if Roman or Dean had wanted him to eat a little leaner, he would have participated. 

The fact that Roman had been overweight before meant nothing to Seth, because he was talking about his  _ own _ body. Thinking back, he couldn't remember ever being cruel to Roman or making him feel less than attractive for any reason. When Roman had confided his displeasure with gaining weight around the holidays, Seth knew he hadn't insisted he lose any weight. 

It was his own imperfections that were dogging him, the way his skin had more bounce to it any time he moved. His clothes fit fine and he really wasn't any bigger, but the softness was foreign and strange. 

Staring at the windshield of the car, growing moist with the sort of misting rain that was more obnoxious than anything, Seth wondered if there would be a point to which his boyfriend's affections might dry up for getting fat. Or, if the shoe was on the other foot, when he might be inclined to mention if Roman or Dean suddenly began to bulk up. Surely there was a way to do so without hurting someone's feelings?

He hardly noticed pulling onto Grant Street and then down the short driveway to the garage. Seth blinked, heart rate picking up a little as Roman cleared his throat and twisted his key out of the ignition.

"I didn't want to talk to you, and that was bad," Roman admitted, sighing and leaning over the steering wheel with his arms folded. "That was fucked up."

"Yeah," Seth said simply, indifferent to sounding pissed off. He waited, but Roman took a moment, smoothing back his hair and breathing hard.

"But… you're hard to talk to about this kinda shit," Roman said quietly. "I know you don't wanna sound mean…"

"I'm not  _ being _ mean," Seth corrected, braving a hard stare at Roman. "I'd love your input here, but what the fuck can I possibly say to you to make you completely shut down on me? When it's not even about  _ you _ ?" He swallowed, keeping his voice even. "How am I supposed to talk about myself without your feelings getting hurt?"

"It shouldn't be like that," Roman said firmly. "It just… it just is."

"Well help me out a little here, yeah?" Seth snorted. "Uce… if I was getting fat, I'd  _ want _ you to tell me. I'd definitely want to know if there was any issue where you looked at my body and saw something… different. If we wanna be in a long term relationship- look, I'm not stupid, people get old and wrinkly and whatever, people change, I get that. But like, if I get into a place where I'm not attractive anymore… you don't think that's important to me? Even if you hurt my feelings a little?"

Roman blinked, thoroughly confused. His eyes were dark and his brow a series of angry lines. Seth waited, strangely triumphant after being so dismayed the last time they had talked.

"If I gained weight, what would you say to me?" Roman asked gruffly, sitting up and folding his arms. Seth just shook his head.

"This isn't about you."

"No, it  _ is _ ," Roman said. "At what point are you disgusted with me?" 

"I'm not playing that game," Seth snapped. "I fucking  _ love  _ you. You know that. You would never  _ disgust _ me." He shook his head again, sure he could hear Kevin barking inside the house. He recalled what he had thought of earlier in a hurry. "You told me you gained weight earlier and you were unhappy about it. I didn't ever tell you that you were sick or ugly. Dean told me-" He sighed, sure he didn't want to incriminate his other boyfriend. "Dean told me you were fat before, that you had been overweight. I'm sorry if I'm not using the right words or whatever, but for  _ real _ man…"

Seth looked away from Roman, his rage subsiding slightly as he just began to feel hollow and disappointed. If this was a real stumbling block, he was becoming more and more unsure about living with the two men. All of his doubts were suddenly at the surface as he realized it was still very soon to be cohabiting consistently. They were still encountering these bumps in the road and all Seth wanted to do was get this behind him just so he could be done feeling awful. 

Roman sniffed loudly and Seth froze, at a loss for why crying needed to occur. It felt cheap and for a moment, Seth just squinted, fighting with his confusion for a clear answer on what to do. Roman exhaled loudly, dabbing at his eyes, clearly embarrassed but obviously upset.

"Why?" Seth sighed, turning in his seat. It was dark inside the car but he could still make out his boyfriend’s features. "Talk to me."

"You're right," Roman admitted. "But… fuck…."

"It's… it's fine…" Seth flipped open the glove compartment, looking for a tissue. He handed a few McDonalds napkins to his boyfriend and watched, still waiting for some kind of explanation.

"It's been… a long…" Roman breathed hard, taking a moment to steady himself. "This shit is  _ really  _ fuckin' hard for me. Always has been."

"No shit." Seth snorted, unable to stop himself from grinning nervously. He held out his hand, much in the way that Roman would offer his own to Seth any time he was grouchy and inconsolable. Though Roman's palm was much larger than his own, Seth stroked his knuckle, trying to calm him down.

"So… yeah… I've always been fat." Roman sighed hard. Seth opened his mouth for a moment, to insist Roman wasn't fat, but immediately dropped it, allowing his boyfriend to continue. "I was a fat kid, but I was a fat kid in a family of huge dudes, so it was mostly just other kids that were shits to me. It was whatever though, I was into football and I was really strong… I had that as a sort of… like… piece of my confidence." Roman touched his chest, wiping his nose. "I was always… self conscious but it wasn't that big of a deal… I just like, kept my shirt on at the pool, you know…"

Seth nodded, not really sure where this explanation was going, but he was prepared to sit and listen for as long as he had to.

"I didn't have sex till college, and I didn't have too hard a time with girls… but I was starting to figure out I was gay, or at least I was realizing I could look for dudes. I was terrified my parents would disown me, and then I was in football there and I didn't think any of those guys would approve. I w-would drink a lot, and then… I'd go to gay bars for a bit… b-but I couldn't do it and I was shy and nobody wanted to talk to me. I thought at first that i-it was because they thought I was straight or something…"

Seth frowned, and Roman exhaled hugely again, trying to stop his voice from wavering.

"It's just so shallow… all of it… nobody wanted to touch me because I was fat… even though I was masculine and tall and all… it w-wasn't enough and I was just like 'fuck, okay, I'm  _ unloveable. _ ' I d-didn't think I was ever going to have a boyfriend… unless… they wanted me  _ because _ I was fat." 

"That's awful," Seth said flatly, trembling a little from the raw energy Roman was putting off. With a twinge of guilt, he remembered going through dating apps both in Orlando and Davenport, eagerly swiping through any guy he could assume was a little more hefty, based on his profile picture.

"I drank too much… I fell in love with one guy who literally just… fucked me for a one night stand… was basically told I was too big to be seen with," Roman said hopelessly. "I told my family I was gay and failing out of school. They weren't happy but it was more because I was losing my scholarship... I really thought I was fucking broken and I practically begged my mom to get that one surgery…" Roman tapped at his stomach, thinking. "The one where they band your stomach so you eat less… She told me I was fine, just big boned and all that shit… I fucking  _ hated  _ myself." 

"But… you lost the weight?" Seth raised an eyebrow. "How did you do it?"

"I got a trainer after I left school and went home," Roman said weakly. "But… really… there was a point where I was sure I would either kill myself or go to conversion therapy…"

"The… reparative…" Seth's jaw almost fell open. "The pray-the-gay away shit?"

"Yeah." Roman laughed darkly. "The only reason I didn't do any of that was because Summer, my sister, talked to me for hours and told me not to do that shit. Told me there was nothing wrong with me and that all the people who treated me like shit when I was fat weren't worth any of my time. I just… I think it was just because I knew I wasn't straight and I knew my family wanted me to be with someone… I think I just felt like a lot of insecure kids do when they're nineteen or twenty, like if no one loves them they're fucked up. But I just kept saying to myself that nobody was going to love a fat, gay Samoan dude… but she pulled me out of it."

"Hell yeah for Summer…" Seth said weakly, a little winded from the confession. "Fuck… Uce… we love you so much… me and Dean both-"

"I know, I don't think you  _ don't _ ," Roman mumbled. "But when you say shit like _ you still gotta love me when you're fat and ugly _ -"

"That was fucked… I'm sorry, really," Seth said, yanking on Roman's arm a little to pull them close enough to awkwardly lean against each other over the center console. "I… I get how that could be… annoying…"

They continued to sit, half leaning and uncomfortable, but not wanting to break apart. Roman's breathing was a little ragged and Seth pulled his hands up to scratch around his boyfriend's neck and kiss him on the cheek. It was a lot to take in and Seth felt a little frustrated that Roman hadn't told him all of this sooner, but was also sure it was a lot to talk about. He'd never pegged Roman for having such dark thoughts or any inclination to change who he was to appease anyone, but Seth supposed it had been almost a decade ago. From enough close contact, he'd recognized more stretch marks and a little looser skin on Roman's frame than was probably normal, but Seth couldn't guess that he'd been really  _ substantially _ larger. Time had turned him into a very different person, and Roman's bashfulness and aversion to things like White Party now made more sense. 

"If I make you uncomfortable, tell me," Seth encouraged, pecking him on the cheek again before Roman turned and offered Seth his own mouth. "I wanna try not to, but just… just tell me if I can do better."

"Talk to Dean about diet stuff, he's the most unhealthy out of all of us anyway." Roman grumbled. "There's two of us for a reason."

"Sure," Seth laughed. "No problem… but really… I can… relax some. It's stupid, I just want to feel confident with myself."

"You should be," Roman said softly. "You're fine. You're healthy. Even if you weren't, we'd still love you."

"I miss everything still though," Seth admitted. "Miss being… agile I guess. It's not as fun being naked when you still have to wear a brace."

"You're still sexy."

"Thanks…" Seth said, smirking sadly. He knew Roman meant it, but he missed the way that he and Dean would look at him when they were able to have their usual rambunctious sex. It was difficult to describe, but the sort of honeyed expression they wore was almost like appreciation and worship. Of the three men, Seth was used to being the lean and hunky one, defined and grateful for the two to touch his body and experience it. 

Seth still wanted to be touched, but was more self conscious now, not particularly used to the way his belly folded when he hunched over. Or how his arms and thighs looked less muscular. 

"Thanks for telling me everything too," Seth reiterated, letting out a sigh and twiddling with his unbuckled seat belt. "Does… does Dean know any of this?"

"No… You can tell him though, it's no big deal." Roman shook his head. "I'd tell him if it came up."

They made their way into the house and Seth groaned a little as he realized Kevin had peed on the floor to the entryway, apparently too excited to hold it in for much longer. Roman just shrugged, making his way to the closet to grab the Swiffer WetJet and a handful of paper towels. Seth was already completely exhausted from the emotional day and the drawn out conversation, he dreaded going over to the clinic to work his knee to discomfort. After helping Roman with the mess and letting his dog into the backyard, Seth plopped down on the couch, numb as he stared at the ceiling.

"My dad sent over that rent agreement thing," Roman mumbled, washing his hands in the sink before coming over. "I haven't looked at it yet, but he has the e-signing shit for his business, so you just like, click on some boxes. It's really slick."

"Mmm, I'll look at it when I get done with therapy I think." Seth sighed, peeking at Roman over his arm. "I really don't wanna go though."

"Knee hurt?"

"Not yet, but it will." Seth sighed. "I think after this week I can maybe take the brace off, so that's cool at least."

"You should be happier," Roman snickered, running a hand through Seth's messy bun and scratching his scalp a little. "You're finally getting back to normal."

"Yeah, just hurts a lot the day after therapy though, I dunno." Seth sighed. "It is good though. This nightmare might be over soon. I'll probably always be a little weaker on this side but I guess I'll see at four or six months, whatever it is supposed to be."

"You hungry?" Roman asked, leaning in to kiss him. "I can make you a sandwich." 

"Yes, please."

Before Dean got home, Seth texted his mother a reply to her message from that morning, telling her he had talked to both his boyfriends and Roman's family and would be moving forward accordingly. Moving was going to be difficult, especially since Seth probably couldn't do much of the physical labor behind it, but after checking his email, he realized he had been sent a lease termination notice from his landlord that he would have to print and sign as well. 

Barring any other arguments or random occurrences, the process would hopefully be as smooth and painless as possible. 

When the sounds of the second car pulling up into the driveway drove Kevin to barking again, Seth shushed the dog and brought his empty sandwich plate to the kitchen. Roman was sitting at the kitchen island on his laptop, apparently logged into the UCF website and doing some reading. Seth couldn't help himself from hugging his boyfriend from behind and holding him for a moment. 

"School stuff?" Seth asked, peering at the screen.

"Yeah, I got sent some readings I need to look over." 

The door opened and Dean was standing in the entryway, a little damp and looking annoyed.

"Uce? Do you know shit about cars? Mine's making a noise." 

"Uhh…" 

Roman got up and walked to the entryway, easing into some slip on sandals and walking out to the garage where Dean's Jetta was indeed making a sort of hard, rhythmic noise. Seth watched from the front step as Roman popped the hood and looked in, ambivalent. 

"It made it a little when I started up-" Dean explained. "Like that whirrr whirrrrrrr noise, and whenever I'd speed up it would sound bad. I dunno."

"How's the oil level?" Seth asked. Roman pulled out the dipstick, but it was difficult to tell in the half light exactly how high it was. Seth walked inside with the long metal piece, straining to tell where the dab of oil was. 

"It might be all out too, but that don' make sense cause they topped it off when I took it in," Dean mumbled over Seth's shoulder. Roman came back in, hands a little greasy from turning the cap on Dean's engine. 

"Well, you can take my car tonight, it's no big deal," Seth said. "Remind me next time we go to my apartment… I have a spare key you can just put on your keyring so that way it's no hassle."

"Mmm," Dean hummed, looking glum before ducking his head into his elbow to let off a muffled sneeze. For Seth, it really wasn't an issue if Dean drove his car. Aside from Dean being a notoriously slow, easy driver, the sports clinic and the library weren't very far at all. Seth walked the dipstick back outside to the garage and Dean watched as he slid it back into place by the engine. 

"Guess I'll just grab some oil tonight maybe. I think there's an O'Reily's on the way back in that strip mall thing," Dean mumbled. Seth took a few steps back, looking to the overhead storage in the garage. There was a good amount of space, he could tell. Aside from a few boxes, a very beat up old surfboard and some chicken supplies, the area was mostly empty. "Did you and Uce talk?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," Seth said, looking to his boyfriend. "I think we're all good again."

"Good," Dean said simply, closing the hood of his car and clearing his throat. He laid a hand on Seth's lower back and began to rub carefully, fingers trailing around his waistband. "Y'all didn't fuck without me, did you?"

"N-no," Seth laughed. "Why?"

"'Cause I wanna bust off in one or both'aer asses after I get done knittin'," Dean said simply, tapping his hip against Seth's before making his way out of the garage. "'Cause you're both even more slutty once you get all your emotions out."

"I'm going to be all sore from therapy." Seth rolled his eyes, trying to hide the way his dick was sporting a tent in his loose shorts. "You gotta be gentle."

"You can watch me fuck Uce, I'll bet he'll be down." Dean held the door open for Seth to hobble into. It gave him the prime opportunity to pat Seth's behind and Seth snickered, watching Roman in the kitchen, making Dean a quick sandwich for the road. 

It occurred to him that it probably didn't matter what he weighed after all; it was a law of the universe that Dean would still say the dirtiest things in his ear and he'd be hopelessly hard, no matter what the situation was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tension and release. Happy Labor Day to all of my American readers! 
> 
> Next time: Makeup sex? A lease agreement? Is everything okay with Roman's family? Who takes his job? Chaos and the unaccounted for.


	116. Man Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Therapy progress and finding fun with your boyfriends. Who has cooties?

Seth was predictably sore and tender after his visit to the clinic, but his appointment was worth it for the exercise. Dr. Del Rey set him up on a stationary bike with low resistance, and it was the first time he was able to work up a sweat in weeks. The relief of some cardio left Seth in a sort of zen-like peace that he had been missing out on, feeling his heart rate rise and his mind dim. 

He tired much easier and he still had to wear his brace until the end of the month, but his dressing was officially removed and Seth was cleared to submerge his knee in water if he had any desire to.

"Just don't scratch it _ too _ much." Dr. Del Rey smiled, watching him smooth the surface where his leg hairs had started to grow back after being shaved for the operation. The bruise had lessened some and the area was mostly just slightly discolored from the faded swelling. 

"Can't wait to wear pants," Seth said, kneading the joint with his palm before the STIM nodes were attached. He really wished he could at least sleep without his brace, but another week wouldn't kill him. "One day at a time I guess..."

Dean picked him up about twenty minutes after they'd wrapped and was pleased as well, having finished his first human-sized hat. The grey beanie was a little floppy and its edges weren't the finest finish, but it was a great first try.

"Tonight's definitely a good night for a hat." Seth grinned, looking out of the car window at the dark and chilly night. Dean hummed, patting Seth's thigh before putting the Cadillac in reverse. In a hurry, Seth moved Dean's hand back to his thigh and Dean hummed again, purring and stroking. 

"You too sore to give me road head?" he muttered, turning the seat warmers on with a button on the console. 

Seth snorted. "I would if I wouldn't throw the car into neutral with my legs," he said, tucking Dean's fingers to trail around the inseam of his shorts, moving slowly and tickling his inner thigh. "But… I can give you… road  _ hands _ ..."

With the radio cranked up to some classic hip hop station that Seth didn't recognize, Dean ended up unzipping his pants at a stop light and freeing up his dick to the air. Seth licked his hand and went to work, flooded with memories of doing the same thing to Marek in his old car when he was a teenager. It was admittedly rather juvenile and stupid, and Dean chuckled at the sight of his dick sticking out of the flap in his jeans, but it was enough to get Seth's cock leaking all over his own leg. On the grand scheme of all the random sex they'd had, this wasn't much. 

By the time they'd pulled into the garage, both men were vibrating with energy and practically ran up to the house giggling. Dean's dick still hung crudely out of the front of his pants and Seth yelped as his boyfriend whapped it against his backside on the way through the door.

"Whoa," Roman noted, sitting at the kitchen island with Kevin in his lap, using his laptop. He choked as soon as he saw Dean's cock and shook his head as the two just began to strip in the entryway, playing grab-ass the whole time.

"I got a handy while  _ No Scrubs _ was playing," Dean explained stupidly, sneezing and tossing his pants at Roman while Kevin squeaked and hopped onto the floor. "Can I fuck your butt?"

"Uhh… yeah..." Roman laughed, shutting his computer and turning to Seth who came from behind and leaned in for a kiss. "How's therapy?"

"Good, I can take normal showers now," he said, showing his knee breathing freely beneath the brace. "Sore, but… I got to get a sweat on and stuff. Plus I can move it a couple more degrees..."

Roman put his laptop on the charger in the living room and the three jogged into the bedroom, tossing the remnants of their day clothes in the bin and stacking their phones and wallets on the dresser. Dean left his socks on for some reason known only to himself, and Seth collapsed on the bed while Roman slid out of his pants and hesitated for a moment on his shirt, teasing with the hem.

"Nice undies," Seth said sweetly, admiring the cut of the black jock-strap Christmas gift that lovingly framed Roman's backside, hugging from beneath. 

"I got good taste," Roman grunted, pulling his shirt over his head and sinking into the mattress where Seth was lying. Dean growled, giving his dick a pump at the sight of the two of them happily meeting with their lips.

For Seth, it was relief, the physical touch that assured him that, yes, his boyfriend  _ still _ loved him and things were okay. He was going to live there and share a bed with two men that adored him and despite whatever bullshit came up, they'd figure out how to deal with it. 

Roman twitched for a moment as Seth's fingers roved, ever so carefully placed on his sides. They were sensitive, always a little ticklish, but Seth pushed in further, gripping the area carefully as he pressed deeper into his mouth. He wanted Roman to know that he thought he was sexy, that his body was gorgeous and nothing to be self conscious about.

The reciprocated sensation was a little strange as Roman's hands felt up Seth's hips, gripping the little softness that was there to hoist him higher onto the bed, closing the space between them. However, Seth let himself relax, purring at Roman's barrel chest resting on his smaller frame. 

"Can you  _ please _ fuck me?" Seth said against Roman's teeth, sure that his boyfriend wouldn't be able to deny him. Roman hummed noncommittally, pressing his forehead against Seth's and pushing him deeper into the pillows, squeezing him tighter. 

Seth squeezed his eyes shut, pushing back and biting a little at Roman's lower lip while Dean groaned. He felt like he'd been counting days, holding tension in his ass he couldn't let loose. As much as Seth wished his knee was good enough for walking, lifting and driving, he felt like he wasn't really healthy until Roman would stuff him up so full of cock he was gagging on it. Seth knew he didn't want to really provoke an argument all over again, but a toy just wasn't the same thing.

"If you fuck Seth…" Dean reasoned, patting Roman on the shoulder to get his attention. "We'll double team ya."

Roman's cheek twitched and Dean continued, rambling on in his raspy bedroom voice. "I can… I'll fuck you underneath kinda, or we can do that thing where I'm on my knees and you're on your side." He scissored his index and middle fingers together. "Whatever position works best so Seth can work his magic."

"Yeah," Seth said, bucking up against Roman hard so the man could feel how hard and desperate he was. "Please… Uce… I feel like it wasn't since last  _ year _ ."

"I do miss fuckin' your little ass." Roman sighed, kissing Seth's neck in a placating fashion. "If it hurts-"

"Roman _ please _ …"

Dean even volunteered to eat Seth out in preparation, which he was admittedly better at. Without thinking or needing to communicate much, he simply snuggled up to Seth's warm and fuzzy crotch and began lapping away at his dick before moving down to his balls and ass. Humming, radiant with happiness and glee, Seth opened his hips and relaxed completely, letting his head loll against the onslaught of wetness and ticklish pleasure. 

Roman watched, standing and jerking his cock with lube between his fingers, grunting as Dean palmed Seth's ass, hiking it higher up like a car on a jack stand.

It did  _ hurt _ , when Roman eased his thick cock inside, but it was exactly what Seth needed and he scrunched up his face, letting out a breathy moan through gritted teeth. Dean chuckled, wiping his face on a towel before plopping down next to them.

"Man, and to think you used to be so fuckin'  _ quiet _ ," he joked, fisting a bunch of Seth's full locks and lightly tugging his head from side to side. "Now you can't shut up."

"That feel nice babe?" Roman grunted, sliding back and forth, keeping his cock at about the half way point. Seth nodded hard against Dean's fist. It was all he could manage, the slight discomfort of his knee barely registering against Roman's raw heat pressing against  _ everything _ . Each hit was like a rubberband's release of pressure to his hot spot that rocked his whole pelvis. His balls twitched, he sort of felt like he had to pee, his stomach quivered and his lower back was tensing and releasing, unsure. He'd forgotten how Roman was simply  _ so _ much that all he could do was breathe and fall apart. 

Roman, it seemed, had forgotten how narrow but forgiving Seth's ass was, and had similar difficulties.

"Fu-fu-fuck yeah," Seth heard him grunt, sweat gathering over his chest as Roman finally bottomed out, holding Seth's ass in his hands with reverent fascination. Dean didn't take dick and Roman had clearly missed giving it. By his slack jawed, sweaty expression, Seth thought he almost looked apologetic for waiting so long.

Dean was stroking his hair and Seth turned to bury himself in his other lover, shaking and kissing. All of his thoughts and concerns, about Roman, his own body, moving, were eclipsed by the internal focus of keeping himself relaxed and calm. Occasionally he would flick his eyes open, and sometimes Dean did it too and they just stared mindlessly into each other's faces, vacant but intense.

Seth stiffened as he felt an orgasm building, but Roman slowed from the effort, trying to keep himself from slipping in the sweat from his palms. Seth panted and groaned, feeling it recede, but Dean began tugging at his forgotten dick and revved him up again.

Roman ended up coming first, swearing madly as his sweaty hair clung to his damp chest. The whole bed shifted as he quickened his pace, pushing all three of them an inch closer to the wall as Seth felt actual tears prick at the corner of his eyes. It was so overwhelming he felt like his heart was beating too fast, breathless and crushed.

" _ F-fuck _ -" Seth keened, hand dancing in the air after his ass tensed strangely, confused and overloaded. Perhaps it was the emotional day he'd had or his knee, but he was having a difficult time melting into that calm mindspace that leant itself to taking a lot of dick at once. He felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment, feeling stupid for having practically begged Roman for sex for weeks, only to suddenly become shy. 

"C'mere," Roman said, hushed, as though Seth was in any danger of coming unpinned from his cock. He sunk down and slowly adjusted Seth's legs and hips until Roman was no longer in front of him, but behind, sheathed up on their sides. One arm came around Seth's chest while the other tilted his chin up, pressing on his bearded cheeks. 

"Shit that sounds good," Dean mumbled, giving Seth's thigh a loving pat as the sounds of Roman's come being worked around like glue filled the room strangely. The new position, the half holding and the tightness of Roman's grip built resistance that Seth could feel with every buck and his eyes glazed open, small tongue sticking out stupidly. He could just see Dean watching them fondly, clearing his throat and stroking his dick at the sight… 

* * *

The rest of the week was grey and lifeless in comparison to their spot of make-up sex, and at first Seth wondered if the evening had put him into a sort of stupor that lasted well into Thursday. Upon waking, all three men were ragged and cozy with a thin shine of old sweat that clung to the insides of their thighs and under their armpits. By around noon at work, Seth was sitting with his chin in his hand and grinning stupidly as he stared at the opposite lobby wall. The mischievous side of him wondered if it wasn't worth building to some mini argument every couple of weeks or so. Seth's ass was so well wrecked he felt numb and tingly, and every few hours he excused himself to the restroom just to make sure everything was all right in his pants.

Which really, wasn't that big of a deal to do when he was in the lobby. Sami was leaving so soon that both men had really stopped caring about doing much more than the bare minimum. If he was distracted and foggy-headed, the patrons didn't seem to notice.

Inhaling unexpectedly hard, Seth labored over a loud sneeze and Sami grinned, looking a little surprised.

"Bless you," he said, looking up from his phone that he wasn't even trying to hide.

"Big one," Seth said, shaking his head a little. He felt another one coming on and grabbed a tissue from the provided box, slightly lightheaded. After blowing his nose a few times and thinking to go to the bathroom to wash his hands and kill some time, Seth paused as Hunter came around the corner, holding a clipboard.

"Hey guys, you're done with lunch, yeah?" he asked, looking as grim and tired as usual, but trying to smile. Seth stuck his hands in his pocket, sniffing a little as he nodded.

"Good, well, I just wanted to ask you Seth-" Hunter mumbled, blinking as Sami slyly stowed his phone back under the desk. "Things are going okay up here, yeah?"

"Oh yeah, absolutely," Seth said, trying to appear more alert and present than he felt. "It's good."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure it was fine with your knee and all- I know that I said you were going to cover Sami when he's gone, but I think I really need you to help me and Kevin out between the park checklists and then some maintenance stuff." Hunter clicked his pen and Seth could see he was going down the March employee schedule, circling a few areas. "Chris had offered to take a Monday shift, and then a few other people wanted hours in the morning next week…" 

Seth waited as Hunter seemed to be lost in his own little world, tapping Baron's and Enzo's name's on the schedule with a sort of unenthusiastic indecision. 

"... But what I'm thinking is, you could take on some of the fundraiser responsibilities later in the day and help Kevin get a head start on some building preventative maintenance. That stuff is a little more… you'll be moving around some-" Hunter's eyes brushed by Seth's knee. "How's therapy been?"

"Pretty good." Seth nodded. "What… what do you need done? It's probably fine…"

"I'll talk to Kevin, he said he'd talked to you, but I'll have him draw up a checklist. Maybe you can only do some of what he wants, but hey-" Hunter shrugged. "If you can help even a little bit- that'll cover some of the time that we're stretched thin before the contractors come."

Seth shoved his head into his elbow, another huge sneeze rocking him. He nodded, laughing nervously as Hunter waited for him to collect himself.

"For sure, no, it's fine." Seth nodded. "I'll talk… I'll talk to my doctor too. Just… to figure out what's best."

"Thanks man," Hunter said, forgoing his usual brotherly pat as Seth sniffed loudly again. His cheeks were feeling warm and he felt sweaty in his work polo.

"Well, I hope nothing happens while I'm gone, jeez," Sami said as soon as Hunter was out of earshot. "Chris always reorganizes stuff when he's back here. Ugh."

"We'll be fine, you have fun in Canada," Seth said, plopping down into a chair and dabbing some hand sanitizer into his palm. "No use worrying about the pool."

"It should be good, I'm not excited for the cold, but a bunch of my fam's gettin' together," Sami said, brightening a little as a patron came in and nodded to them, making sure to smile as they handed their card off to be checked in. "They always give me shit for missing Ramadan every year, like, my cousins and them. Hunter said he couldn't double up my time off with the maintenance week, so I just like… checked when airfare was cheapest during Christmas time and got this figured out."

"Oh, that's cool." Seth sniffed. "I didn't know you were Arabic though... that's cool."

" _ Syrian _ ," Sami corrected. "I  _ speak _ Arabic, I mean, it's an Arab country, but… it's like a blend of a bunch of different groups and stuff. I'm Muslim though, if that's what you meant…"

"Yeah, sorry." Seth shook his head. "I didn't know which… country." He licked his lips again, really feeling dumb. "Syria's pretty messed up right now…"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sami picked up his phone again and unlocked it to scroll through some application. "It's really messing with my parents."

Seth was glad that Sami hadn't been terribly offended by his lack of geography knowledge, but his happiness was short lived as Dean came into the back area to look through the various supply drawers. Seth heard his low tone after he finished making copies in the laundry room, but his voice fell into a coughing fit.

"You're sick," Seth accused, watching Dean try to read the label on a bottle of some medicine. His face was mottled red and his eyes were even more grey and tired than usual. 

"I need to get through lessons tonight," Dean said hoarsely, holding up the bottle of Motrin. "Does it reduce fevers?"

"Uhh…" Sami grimaced, squinting. "I think so?"

"You got me sick," Seth sighed, realizing his discomfort. Absently, he touched a hand to his face, feeling his boiling hot cheek. "How could you?"

"Here, want one?" Dean offered, holding out a pill without a hint of apology. Sami just laughed and Seth groaned, holding his hand out to accept more. "At least you're leavin' soon…"

"Least you don't have to get up super early," Seth whined back. "I thought I was just like… I don't even know… tired or something…"

Dean smirked, reading between the lines of Seth's assessment and nodding knowingly before he made his way back to P-Pool. Seth unscrewed the cap off his water bottle and drank down the pills quickly before sitting down again. It all made sense now and his head began to pound with a headache around his temples. 

"So… you're all living together still than?" Sami prodded. "Hope Roman doesn't get sick."

"Mmyeah," Seth admitted. "It's… it's complicated though, we're keeping everyone on a need-to-know basis."

"Oh, sure, I mean." Sami shrugged, blushing a little. "I figure, whatever you want to do is your own business, I didn't mean it like, I dunno, to be weird or anything."

"We're polyamorous," Seth said flatly. He didn't want to sound too petty, especially after Sami had just corrected Seth's own vocabulary and it really didn't matter anyway. "If that...clears things up…"

Sami just nodded, and Seth wasn't sure if he knew exactly what he meant, but there wasn't much of a hurry to explain it in depth. There weren't a lot of people around, but working the front was difficult because they never knew who was going to round the corner and hear their conversation. Sami went on texting on his phone, and Seth rubbed his forehead bleakly, feeling a lump forming in his throat that wasn't going away when he swallowed. 

By the last hour of his shift, Seth was miserable and thought about popping into Hunter's office to let him know he was feeling ill in the event that he was still feverish the next day. Aside from looking grumpy and sick, he didn't want to be infecting any of his fellow co-workers. There was a sort of anxiety filling his chest as he thought of both Roman and Dean, similarly too sick to work. Could they all responsibly miss a shift on the same day without burdening the other staff?

As it turned out however, Roman was a picture of health, empathetic, but almost amused as he watched Seth fall into a sneezing fit in the parking lot on their way home.

"We'll swing by the grocery store and get supplies, Dean's like, six hours ahead of you I think," Roman said, patting Seth's lower back as he tried to keep all of his mucus in his nose. "Hard to tell sometimes, he just gets all gravelly sounding from smoking sometimes."

"Fucking sucks," Seth whined, enjoying the cool feeling of the glass window against his sweaty forehead as Roman pulled out of the lot. "I think I had those… those like little throat drops in my car, but Dean has my key right now." 

"We'll just buy more," Roman said, grinning as he patted Seth's leg. "Soup and grilled cheese tonight."

"I don't want grilled cheese, just… just soup," Seth mumbled feverishly, "Vegetables."

"If that's how it is," Roman said, jovial and excited as ever to keep his boyfriend's comfortable. "I'll make sandwiches for Dean though, he'd like that. He'd probably want tomato soup more though. We still need to look at that lease thing from my dad, but he said that so long as he gets an answer by the weekend he'll be happy."

Seth nodded, trying to sit up a little straighter, but wilting towards the window again. He wondered if they could all collectively survive getting sick at once, forced to make the best of their own resources. It was likely that they'd be reduced to zombies eating girl scout cookies, falling asleep on the couch with the tv playing continuously unless someone turned it off.

He felt his headache ease a little after a quick trip to the grocery store, but he began to chill and feel dizzy, sitting upright or standing for too long. Quickly throwing in a load of laundry was very difficult and Seth simply went to the bedroom and laid down, remembering how warm the bed had been that morning. At some point, Roman came in with a bowl of soup and Seth eased out of his nap, red faced and wild-haired.

"Dean's coming home early, he's really sick," Roman mumbled, stacking a pillow behind his back. "I offered to go get him, but he says he's fine to drive if he gets out soon enough. How do you feel?" 

"Like shit," Seth muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I'm not gunna be able to work tomorrow…" 

"At least it's just Friday." Roman shrugged, offering him a tray to sit on on his lap so he could eat. "You can spend all weekend in bed." 

"Not therapy…" Seth mumbled stupidly, spooning up some of the warm broth and carefully bringing it to his lips. Distractedly, he set his hand on the tray, examining the coated plastic. "I didn't know you had these…"

"I didn't want you and Dean to know we had TV trays, you'd probably never eat at the table." Roman snickered. "Nah, I mean, they don't really match any of my stuff anyway… Some leftover thing that me and Dan probably got when we started living together…"

"Oh…"

Dean eventually appeared in bed alongside him, actually shivering and damp from the pool and from showering. The moment Seth felt his shaggy bangs flop onto the side of his arm, an icy chill went down his spine and he moaned, trying to cover himself with all of the blankets on the mattress. 

Around ten, he resurfaced, slightly less feverish, but parched. The room was completely dark and Dean was snoring at his side, jerking the blankets away from him as soon as Seth untangled the sheet from his brace. Bleary, sweaty and disoriented, he couldn't tell the time, but was pretty sure that Roman hadn't been in bed with him because he and Dean had been so spread out. 

Sure enough, Roman was playing some low R&B and staring at his iPad at the kitchen island. Immediately, he looked up, watching Seth pour a glass of water from the refrigerator. 

"I left a bunch of water and Gatorade by the bed," Roman said, uncrossing his arms. 

"I's dark, I didn't know," Seth mumbled, squinting in the half light. Kevin was on Roman's lap again, sleepy and still while Roman was dressed in sweats and a large t-shirt, writing a few notes down on a legal pad. Roman's iPad was logged onto his school's website and the time read 9:51. 

"I texted Sasha and Bayley to see if one of them could work for you," Roman muttered, watching Seth carefully, assessing him with his gaze. "I think they're busy, but they give their regards."

"Sami's still gunna be there, you didn' have to do that." Seth plopped down. "Thanks though."

"Yeah, I'm going to probably be the one that calls all of Dean's swim lesson kids and lets them know he's sick anyway." Roman shrugged, opening up another window on his iPad. "I know you're like, feelin' like a pile of shit, but I have that lease stuff…"

"Yeah?" Seth sniffed. "I needa check my email too… I probably have a thing from my landlord."

"My dad's…" Roman sighed. "He wrote it all out really official, not to put you off or anything." He turned the device for Seth to fully see and Seth got a glance at some PDF document with the REIGNS SHIPPING AND DISTRIBUTION logo at the top. The screen hurt his eyes after a few moments, but Seth just shrugged, unable to make much sense of what he was seeing. "There's the stuff about the garages and cars- he doesn't want any cars parked in the driveway? Does that make sense?" Roman pointed to the garage. "Like, really only the Jeep fits in there, so… yeah, we gotta keep the Caddy and the Jetta on the street. But also… like, they want you to do pet rent it says here-"

"What?" Seth's brow furrowed.

"A whole twenty five extra bucks a month." Roman bit his lip, pointing to the screen. "Says here, to help go to maintaining the carpets and stuff… They want to make sure that there isn't any dog poop left in the backyard and killing the grass either…"

"I could… be better at that…" Seth mumbled. Since his knee had been injured, Dean and Roman had been doing more than their share of dog duty.

"I don't care-" Roman gestured, sighing. "It's just them, but that makes your rent about 175 a month total, and then you just pay on the first to Paypal-"

"F-fuck," Seth laughed weakly, coughing. Next to his previous rent payments, it was a laughable amount.

"But  _ then _ … they want you to pay back rent from when you came here in January," Roman said meekly, clearly having left this nugget of information out as long as possible. Seth was unable to do simple math on his hand, but Roman supplied him with the sum. 

"They want about four hundred and thirty seven fifty on March first, oh… and then… so it's five hundred and twelve after pet rent... " Roman grimaced. "And then… fuck… they want like, a fucking  _ deposit _ ."

"Did Dean do all this?" Seth asked, swallowing hard. He knew he had enough to pay that amount, even though he rather wouldn't. It was a little unsure if he could get his security deposit back from his old place, but since living with Roman, his expenses had dropped dramatically. 

"No, but they sent one for Dean too, it's just him signing the form though," Roman said, exasperated. "He paid a little deposit thing and the beginning of January, once everything shook out with the family." 

"It's fine," Seth mumbled, feeling a shiver down his spine as he rubbed his forearms. "It's not a big deal, I'll deal with it… later."

"Yeah it's cool, I'm sorry they didn't…" Roman shut his iPad case and quieted his music with his phone. "...They could'a mentioned it. I should have at least mentioned they might or something. This weekend there’s going to be carpet cleaners coming for sure though, my mom'll bust my ass hard if I don't get that done."

"It's fine it's fine it's fine," Seth said, slurring a little and sinking down onto the table. His stomach felt a little weird and his body was starting to feel cold again. Though he was tired of sleeping, he was sure Roman was gearing up to go to bed himself, shutting down the house in preparation. The walls were a little thin, not that Seth really felt any compulsion to add extra noise and color to his senses from a TV.

"I'm gunna plop down in the other room," Roman said, setting his cup in the sink and nodding. "Just so you guys have some space."

"So you don't get sick you mean," Seth teased. He finished off his water before standing up from the table. As though to prove him wrong, Roman put his lips to Seth's sweaty forehead and pressed down. 

"I thought you just fucked me too good to think anymore," Seth admitted, leaning into Roman's warmth and melting a little from how good it felt. His whole body felt empty, even though he was sure he was burning up with heat. Roman giggled and pulled him closer. "I didn't even think I was sick…"

_ It hadn't taken much longer for Seth to come undone and when it did it felt long and rolling and wonderful. He stuck out his tongue, jamming his face up against Roman's arm where it was pressed against his heaving chest. Everywhere, all over his body, it was like his pulse was vibrating his frame and his dick felt jumpy and shaken up, even though he'd already come and was starting to soften. In a rush, Dean was lubing up his dick and Seth blinked several times, trying to bring himself to his senses. He couldn't very well just pass out, but he had become a little spoiled with how often he’d been able to in the past few months.  _

_ "It's okay, no rush," Roman said, moving up the bed as Dean positioned himself between Roman's legs. Quickly, Seth reached for the same towel Dean had used and wiped the come off his thighs and belly.  _

_ Dean cleared his throat, spreading his thumb back and forth along Roman's backside as though he was polishing a speck off a pane of glass. Roman growled and grabbed a pillow, throttling it like he'd done to Seth and burying his face in the soft sheets. Dean draped Roman’s leg across his shoulders to open up his hips and began measuring with his dick, trying to find the best position to enter Roman from the side and have enough of a stance to pump with.  _

_ Remembering his share of the promise, Seth took a deep breath and sized up Roman's large-when-flaccid cock, resting up against his stomach. Uncut, thick and long, the little spring of hair that arched down from his navel to his crotch was dark and thin, like his goatee. Close up, Seth could see old, faded stretch marks on the insides of his thighs and arching around his lower belly. Gravity was shifting everything down from the opening of his hips and Seth tried to find the easiest way to insert himself without Dean's thrusts obstructing his work. _

_ Nothing was perfect, but the little ragged moan he drew out of Roman was worth it. Sensitive and shivering from his last orgasm, the man looked wrecked as Dean rolled his hips wildly, bending him back and forth. Seth brought his lips down and kissed again, feeling Roman's belly stuffed against his nose as Dean went back and forth. Experimentally, he kissed the area, and Roman jittered, whining and twitching. _

_ "Tickles-" Roman breathed hard, panting as Seth kissed just around his navel. "Ahh-" _

_ Seth grinned, gripping firmly. It was maybe a little stupid and goofy, but he wanted Roman to know that he loved every part of him. Really it was pretty sexy, watching his whole body ripple with every point of impact on his ass, and his huge tattooed chest was a thing of wonder, shaking enormous and sensitive. Dean's little waist throbbed and pressed as deep as possible, and Seth felt like he was being fucked too with the impact of each hit bouncing the cock in his mouth.  _

_ Roman couldn't come as readily as Seth could from anal stimulation, so when Dean came in a sort of angry fit, he elected to just pull back and rub his come around Roman's asshole, teasing and panting while his own legs dangled off the bed. Slowly, Seth could feel Roman's half interested dick grow fat again and soon enough he was pushing himself up, focusing against choking as his cheeks strained with the effort. His whole beard was covered in spit and his face contorted occasionally as he gagged, but he could feel Roman's knees shifting and twitching as Seth frazzled his nerves. _

_ It took some time, but eventually, Roman let out a raw shout and Seth tasted the tiniest bit of come on the back of his tonsils. Seth swallowed hard, trying to commit to burying Roman's cock in his throat while his fingers grasped Roman's sides, preventing him from shifting too much and making him puke. _

_ "'M all wet," Seth mumbled, coughing hard as Roman drew away, collapsing face first into the dirty bed. Dean tossed him the towel again and Seth grimaced, sure he should just shower. _

_ Roman just groaned, shaking his ass back and forth and arching his hips up. His cock was probably so sensitive even the bed was a little overwhelming to touch. Dean laid down beside him and eventually Seth did the same, edging into the side so he could lay next to Roman on his proffered side. _

_ "Yay team," Seth said, weakly, kissing the back of Roman's head and nuzzling around in his hair. Dean let out a grunting noise of agreement. Wordless and strained by the position of his body, Roman raised his fist backwards into the air and Seth smiled, putting up his own. The three fistbumped in their own exhausted, lazy way, before someone remembered to turn off the lights.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good times with boys. Will Dean and Seth be okay? Or will they have to go to the hospital? Will Roman get sick too? 
> 
> By all means, leave a review or donate if you enjoy these updates! I've gotten some very kind words from folks and it encourages me to keep writing. If you're not sure what to say, don't stress about it!
> 
> I'll be going out of town this weekend and I'm going to try my best to get an update out in time. Thanks for reading/reviewing/enjoying!


	117. The Burnout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Seth deal with their sicknesses, but can they catch a break? Roman's position is filled.

Seth woke on Friday morning sick as a dog. He swallowed hard, wincing at the tenderness of his throat and the discomfort of feeling sweaty chills. Dean had left the bed, but it was difficult to tell the time as the sun was clouded over and a cool light was coming through the curtains.

Pulling his head off the pillow, Seth whined, but he felt a lot less dizzy than he'd been before. There was no way he'd be going to work that day, but wasn't sure if it really mattered if he was there or not, with Sami still manning the front desk. He knew he had to at least give Hunter the courtesy of a call. With a shake, he sat up and got to his feet, ambling toward the kitchen and leaning on the wall for support.

At the dining room table, Dean was sitting slumped in a chair with a thermometer in his mouth. His hair was sweaty and frizzy, and his skin looked over hot. It took a moment for Seth to realize he hadn't grabbed his phone, but Roman already had a hand on his shoulder, smoothing softly. 

"Mornin' babe, do you want tea before or after some OJ?" he asked, pressing his lips to Seth's head. "You sleep okay?"

Seth just blinked, kneading his forehead. He didn't really know the answer to either question. The thermometer beeped and Dean's eyes crossed, sliding the device out from under his tongue.

"102," he read blearily, handing the thermometer for Roman to inspect. "Randy's gunna kill me if he has'ta teach for two days in a row…"

Seth just sat down next to Dean, swallowing hard and feeling his own forehead.

"I could just teach for you, I don't have anything going on in the evening," Roman offered, turning on the faucet and pushing the thermometer under the tap. "You guys are just gonna have to look after yourselves until I get home."

Even as he said it, Roman looked disgruntled and annoyed, sure that it wasn't a preferable outcome. Seth couldn't imagine really  _ needing _ Roman's help unless he was puking his guts out or something, he was grateful, sure, but he was an adult. Making food and taking medicine wasn't as easy with a lame leg and a headache, but Seth could manage.

"If one of you starts really burning up though, you should let me know… I'll figure something out… if you need to go to urgent care or somethin'." Roman offered the thermometer to Seth's mouth and Seth squinted, grinning slightly.

"You didn't need'a wash it, we're both sick," he snickered, pushing the device under his tongue and grimacing slightly from the discomfort of it.

"Yeah but I wanted to make it cool again so it could get an accurate reading," Roman said, pouring two large glasses of orange juice and setting one in front of each man. After a few moments, Seth got a reading of 101 and Roman clucked, shaking his head.

"We'll be fine Uce, it's okay," Dean muttered hoarsely, taking the tiniest sip of the juice and rubbing his temples. "I don' ever get sick… fuckin' kid coughs right in my mouth during lessons... Of course."

"Cooties," Seth agreed, sniffing loudly. There was an old crushed up napkin on the table top and he grabbed it quickly to blow his nose into it. 

He ended up leaving a message on Hunter's phone and Roman assured him that he would pass the word around as soon as he got there. A meager cereal meal and a protein bar in his system, Seth's fever kicked up a notch after breakfast, so he laid on the couch covered in blankets while Dean went to the bathroom to rinse off a little. 

So long as he didn't move, Seth didn't feel too terrible. Occasionally his stomach cramped and he felt a little nauseous, but laying still and staring at the ceiling helped, and he tried to let himself drift off. Kevin hopped up on his lap and sat on his chest, eager for attention, but even slowly petting his dog's overlong fur was too much effort to manage. 

Most of the day passed in this fashion, with the sun poking out from behind the clouds for a few minutes at a time before the sky darkened again, indecisive. The mail came and Kevin barked at the door, but Seth and Dean mostly just laid down with little to no stimulation keeping them rooted to the spot. Every time he tried to check his phone or move around a little, Seth's head throbbed and he quickly sat down again, too bleary and dizzy to make much sense of his day. 

Some time later, Dean came by with still-damp hair, wearing Roman's thick bathrobe. Seth woke to see him gently leaning on the coffee table and touching his hand to rouse him.

"S-hot," Seth muttered, the tips of Dean's fingers like fire on his own sweating skin. They were both wrecked and haggard, but now that he was awake, Seth felt parched. His voice was straining through his swollen, dry throat, making his words sound breathy and broken.

"I went down a little," Dean said gruffly, tipping the thermometer back at Seth to test. "Uce'll worry if we don't let 'im know." 

Clocking in at 102, Seth moaned, shivering and shaking in his sheets as he leaned back into the couch. Dean rubbed his arm a little, as sympathetic as he could possibly be.

"Showerin' helped a little," he encouraged. "Felt good at least. I think if I feel okay in a few hours I'm gunna get some takeaway pizzas from Little Caesars. You cool with that?"

"I don't care," Seth huffed, rubbing his temples hard as his head swam and throbbed. "I'll eat whatever."

After a rather hellish hour of sweating and moaning, Seth came to life a little around three and quickly hustled to the bathroom. He didn't really have to pee, probably dehydrated from all of his sweating, but he filled a cup from the counter with water and drank deeply, examining himself in the mirror.

His face was flushed and sweaty and his eyes were glossy and tired. Seth pushed sweaty strands of hair from around his neck and swallowed hard, wishing he could just be done. He wasn't shaking as badly as before, but everything was hazy and overbright. Remembering what Dean had said earlier about showering, Seth stumbled over to the tub and began to run water, easing himself down to sit on the floor and lean clumsily over the porcelain to feel he temperature with his hands. He hadn't been this sick in a while. 

_ A bath might be nice _ , Seth thought. His surgical wound was finally cleared to get soaked again, why not? Really, he just had to make sure he didn't nod off in the tub. Despite his bleary state, Seth was sure his lifeguards intuition would keep him from getting too comfortable.

Though, with a fever, it was a little difficult to get an accurate reading on the temperature. Seth kept his hands under the tap, twisting the knobs back and forth, but still unsure about what exactly was going to feel the best on his whole sweaty body. Dazed and acting on strange impulses, Seth stumbled back to the coffee table in the living room and grabbed the thermometer, sure that a tool was probably the most infallible way to know what he was sensing.

"What're you doing?" Dean asked, coming in to pee and watching Seth hold the tiny stick under the bath water as it came rushing from the spout. Seth peered over his shoulder, blinking stupidly.

"I dunno how hot't is," he explained, watching the thermometer for an indication. "I dunno if it's working though."

"Hmm," Dean grunted, opting to just plop down on the bowl so he wouldn't have to work the effort of standing and peeing. "I think I'm gunna run for those pizzas in a bit. Then I'm gunna drink like'a bottle of cough syrup, you in?"

"Huh?" Seth squinted. It was difficult to hear Dean over the noise from the tub, but Dean just waved and adjusted his dick to piss. 

"I'm gunna go soon so just… text me if you need anythin'," he reiterated, flushing and putting a lot more effort into washing his hands than usual. Seth tilted his head up, accidentally dropping the thermometer in the pooling water. He swore and grabbed the tool while Dean watched, amused.

"Sick kiss," Seth said blearily, tipping his head back farther as Dean stood over him. "I can't… we can't kiss Roman at all now, I need more…"

"You need more kisses?" Dean coughed, grinning. He put a hand to Seth's forehead. "You gunna be good if I leave for a bit?"

"Mmhm," Seth hummed, pursing his lips and closing his eyes. "Only if I get… a kiss…"

Dean obliged, sighing hard and ruffling his hair as he made his way out of the bathroom, leaving the door open for Kevin to come inspect. Seth put the thermometer on the sink and eased himself to lay in the bathtub, blinking hard from the slight dizziness of holding his head upright. The cooling temperature helped a little and the sweaty sheen was being pulled from his skin as the water lapped around his thighs and belly, but Seth's head continued to throb dully.

_ Just another thing _ , Seth thought, exhausted. A fever piled on top of his knee and his moving plans. Any thought of doing some preliminary moving that weekend was essentially dashed. Though Roman might be up to shuttling some of Seth's belongings to the house, nobody else would be very able bodied. According to the email that he'd skimmed from his landlord, he had until the end of the month to vacate the premises, but Seth just wanted everything to be official as soon as possible. His mother was probably worried about whatever he was doing, as he hadn't told her anything had been finalized. 

But after the argument he'd had with Roman, Seth was just grateful he was getting along with his partners again. He sort of felt like his boyfriend was a little shy and reclusive after the admission of his weight and self-esteem issues. Roman wasn't quite meeting Seth's eyes and he seemed a little jumpier around the house, as though Lisa and Sika were hovering over his shoulder. Pouring a liberal amount of shampoo into his palm and massaging his scalp, Seth just sighed, sure that, in time, everything would be normal again.

By evening, his fever had gone down to about 100 degrees and his mind felt a little sharper. Stuffing himself into a sweatshirt and some loose mesh shorts, Seth hobbled to the kitchen to feed Kevin supper. He wasn't particularly hungry, despite not eating much all day, so he was content to wait until Dean returned with the cheap pizzas they could both enjoy. 

Swallowing hard around the lump in his throat, he sat and checked his emails on his phone, signing off on the termination of his lease agreement with a few clicks of a digital signature. Tying back his damp brown hair in a sloppy bun, Seth deleted a few spam emails before he noticed a message from Stephanie and Hunter.

 

**White Water Family Fun Center Welcomes Mike Mizanin!**

**Hunter and I are excited to Welcome Mike Mizanin as our Director of Healthy Living. Mike comes to us from Los Angeles, California where he was a program director for activities at Splash World Water park. Please introduce yourself and say hello! Mike will be teaching and guarding in the mornings and early evenings and we will formally introduce him at our next Inservice.**

 

_ Fuck _ , Seth thought, heart sinking as he thought of Dean. He'd thought it had been such a sure promotion, how was Dean _ not _ qualified to take Roman's spot? It was almost insulting considering how often Dean covered for Roman when he was sick or something came up. Horribly, Seth remembered the incident in AJ's office and grimaced, looking to the floor and curling his toes. He would hate for Dean to have missed out on the job solely due to the fact that Seth had seduced him into breaking the rules.

Dejected, Seth deleted the email, pushing his phone to the side and eyeing the bottle of Advil on the kitchen island. He wasn't sure if acting mopey would make Dean feel better or worse, but he hoped his boyfriend wouldn't take it too hard. 

Just as Seth was making his way to the cupboard to grab a mug to make some tea, he heard his phone buzz and saw that Roman had messaged him personally, foregoing their group chat.

**U see the email? :( Dean okay?**

**Hes out getting us pizza rn** Seth texted, sitting back down and holding his head in his hand.  **U think he'lll be really upset?**

**I dunno its Dean. hes feelin better tho? Good enough to be driving around?**

**I guess** Seth sighed, looking at the clock. Roman still had another hour or so of lessons if Dean's schedule was anything to go by. If Seth had Sami's number, he would have thought to text him and ask him how the day had been. It was strange being so isolated at the house; his phone hadn't made any noise all day.  **Lessons okay?** he typed out, sending it when he couldn't think of anything better. 

Seth was just about to try to get up again when Dean's contact information lit up the screen in his hand. With a grin, Seth accepted the call, pressing the phone to his ear. By now, Seth knew Dean's pizza order like the back of his hand, but he could just imagine Dean's face in a sort of blushy, fevered haze, trying to remember exactly what Seth prefered. 

The cute scenario was dashed as soon as he heard the rushing of cars from the receiver and Dean's heavy breathing.

"Hey-" Seth began, cut short.

"Fuckin' Jetta's  _ fucked _ ," Dean huffed angrily. Seth's brows furrowed, heart racing. "Piece of fucking  _ shit _ -" 

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Seth asked, standing upright and pressing his weight against the kitchen island. "You didn't get in an accident did-"

"It's just a piece of shit!" Dean yelled angrily. "Old goddamn car shit out and it's smoking! Won't start or anything, nothing, just dead!"

"W-where are you?" Seth asked, frowning as he heard a car door slam and Dean's choked sigh. The sounds of movement had stilled and Seth supposed Dean was probably back inside the car. He suddenly felt enormously guilty for not offering his boyfriend the Cadillac for such a short trip. 

"John Young Parkway…" Dean said, voice heavy with frustration and emotion. "I… I called a fuckin… tow truck… going to be so much fuckin' money..."

"Do you know what it is though?" Seth tried, trembling slightly from imagining Dean, huddled inside the shell of his car and crying miserably. "If it's smoking… what color is the smoke?" 

"I don't know." Dean sniffed. "I d-don't… it's probably the engine… I dunno…"

Seth glanced outside, head throbbing. It had started to drizzle slightly in the sort of on and off way that was just disheartening and pointless. Roman texted Seth a reply to their conversation, and it was clear that their boyfriend had no idea what was occurring. It was for the best, probably, considering that there was nothing he could do about it. 

Really, Seth didn't know what he could do either, but Dean had reached out. Leaning gingerly into his right knee, Seth blinked, assessing the joint.

"Where's the tow place? Is it far?" Seth asked, softening his voice with a little sigh. "I'm sorry babe, this is awful. I'll come get you if it's… if it's close enough. Otherwise I can just order you a ride… Does that sound… okay?"

Dean just breathed into the receiver, calming down. Seth was reminded of the time Dean had arrived back at his townhome after the bed bug infestation, only to discover inaction on behalf of his landlord. For all of his tics and mannerisms, Dean was never frantic or frustrated to tears. Seth felt himself drawn to comfort the man, after such a series of hardships.

"I'll come get you," Seth said decisively through the silence. "Can you text me the address? I love you Dean, this is hard but I'll try to help." 

"It's… it's that place that's like, across the street from the Mexican restaurant by 500…" Dean said lifelessly. "On a service road… I think.. There's a few auto places there... but it's called  _ Auto Solutions _ …"

* * *

Seth tried not to picture Roman's worried face as he slipped the locking brace off his leg and pulled on a warm pair of sweatpants he hadn't worn in ages. Shivering from the nice sensation of his legs being well insulated, Seth rolled his weight from his toes to his heels, checking his joint before bending at the knee to sit in a very shallow squat.

It was tender, but fine. Fine enough to shift between the brake and gas of a car at least. Kevin eagerly followed him to the door but Seth shoved the dog away lightly, grabbing his keys from the dining room table and pulling on his hood to keep dry. As per the request of Lisa and Sika, the Cadillac had been parked on the street under a neighboring tree. A few leaves had spotted the hood, soggy from the rain water.

**Deans kids are all really good its not too bad just noisy** Roman had messaged him minutes ago, unaware of the current situation. He was probably in the water anyway.  **Holly and her mom say hi**

Seth tossed his phone onto the passenger's seat as he carefully slid into the driver's side and adjusted the seat to his liking. He'd been driving for so long that a few weeks away from the wheel wasn’t enough to really disrupt his muscle memory, but his knee did feel a little weird and slow going between the two pedals. For a few moments Seth committed to practicing lifting his toe and ankle to prime himself for the road. 

He could tell Roman what was going on once he had some actual information. Alerting him to Dean's issues without a solution would just set him off. By virtue of the situation, or just the fact that he had been boiling all day, Seth's fever had cooled and he felt a little less shaky driving down the road toward the autoshop Dean had talked about, anxiously eyeing his phone. 

It was confusing figuring out which place was which, as they all had similar signs, competing for space on the small road by the highway. With minimal pain in his knee, Seth rolled into the Auto Solutions parking lot and looked around for Dean's car or a tow truck carrying it along. The office was open and the blinds were drawn. Seth squinted to see a blonde head sitting at one of the benches in the lobby area.

Limping a little, Seth made his way up the parking lot to the building and came into a tiny, cramped area where an old ceiling fan was rotating dangerously fast. Linoleum tile peeled under the dirty frayed rug and the whole room smelled like coffee and gas. Dean was the only one sitting in wait and Seth hobbled over to him quickly to pull him into a hug.

Dean barely reciprocated, sighing hard and staring ahead. If it wasn't for the faint shuffling he heard by the service window, Seth would have kissed his forehead, but he immediately peeled back to allow for the usual amount of space two male friends could inhabit safely. 

"It's done," Dean said weakly, sitting up in his seat and continuing to stare ahead. "Engine's cracked. It leaked all the oil out and broke. No use trying to fix it."

"Fuck," Seth sighed, slumping to sit beside him. "I'm sorry…  _ fuck _ that sucks."

"It's whatever… I knew it was going to happen sooner or later," Dean said darkly, twisting the plastic bag he was carrying in between his fingers. "They're tryin' to look up some donation program thing that can maybe kick back a few bucks or whatever. I don't really give a shit." 

"How are you feelin' though?" Seth asked, watching his boyfriend sadly. Dean looked dead and complacent, less rosy in his cheeks and more throaty with his voice. He just shrugged dully, pushing back damp hair and looking away. Seth could see he had managed to purchase some Sprite and cough syrup, the labels visible where they pushed against the transparent bag.

"Not as bad as earlier," Dean settled. A man came to the window with dark, dirty fingers.

"Mr. Ambrose?" 

Dean rose and Seth sat stupidly, watching as Dean looked down a clipboard of services completed. Part of him wondered if he was still in a fever dream, the fluorescent overhead lighting making his head swim a little. A TV in the corner was playing the evening news, breaking some story about hurricane insurance fraud.

"So we take a percentage off wit' the donation- you just sign here tha' you agree," the man said in a thick southern accent, pointing down the paper. "So your total is 189.88, and then if you wanted t' grab anythin' from the vehicle, just… any personal items… things ya wanna keep…"

Seth rose as Dean followed the man to the back, hastening to pick up the plastic bag and close the distance between them. Pulling out his keys and grimacing at the little navy blue car, Dean opened the back and barely looked in the trunk before shutting it. The maintenance employee at least had the decency to stand back a little, giving them some room to part ways with the car.

"Just junk," Dean said, clearing his throat as he shut the driver's side door. A short glance into the storage compartments by the console didn't convince him of anything worth grabbing. Seth just clung to the bag, watching as Dean stood for a moment, surveying the car and wiping his nose.

"Pizza?" Seth asked, hovering at his boyfriend's side. "Or something else. Whatever you want."

"Whatever," Dean said. Seth sighed, rubbing his hands through his scalp and licking his lips. He walked in his boyfriend's shadow, making their way back outside without a second look at the old car. It all happened so fast and Dean was so distant, Seth really had no idea what to say. If the shoe had been on the other foot and Seth had somehow totalled his vehicle on a short trip away from the house, he would be similarly livid and inconsolable.

And while Seth was content to allow Dean to sit quietly while they made their way over to Little Caesar's on the way home, Roman's contact information illuminated Seth's phone and he fumbled to answer the call one handed. Groaning as the stop light turned green, he juggled the device with his shoulder, coughing lightly. 

"Hey," he said hoarsely.

"I just got off, how're y'all feeling?" Roman asked casually. "I can run through the grocery store if you guys want something, did you end up getting pizzas?"

"Yeah uh… we don't need food, uh-" Seth sighed, struggling to be sensitive to his boyfriend beside him and simultaneously fill in his boyfriend over the phone. "Dean went to get some pizzas but... the Jetta died on him."

"Died?" Roman said, darkening. "It just stopped working?"

"Yeah, I guess, I dunno," Seth said, trying to look inconspicuous as he saw a police car. He wasn't really sure what the laws were in Florida but he didn't want to put Dean on the spot to speak into the phone for him. "We're… we're on our way back home from the tow place. It's okay…"

"Fuck, is  _ he _ okay?" Roman asked. Seth could hear him walking quickly with little bursts of wind disrupting his voice. "He's been having such a rough time lately."

"It's shitty," Seth agreed, clearing his throat and looking right at Dean, resisting the urge to nudge him lightly with his elbow. "I think we should just let him be though… just… let him do what he wants. He knows we love him so I think he'll let us know if he needs somethin'."

"Yeah… I know," Roman said, probably confused by whether or not Dean was in the car. "Thanks for being on top of it. You're driving?"

"Yeah, it's fine I think." Seth sighed, resisting the urge to cough. "Thanks for letting me… take care of it..."

Seth managed to wrap up the conversation as he pulled into the parking area for tiny takeaway pizza place. The sun had nearly set by now and the headlights of the car illuminated the damp tiny rain droplets falling through the air. Dean just continued to sit and Seth didn't say anything, hoisting himself from the car, wanting nothing more than to be at home. Privately, Seth was already dreading Roman's attention being monopolized by Dean's issues, not because he was really afraid of Dean's irritation, but rather because Seth felt a strong desire to be cared for by their healthy partner. 

His head throbbed at him while he grabbed two large pizzas from the young teenaged boy who was working the front of the store, and Seth coughed hard as he came back to the car, groaning and setting the boxes in the backseat. All he wanted was to lay down in bed in the thick sheets with a cup of tea. 

"I don't wanna talk a bunch when we get home," Dean admitted, finally breaking his silence on the way back. They were nearly home and Seth just nodded, glad his boyfriend had found some words.

"It's totally fine," Seth said, staring ahead. "You do your thing." 

Dean unfolded his legs and sighed, rubbing his face hard. Seth's head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton and he couldn't think. So much of his focus was going into making his leg work appropriately that he wasn't able to think of anything sincere to say.

"I don't want it to be like all…" Dean groaned, staring at the floor of the car, "Like I'm not talking and shit… and make everyone mad."

Seth blinked, turning his head for a moment. He wished Dean would look at him.

"Nah man, no, it's not like that," Seth muttered, sniffing a little. "You're fine… what the fuck is there to talk about? This shit just sucks."

Seth pulled the Cadillac into the driveway out of instinct before he paused, remembering he needed to find a spot on the street. With a sigh, he put the vehicle in reverse, shuffling out again. The smell of the pizza was filling the car fast and he was remembering his hunger.

"No… none of this is your fault. You've had a lot of bad luck lately. I understand that. Uce should too," Seth said, parking close to the curb and pulling out his keys. "If you want us to help with anythin' you just gotta tell us is all."

"You are helping," Dean grumbled lowly. Seth shrugged, nodding. "Thanks."

"Love ya," Seth said softly, his voice rasping a little at the end. Dean nodded back and went to grab the pizzas from the car seat. Roman was waiting on the front step with the light on, letting Kevin take a bathroom break outside as the men walked up the front, quiet and shivering in the cool night.

"Hey," Roman said quietly. Dean walked up the step and obliged to lean into the larger man, allowing a hug from the side as he balanced the pizzas in his outstretched hand. Seth followed, expectantly waiting for a hug and sighing happily when Roman squeezed his side and kissed his forehead. Roman's hair was still wet from the pool and Seth could smell the familiar hint of chlorine on his neck. Roman smiled as Seth's throat made a noise between pain and contentment.

"You still feel warm, you okay?" he murmured, steering Seth inside. "Let's get your brace back on."

"I wanna wear sweats a little longer," Seth whined, making sure he didn't trip on his dog as the door swung shut. Dean set the pizzas on the kitchen island, digging through the boxes and stacking slices on a plate. "My head hurts."

"I have some de-congestion stuff if that's what it is," Roman offered, making eye contact with Dean. "You good babe?"

"Mmmgh," Dean grunted, rounding his shoulders as he sighed, stuffing his face full of pizza and walking to the bedroom. Roman frowned, but stopped himself from pushing the matter, shaking his head and grabbing plates for himself and Seth. 

"Weird, awful day," Seth summarized, taking a plate and pushing a loaded cheesy triangle to his lips. Feeling a sneeze coming on, he hastened to swallow, nearly choking on his food. Roman watched, thumping his back a little as he sneezed, coughed, and then sneezed again.

"Well, thanks again for helping out," Roman said, sitting down at the table and wiping his hands on a napkin. "Don' think they would have liked me running out of the pool to rescue anyone."

"Well… thanks for being at the pool to begin with," Seth said hoarsely, sniffing and blinking. "I feel so bad for him though…  I dunno what the fuck to do."

"Life sucks," Roman concluded. "Balance of the universe or whatever. I had a shitty New Year’s… your knee… now this." 

"Yeah, but can we all just get a break? What the hell?" Seth grumbled, looking at his knee brace that was resting on the table where he'd left it. "This whole month has been garbage." 

"It's supposed to be nicer this weekend," Roman said hopefully, as though all of their troubles were related to the weather forecast. "We got a month till vacation too, that's nice."

"Mmmhm," Seth muttered, eyeing the bottle of cough syrup still sitting in the bag that Dean had abandoned. "Who's gunna watch the chickens when we go?" 

"Good question," Roman laughed softly, leaning back in his chair and thinking hard. "I could maybe ask the neighbor kids. I think we could bring Kevin on the boat with us if you wanted to do that."

"...Maybe… I doubt it." Seth frowned, looking to the floor where his dog was laying on his back, belly up. "I wouldn't wanna worry about where he was all the time."

The pizza began to make his throat feel greasy and sick, and so Seth slowed, allowing Roman to measure out a dose of cough syrup for him and Dean. The light was on in the guest room and Seth felt a little nervous, hoping his boyfriend would just need a night to himself before bouncing back. Cars were expensive and complicated, and Dean really didn't own many things he could grow attached to. There wasn't a shortage of vehicles he could use, but Seth knew that Dean had had the car for probably the whole time he'd been in Florida. It surely meant a lot to him.

With the loss of his old apartment and now his vehicle, Seth just hoped Dean could still find reasons to be cheerful despite the circumstances. Aside from the occasional joy of three teenaged chickens and knitting projects, Dean wasn't smiling much lately and everyone felt it. Seth didn't have the guts to ask Dean about the job position, and he was sure Roman didn't either. 

Unable to stop himself, Seth leaned into the guest bedroom with a serving of cough syrup. Dean was sitting on the bed in a mess of yarn, untangling a ball that had become a mess of knots from sitting in his canvas bag. 

Without blinking, Dean accepted the tiny medicine cup, throwing it back like a shot of vodka and swallowing hard. Seth accepted the cup back, staring at his boyfriend and resisting the urge to hold him and smooth the wrinkles of his loose pajama shirt.

"I'm sorry it's been such shit lately," Seth sighed, defeated. "I love you, I'll see you in the mornin'."

Dean didn't move, his blonde hair frizzy and frayed at the ends where it had been damp from the rain. His ginger beard was overlong and bushy and all Seth wanted to do was run his fingers through it and scratch lightly, just as Seth liked Dean to do to him. 

"Yeah, love ya. See ya," Dean managed, wiping the corners of his mouth and going back to fidgeting with his yarn. Seth made his way out, leaving the door cracked before limping back down the hallway. It felt uncomfortable, leaving without a hug or a goodnight kiss or some little form of touch that acted as a confirmation. Seth never understood why Dean was so cagey, but now was certainly not the time to demand an answer.

"Let's make him happy bowls tomorrow," Seth proposed to Roman from the doorway to the kitchen, watching as his boyfriend consolidated the leftovers into a single pizza box, stuffing the container in the fridge. "I think that would be good."

"Okay," Roman said, shutting the door and thinking for a moment. Seth extended his hand out hopefully and Roman twined their fingers together, shutting off the kitchen lights and leading them to bed. It was a little strange and uncomfortable, changing out of their clothes and dipping onto the bed without Dean bouncing between them, the lack of a third body making the usually cramped space feel irregularly large.

Seth compensated for his by nuzzling up to Roman impossibly tight and ducking his head anytime he had to cough. The medicine he'd taken started to make him sleepy and quiet, and his fingers traced Roman's tattoo dully. They both seemed to be hyper-aware of any movement from the other room, half waiting for Dean to come back.

"It'll be okay," Roman said aloud, mostly to himself as Seth finished poking around the lattice on his shoulder and moved down to the bands that ran around his bicep. Tolerant as ever, Roman just breathed deeply, splaying a hand on Seth's hip and rubbing softly until the motion pushed his chest higher and the dim light of the room diffused into darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is late! I feel awful because I got donations and everything. I had a good chunk of the chapter finished, but I went out of town and didn't have any wifi to speak of. I'll only have about one more big trip to make this year so hopefully this nonsense will stop messing me up!
> 
> The good news is, I'm going to be published! I got a book deal figured out, so I think it was worth it! Haha. 
> 
> If you're out there and enjoyed this, speak up! Despite the sort of lull in the fandom that's going on right now, I'm still consistently getting hits on this story. Let me know if you're into it! And I've been updating the index too, so if you need that in your life, have at it. 
> 
> <3


	118. Creature Comforts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go their separate ways to take a breather. Seth and Kevin find company outside the house.

Whatever Seth had been hoping for with a new day was dashed shortly after he'd woken up. Coughing miserably, and feeling the lingering effects of the cough syrup he'd taken the night before, he blindly went about trying to make happy bowl sandwiches with Roman. Neither of them were quite as good as Dean with the recipe and the egg yolks leaked between the bread slices in a soupy mess. But the thought was there, and Seth hoped the gesture might lure Dean from the guest bedroom refreshed, albeit a little grumpy.

However, no such luck was had. Roman shrugged, making his way out of the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

"He'll eat later probably, I just left it on the table for him," Roman said sheepishly, pushing past Seth to go and check on the chickens. "He didn't seem feverish though…"

Seth checked his own temperature after managing a small breakfast for himself. The thermometer blinked at ninety-nine degrees, but mostly Seth just felt throaty and stuffed up, past burning and delirious. Despite his own discomfort, he felt restless sitting around the house and trying to pass the time playing video games or watching TV. Dean's presence in the other room was making him itch and all Seth wanted to do was peek in and encourage him to talk.

Guiltily, he recalled his own irritable depressed state after he'd torn his ligaments. Dean wasn't pitching a fit and crying, but Seth imagined he would if they pressed him too hard. For a few moments, he felt a little haughty and annoyed, wondering why Dean was exempt from discussing his issues with his boyfriends and allowed to wallow in privacy. But thinking back, Seth remembered he'd been given several days to do so, and Dean was just…  _ Dean _ …

Sure he needed some time outside, Seth strapped Kevin into his leash and collar. He hadn't taken his dog for a walk in a while, but he could probably go a few blocks before his knee would start to smart. Roman was taking some time to himself anyway, gardening in the back with his yard gloves on. As was predicted, the clouds had parted and the sun was warm as Seth slipped on his shoes and made his way down the steps with his dog jingling at his side.

Just the other day, the Jetta had been parked out front, looking a little dingy and old, but reliable nonetheless. Seth hadn't had a lot of fond memories of Dean's car, but the few times he'd been inside it, it had smelled a little funny and the whole floor was covered in old drink cups from McDonalds and Subway. A few cigarette burns were in the crotch area of the driver's seat, and the upholstery was sun damaged and ancient. If Dean had a sun reflector, he'd never really used it, so the seat buckles were always boiling hot. 

Whatever had become of the car now, Seth thought the vehicle had been good for the course of it's lifetime. Walking down the sidewalk to the south of the block, Seth didn't know whether Dean intended to buy another car or not. As far as he knew, the man had amassed some decent savings over the years, but Seth didn't know how much used cars ran for in the area. Marek's family had some ties with a dealership, which had hooked Seth up with his Cadillac in Iowa. He still had the license plate holders from where he'd picked it up in Des Moines. 

Clearing his throat hard, Seth paged through his phone a little, making sure where he was walking didn't have any jarring cracks that would trip his feet up. His mother had asked him to set up a time to call when he had the chance, as Seth had only sent her a quick message alerting her to his moving plans. He didn't want to call when he was sick though, for fear of losing his voice.

Scrolling through snapchat, Seth noticed he had a chat from Cesaro and he opened it expectantly, holding his phone in the shade so he could clearly see the image. His friend was wearing a hospital gown and giving a thumbs up with his braced hand.

**About to go in for surgery!** was typed out, with a sort of scared emoji face in the right hand corner. 

Stopping unexpectedly, Seth stooped a little to get a picture of Kevin, typing out  **Good luck man! Let me know how it goes!**

At the intersection, Seth looked around, kneading his thigh a little and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He missed his friend and he felt like he should really be trying to put more effort into keeping the few relationships he had outside of his boyfriends. In Iowa, people were a lot more friendly and inviting, which was nice for him, because he was sort of brooding and quiet a lot of the time. Seth hadn't texted Jimmy since the New Year's fiasco, and although he'd seen Monster Trucks with Sasha and Bayley, he felt like he hadn't really talked to them much at work at all.

He walked across the street, allowing Kevin to sniff a telephone pole excitedly. It was an annoying feeling, to be caught between wanting to socialize and understanding that he probably just needed to nap his sickness away. But Dean was completely unavailable and Roman was touchy and distracted.

When he arrived home, Seth frowned, seeing that Roman had made it back inside from the garden and was now shoving the living room furniture around, sweating slightly as he pushed the couch away from the wall. Kevin barked at the muffled noise and his boyfriend stood upright, pushing his hair back behind his ears.

"I think the cleaners are going to be here in an hour or so," he explained, shuffling his foot against the carpet.

"Oh…" Seth sighed, grabbing his dog as Kevin barked again, upset that the space was in such disarray. "Shit… is it going to be loud you think? He's going to be a mess."

"Yeah... kind of," Roman said thoughtfully. "He could hang out in the garage maybe?"

Seth pressed his dog to his face, shutting his eyes as Roman pulled himself out from behind the couch. Dean was still nowhere to be seen and Seth kind of wanted to scream and throw a tantrum. Kevin's fur already smelled dirty and he didn't want to shut his dog away in the garage where he could get into who knows what. 

"I'm going to study," Roman said, as if Seth had asked. At the kitchen table, Roman's iPad had been set up with a mouse, keyboard and a cup of coffee steaming lightly. "I wanted to get a couple things done before tomorrow. I was going to grocery shop then, probably while you're at your appointment."

"Okay…" Seth muttered, watching his boyfriend sit down and put his headphones in his ears. Kevin squirmed in his hands and Seth set him down again, grunting a little. 

The walk had been nice, but it didn't help much.

* * *

"My god, that sucks," Sasha said sadly, frowning as she tilted the steering wheel to get into the turning lane. Seth was sitting in the passenger's seat of her Ford Focus and he had just finished telling her all about the car troubles from the previous evening. He blew his nose loudly with napkins from her glove compartment and Kevin walked around anxiously in the back seat, sniffing the surroundings.

"Yeah, I mean, I dunno." Seth shrugged, stuffing the gross napkin into his hoodie pocket. "I dunno what the hell I'm supposed to do about it all, I just needed a sec to get out of the house. Cesaro's gone and he's getting surgery today and all that shit, I guess normally he's my therapist."

"I'll have to do, I guess," Sasha snorted, pulling up the the parking lot at the Starbucks they'd agreed on to get some coffee. 

"Sorry if that sounded shitty," Seth amended, clearing his throat. "It's just…"

"It's fine, it's fine," she insisted, peering at him over her sunglasses. "But I  _ might _ make you buy me some coffee."

Sasha had agreed to keep him company for some time before her hair appointment at four and Seth was probably the most grateful he'd ever been to see her car pull up to the house to pick him up. He really didn't care what they did, but Sasha had just finished working out at her gym and wanted to get a coffee, which was as good a time waster as any. Apparently, Bayley was also studying, so the two were well on their own to spend their weekends however they wanted.

Sitting next to his demure, well-dressed friend with her delicate nails and well applied makeup, Seth felt like garbage in mesh shorts and his leg brace. His beard was getting over long again, and his blonde patch looked especially yellow and fried, several inches grown out. Without pause, Seth purchased Sasha's chai tea, and they sat outside so Kevin wouldn't be left in the car.

"But you're moving in?" Sasha asked, setting her purse down on the small table and looking at Kevin. "You moved in?"

"In the process, well, I've been there for a while now," Seth said, drinking from his coffee dully and looking at the clear sky. "I still have the apartment in my name for a couple days, and a good chunk of my stuff is still there… but then me and Dean got sick and his car broke… So I dunno when we're gonna move it all."

"Plus your knee," Sasha said, looking down to Seth's braced joint. "How's that been?"

"Good. Slow." Seth shrugged. "Damn ligaments take forever. I was just complaining that I was going to get fat sitting around…"

Sasha rolled her eyes slightly, chuckling under her breath. Seth blushed a little, fanning his hips. For the most part, he'd resigned himself to keeping away from mirrors and other little reminders that he couldn't lift and run around like he used to. It wasn't too hard, now that he wasn't staring at a pool all day, wearing minimal clothes, but it was still annoying.

"How does Kevin like the house?" Sasha asked, bending over to pick up the small dog and setting him on her lap. Kevin panted happily and blinked, enthusiastically trying to lick her fingers. 

"He's good, it's way better than being in the apartment," Seth said."Still haven't introduced him to the baby chickens." He frowned as Sasha teased a small piece of leaf litter from his over long fur. "Needs a trim… probably."

"He would look so cute with little bows." Sasha smiled, tugging the hair out of Kevin's eyes and giggling. "Look at him!"

Kevin wiggled around and Seth grinned. He hadn't gotten Kevin trimmed yet, mostly because his knee had caused so many money troubles that it had seemed like an unconscionable waste. His own expensive hair treatments had taken a backseat as well, not that Seth really felt too ambitious about bleaching his hair anymore.

"There's a PetSmart in that strip mall," Sasha said deviously, pointing across the street. "Me and Bayley go sometimes just to look at the cats and stuff. We could take a little walk over there."

"I don't wanna go and not buy anything." Seth shook his head. "Do people do that? Just window shop at pet stores?"

People apparently did, and after some convincing discussion, they left the coffee shop and walked across the road in the withering heat. On second thought, Seth guessed it probably wasn't a bad way to waste some time if you didn't have much money to spend. There was very pleasant air conditioning and immediately all the staff were up in arms about Kevin's presence. 

"Were you here for our obedience class?" the greeter at the front of the store asked, struggling to stoop low and offer her wide hand to Kevin's face. "He's a doll!"

"Uh… thanks, but no," Seth said, looking awkwardly at the carts and wondering if he shouldn't just grab one so he could put Kevin inside. "Just… looking…"

"Alright! We've got ferrets coming in at 2:30 from the Animal Humane Society, and then all day we're doing 20% off grooming services!"

"Dude, you should do it!" Sasha nudged Seth, pointing to the separated area where a medium sized dog was being blow dried by a few workers. "If I'm a little late it won't matter!"

"I don't wanna make you stand around and wait for my dog to dry..." Seth said firmly, but with another look at Kevin's tear stained face, he frowned, wondering exactly how expensive the process was. He didn't think dogs needed a lot of pampering, but he hadn't even given Kevin a proper bath in months. He was sure Roman's house was probably smelling a little funny.

Seth stood for a moment, hesitating as he looked at his phone. Sasha was distracted by a German Shepherd that walked through the door and Seth could feel Kevin shift, partially hiding behind his legs.

"How long does it take?" Seth asked the greeter. "For… for a regular grooming. Is there a big wait?"

"We could get you in quick I think!" the woman said excitedly, her round face beaming. "Lemme check for you!" 

The line was short and the price was very reasonable. Later, Seth would just be glad Sasha had nudged him into making the trek and buying the service. After a few minutes where he had to hurriedly look through his email and find proof that Kevin was up-to-date on his shots, he anxiously handed his dog over to be put in a small cage until the groomer was ready.

"Just about forty-five minutes, fifty if you want him completely dry," the man said to him, handing Seth a clipboard where he marked down the services he'd like completed. Dog perfume was a little over the top, but Seth sighed, really considering a little bow.

"This is all your fault," he sniffed, coughing into his elbow as he checked a  _ Yes _ for bows. Sasha just grinned, slapping his arm lightly with the back of her hand. Seth tried not to look at Kevin as they walked out of the small room and back into the main shopping area; he really hoped his dog would behave and wouldn't hassle the groomers.

"I want to look at the birds," Sasha said, directing their path to the aisle where the parakeets were kept. Seth had no opinion, and so he followed after her, smiling at some of the dogs walking around on the floor and trying to walk normally without falling into a limp.

"Can you really not have any pets at your apartment?" Seth asked, looking into a secondary room where rows of bird cages were kept. Most of the birds were squawking and climbing their cages anxiously. 

"Not really… I think I'm allowed like, a crappy fish tank or something, but nothing cool." Sasha shrugged, readjusting her purse. "As much as I want a dog or a cat though, I dunno if I should get one even if I move out."

"It's not that hard," Seth muttered, wiping his nose. "I think Kevin's only had a handful of accidents from me working weird hours."

"Yeah, but, I dunno." Sasha shrugged. "Dunno where I'm going to be, you know? I think my family wants me to move back home sometimes. Moving is stressful with animals."

"I guess that's true," Seth said, smiling a little as a cockatoo came closer to see him, rotating its head curiously and staring back.

"I like zebra finches though," Sasha said, pointing to a cage containing many small birds with orange cheeks and striped plumage. "But then, I think to have birds, you sort of have to grow up with them, you know? So you know how to really take care of them."

"Birds are weird," Seth said dismissively, watching two birds trailing up and down a piece of rope in their cage. "Other than chickens, chickens are cool."

"Are all the little ones doing well?" Sasha asked, holding the door open again for Seth to walk through. "None of them suffered horrible deaths?"

"Nope, they're very hearty," Seth said, pulling out his used napkin to blow his nose again. Luckily enough there was a hand sanitizer dispenser on one of the side walls and Seth accepted some into his hand, wiping it around like lotion. "Crispy, the oldest bird, she used to crow sometimes and she doesn't do it now. She's watching them well."

Despite his nagging sickness, it felt good to walk around the aisles of the store. Sasha kept a slow, sedate pace as they walked along the back wall where the fish tanks were stacked, perusing the placards that described the different breeds and their prices. Holding onto his coffee and keeping most of his weight in his left knee, Seth tried to be happy and cheerful as he walked around. Occasionally, his hand would trace over his pocket and he would pull out his phone. Neither Roman or Dean had texted him since he'd left the house. It wasn't as though he really needed it, but Seth felt a little empty without any affirmation.

"Is it almost time?" Sasha asked, seeing him whip out his phone and check the screen. It wasn't, and Seth shook his head.

"Roman text you?"

"No, he hasn't," Seth said a little sourly, pocketing his device. Sasha didn't inquire, and Seth sighed, staring into a tank of Cichlid fish that were floating around aimlessly. At the top of the tank, one had expired and Seth grimaced, looking at the fish's sad gaping eyes.

"I think Bayley wants to move in with me," Sasha said in a sort of vacant, far off tone. Seth blinked, looking over.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I dunno, I might be reading too much into it." Sasha shrugged. "But… she really doesn't like her dorm at school. I know that much. Her two roommates are like, really stupid nineteen year olds that can't clean and always have their boyfriends over… yeah…" Sasha laughed as Seth groaned. "They're these preppy girls from some suburb… Billie and Peyton or something? They are super cliquey and just don't like B. She hasn't told them about us at all because she thinks they might pull some shit."

"Yikes," Seth mumbled, forgetting his own troubles as he continued to follow Sasha down the aisle of fish. He'd never had to dorm for his brief foray into community college, but he'd always wondered how institutions might handle a mix of hetero and homosexual students.

"Yeah, so like, once the semester's up, she wants to get her own apartment between White Water and UCF, somewhere on the bus line. My apartment is tiny as it is and really the only way she can visit is if I pick her up, because it's hard to get to and stuff. But… yeah… I dunno."

"You dunno if you want her to live with you?" Seth asked, looking down at his friend. Sasha shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean, it's still so early. I think she kind of saw you guys moving in and I can tell she really wants that. But yeah…" Sasha sighed. "It's hard. Her parents are really sweet and great but they don't have any money to help her out with those sorts of things. She hates asking for rides and stuff, so I dunno if she could really ever ask, but I know it's what she wants."

"How has it been though?" Seth asked, legitimately curious. Sasha turned and looked Seth in the eye, strangely serious. "All of it, I mean… this was like, new for you, yeah? The last time we talked…"

Sasha blinked and smiled, blushing hard.

"It's the best." Sasha said, nodding. "It's… it's amazing. I really… I dunno if it's her or not. I don't know if I could ever go for like, any other girl like that-" She swallowed, looking at the ground, embarrassed. "But like, I really  _ really _ like it."

"That's great!" Seth beamed. "You seem happy, I mean, obviously that's not gunna solve this problem, but… I dunno…" 

"I think I want to take a trip with her," Sasha said thoughtfully, looking at a tank full of hermit crabs. "I feel like if we can go out for a few days and that goes well, then I'll know if it's a good idea or not."

"Huh, yeah, probably," Seth agreed, lost in thought for a moment. If his Christmas trip was supposed to be any indicator of compatibility, he probably  _ wouldn't  _ have thought he could live with Dean and Roman. But then, the family factor was a completely volatile element. Sasha's idea sounded very smart though. 

"We'll see…" Sasha settled, standing upright again. "Who knows what's going to happen." 

The two were both more relaxed, walking through the retail areas and looking at various accessories for dogs. For Seth, Sasha's admission had been good to hear and he was sure it had felt good for her to voice it aloud. Deep down, he still had his own reservations about his move, though the good definitely outweighed the bad. He was fully committed to living with Roman and Dean, but he hoped that they might all see some better days soon as the weather became more regular and they were more settled into their new routines.

Sasha pet a chinchilla and Seth was very pleased to make the acquaintance of a slobbery bulldog that came down the aisle, eagerly wiggling to be pet. Right on time, Kevin was returned to him with a much more stylish haircut and a black bow fixed to the top of his head. 

"You smell a lot better buddy." Seth laughed, taking his wiggling dog in his arms and allowing the cashier to run his debit card. Sasha looked at her watch.

"My appointment is in fifteen minutes," she said, cooing over Kevin as they shuffled him into the backseat. "I bet if you wanted to come, you could get your hair fixed up!"

"I'm done with bleach." Seth shook his head. "But… would they do like, a full beard and haircut thing you think? Is it that type of salon?"

"They could do a lather service I think, yeah!" Sasha said, buckling her seatbelt. "Let's do it."

It was lucky enough that Sasha was such good friends with most of the salon staff, nobody cared about the two bringing in a small dog. With such a sharp grooming and hairbows, the ladies were all eager to shower him with love and attention at the service counter. 

"I think the gas station across the street has little dog treats at their checkout, if you wanted to spoil him," Tamina said, trying to pet his fur while the dog happily ran in circles around her feet. Seth felt a little embarrassed about bringing his dog around but the feeling quickly abated when Kevin didn't piss himself with excitement.

"'Dango will help you out in a second, he was just takin' a break," Naomi said to Seth, pointing at a barber's chair in the corner. Seth nodded and scooped up Kevin, wondering if the dog couldn't sit still on his lap without getting covered in sheared hair. 

Seth just flatly assumed the man who was simply referred to as 'Dango' was gay, it wasn't even a question. The barber came out, looking a little bored and unenthused, inspecting Seth's frizzy damaged locks without much preamble. 

"It's been awhile," Seth admitted hastily, setting his phone and his sunglasses on the countertop.

"I'll sort it out," 'Dango said swiftly, his large forearms coming to either side of Seth's neck to appropriately fix the apron. Kevin shuffled obnoxiously and Seth blushed, feeling firm hands run across his cheeks. "How short were you thinking?"

"Not too short… uh…" Seth licked his lips, looking at his reflection in the mirror. The man was undeniably attractive. "Maybe like… a 5/16?"

It wasn't until Seth had a hot towel pressed up against his face and the hands of his barber lightly massaging his cheeks that he felt his pocket buzz. Lost in a comfortably numb pleasure while his nose dripped from the warmth, Seth waited until he was sitting upright again to examine his device.

**Home soon?** Roman had asked, texting him individually.

Seth turned on his camera just as 'Dango was getting out the barber's shears. His face looked pink and warm from the towel, his brown eyes large and moist. Kevin shuffled on his lap and Seth managed a quick photo.

**Once this is done** he explained, sending it off. From the opposite side of the salon, Seth could see Sasha's hair being foiled at the roots, something that would probably take a fair amount of time. 

"You have a very patient little dog," the barber noted, his hands whisking over Seth's face as he went about sculpting his beard. Seth blinked, unable to speak or move his head much.

A shampoo treatment and a teaser neck massage was part of the package, and although Seth had to blow his nose a few times between being serviced, the treatment had given him some time to relax without his head taking him to anxious places. Hopefully, by the time he got home, Dean would be out of the bedroom and moving around and they'd all be a little more sociable. But even if he wasn't, Seth reminded himself that he couldn't make Dean do anything. So long as the man was taking his medication and being forthcoming about his need for space, all Seth could do was be patient and lean into Roman if necessary.

The next day, he would have his PT appointment. He hoped Dr. Del Rey might allow him to take his brace off sooner than later and maybe permit driving, but again, he didn't want to get himself upset if he heard an unfavorable answer. 

After some careful work with the trimmer to get his neckline in order, 'Dango moved back with a mirror and allowed Seth to survey the work. His blonde patch was considerably smaller now and his hair, albeit still wet, no longer frizzed down his chest. 

"I don't want it blow dried, I don't like it all poofy," Seth mentioned, already pulling out his hair band from his wrist. 'Dango's face twitched, as though he had his own opinions, but he refrained from saying them out loud as he loosely applied some argan oil to Seth's head before lowering the chair.

"If only you had some hairbows to match Kevin!" Sasha said after Seth was released from his station and came to wander over to his friend sitting under the drier. 

"We do have bows, actually!" Naomi said excitedly, digging around in a fabric box by the checkout counter. Seth tutted, shaking his head as Sasha set down her magazine. 

"You do look nice though," she added quietly, watching Kevin squirm in Seth's arms as he sat down beside her in the adjacent chair. "Sadly, I'm out of ideas to spend our time."

"No, no, it's cool, this has been more than what I asked for." Seth smiled, putting a hand to his beard and feeling the much smoother surface. "Just needed some time outta the house. I feel less like… sick, you know? Getting out and doing things is better than just sitting around and feeling crummy."

"I feel you." Sasha nodded. "I'll drop you off. How're your boys doing?"

"Okay I guess, I really don't know," Seth admitted, staring across the room at the row of various hair care products for sale. "Dean was feeling really down when I left and Uce-Roman, he had to study and just work on school stuff. We had a weird kind of argument the other day… so I dunno… it's kind of every man for himself right now."

"You'll be okay though?" Sasha asked seriously, looking to Seth. He nodded firmly.

"Yeah, we'll manage, it's fine," he said. "I'm not sure if Dean wanted a new car or not, it's not like we all really need a car since we share rides so much anyway, but he's such a careful driver I don't mind him using my car at all. It's just, the initial loss, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, poor Dean," Sasha said, looking genuinely sympathetic. "I was sort of surprised he didn't get that one job, yeah? Roman's old spot?"

"I know  _ right _ ?" Seth said dramatically, running a hand across his scalp. "What the hell was that? Nothing against the dude- whatever his name is, but seriously, why the hell couldn't Dean just take it?"

"I mean, you guys are kind of a  _ gang _ at work," Sasha admitted. "I can see why they wouldn't want to just like, replace one with the other."

"What do you mean though?" Seth's eyes narrowed. "It's not like we have any sway in what's going on or really care about that kind of stuff."

"It's politics though." Sasha shrugged, scooting a little further under the heater, keeping her head high.

"How are we  _ political _ ?" Seth laughed. "Are you kidding?"

"Roman and Dean both know pretty much every position at the place, whether or not they're there in that capacity, are you joking?" Sasha explained. "Plus Hunter's  _ obviously _ grooming you for upper management stuff. When Neville sprained his ankle, he wasn't asked to work up front or anything. You and Finn are like, the only people he worked hard to keep around."

"Hunter never asked me to work when I couldn't though." Seth corrected, readjusting Kevin in his lap. 

"Yeah, but he's still finding a place for you," Sasha said. "It's not like it's without merit either! You're a really good employee. Dean is most of the time and even though Roman and Hunter butt heads on stuff, he still did his job when he was in that position. I think… well… when that whole thing happened around Christmas time with you and Dean, I think a lot of people just expected you guys to get fired and were surprised when you didn't."

"Lots of people like AJ you mean," Seth snorted, speaking a little quieter. 

"People thought it would be a bigger deal though, Hunter really tried to keep the thing hush hush, I thought. What?" Sasha paused as she saw Seth's face turn indignant. 

"How do you know all this crap?"

"I actually  _ talk _ to my co-workers." Sasha laughed. "That's another thing too, people think you're a little snobby sometimes because you only ever hang around your boys."

"Man, I don't give a shit about  _ any _ of this," Seth griped, slumping in his seat. "I could care less. Why does any of this matter?"

"It doesn't, not really." Sasha shrugged. "Just stuff I've noticed."

"Well, you'd warn me if like, anyone was out to get me right?" Seth asked. The drier abruptly turned off and Sasha frowned, looking for Tamina. 

"Are you planning something?"

"No! I just mean like… like if AJ was trying to lie about us and say something, you'd tell me right away, yeah?"

"I mean, I don't really talk to AJ, but yeah, of course," Sasha said, holding still as Tamina checked on her roots. "Same for me, yeah? Just, make sure nobody knows about me and B until I want them to know. Some people do, but I don't want any weirdness either."

"Sure," Seth agreed. "Absolutely."

Sasha's hair took a long time to dry, but once they'd finally paid and left the salon, it didn't take long for Seth to get home. There wasn't much traffic and his mind was buzzing again with all of Sasha's revelations about White Water. He hadn't thought much of it, but Hunter was awfully preferential about Seth's job in the workplace and he'd always chalked it up to being a good, communicative worker. He never really thought of himself as being part of a clique, especially at work, but a lot of folks at White Water lived differently than he did and had separate values. Randy, AJ and Kevin had families, Enzo and Cass were loud and obnoxious types, and Bayley and Finn were in college still. The pool had a flexible schedule and so it attracted all sorts of employees.

If Seth was going to be accused of hanging around his boyfriends, he supposed he wanted to be more conscious of his time, but he didn't really want to change anything. If anything, he was seeing much less of them since he wasn't in the pool area at the moment. People just liked to gossip, no matter where he went.

"Today was really fun! I hope everything goes okay," Sasha said, pulling up to the house and leaning over to pet Kevin one last time. "Text me more!"

"I know, I know, I'm bad about it," Seth said, leaning in to give his friend a sort of awkward, dog-squishing hug. "Whenever we're all 100% again… I dunno… maybe we can have a sort of housewarming party thing for a few friends."

"Cool people," Sasha agreed. Seth pulled himself out of the car and set Kevin on the ground to toddle behind him. The air was still hot and muggy, and so Seth quickly made his way inside, holding the door open for his dog.

The house appeared to be empty and Seth's stomach cramped uncomfortably as he walked into the kitchen, looking around. Everything smelled clean and fresh as the carpet cleaners had obviously come and serviced the living space. A note had been left on the counter and Seth glanced down, reading Roman's careful handwriting

_ Went grocery shopping early, were out of some stuff. Baked chicken for dinner later  _

Seth bit his lip, wondering if Dean was still laying down in the guest room. He supposed it was possible that he could have gone with Roman, but the energy of the house seemed to indicate otherwise. The central air was humming and the refrigerator was buzzing softly. The sun was sinking low in the sky and casting long shadows across the floor, giving Kevin one last sunbeam to lay in.

Carefully, testing the waters, Seth walked down the hall and peered into the open door of the guest room. No one was laying in the bed, but the main bedroom door was also open and Seth could see Dean, covered in blankets on the huge mattress. Leaning in the doorway, Seth couldn’t hear any snoring noises or shuffling, but it was hard to be sure if Dean was asleep or not when he  was laying on his side, facing away from the door and nuzzled deep into one of the thick pillows.

As an experiment, Seth retreated to the kitchen and grabbed Kevin to bring with him. The dog was very tired from such an exciting day and he whined a little from being jostled, but Seth was sure that Dean would respond better to an animal than a human if he was feeling depressed. 

Seth entered the room and sank down onto the opposite side of the mattress, Kevin fitted between them and Dean instinctively reached out a hand for him to lick slowly. Seth watched as his boyfriend's eyes began to look more alert and aware, though neither man said anything for minutes.

"You need anything?" Seth asked, throat hoarse and a little raspy. "Meds? Water?"

Dean just shook his head, smirking a little at Kevin's lopsided hairbow. Dean's own hair was its usual scraggly mess, but his face looked exhausted and a little puffy, as though he'd been privately crying for some time. 

"I'll eat dinner later," Dean said roughly, unable to draw his gaze from the dog. Seth nodded, pulling up his left leg so he could sit half cross legged on the mattress. 

"Do you…" Seth felt stupid. "Do you want me to… to go or anything? I kinda… I miss you…" He fidgeted hard, his voice crackling. Seth knew Dean didn't have it in him to explode in an angry mess, but he also didn't want to take advantage of his low energy. It was hard to tell if he was being selfish or reasonable, asking for anything.

"You can stay," Dean said with a little lilt to his voice as he continued to pat at Kevin's fur. 

For some time, Seth just watched Dean pet his dog, consumed with the simple act of moving his fingers repetitively in one spot. Seth leaned on the bed frame and dared himself to move closer, inching into the space above Dean's head and extending an arm out where the pillows were stacked. There wasn't any jumbled anxiety filling his chest, no horrid feeling that at any minute, Dean would yank himself away and curl up into an inaccessible ball. Everything was dim, quiet and calm, and eventually Seth found his own hands reaching around Dean's back, idly scratching the area as Dean purred and stilled, nuzzling back down into the pillows. Both Seth and Roman were very aware of Dean's special spot, right around the upper ridge of his shoulder blades that made the man turn into a puddle whenever it was touched. Dean's hooded eyes went slack and his rounded cheeks appeared softer and pinker than before. 

It was obviously a nice feeling. Despite the fact that Dean had spent all day in bed, he was still comfortable in that spot. Seth's fingers moved back and forth, and he felt incredibly pleased with his ability to make Dean feel alright, if only for a few moments. All touch, all energy, without any confusing words or moments that felt forced or misconstrued. 

The side door opened and slammed some time later and Seth felt Kevin hop off the bed to follow the sound of Roman's shuffling feet and plastic grocery bags squeaking. However, neither man moved, too heavy and preoccupied to be concerned with anything else. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clean shaven men and dogs are very important. 
> 
> Next time: Can Dean come around? Will Seth's brace come off soon? Who is the new employee, really?
> 
> Review/Donate if you're so inclined!
> 
> EDIT: 10/2 I'm sorry! Chapter 119 is late! I had my last trip this weekend and I'm in a charter bus as I type this out. Next chapter will be posted ASAP, though I might be forced to wait a week. Apologies! Things will be more on track going forward.


	119. Pain and Mizery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth finds some exercise he can do and Dean receives something he can hold onto. Roman keeps his distance and the new employee at White Water proves difficult.

Brace off, clothes in a puddle on the bedroom floor, Seth's knee had been propped on a pillow so he could gingerly ease his weight onto it. Dean tented himself over his back and kept rubbing his face up and down Seth's shoulder blades as they panted, rocking back and forth.

They had woken up slow. Roman had already gotten up and was probably making breakfast, but neither Dean nor Seth had been quick to rise from their spots. The night before, Dean had been predictably quiet and reserved, and Seth was just happy enough that he'd been allowed to share space without causing his boyfriend to withdraw. 

Seth woke to a new day, with the sun shining through the windows, and a hand tracing the back of his thigh and rolling over the curve of his bottom. He was a little startled but his dick was already humming to greet the day, so he didn't question it much. Without preamble, they'd laid together, kissing and stroking each other's skin, until Dean mounted him and pushed himself into the root, laying long, sweeping strokes with his cock. 

Tender and sore from the pressure, Seth favored his left knee, but didn't try to move off of his stomach as Dean prepped him slowly and eventually slid in. It was a lot of sensation to feel, so early in the morning, and Seth's stomach cramped uncomfortably for a moment, trying to adjust to the intrusion. After a few moments of very small, repetitive strokes, the tension eased and Seth relaxed into the mess of his own hair splayed on the pillow, groaning softly.

Neither man spoke, their breath drawing loud in the vacant air. Both of them were sniffing and panting a little, going about a quarter of the speed they usually would. Without any of Dean's usual dirty talk, all Seth could feel was the closeness, the space that shrunk with every stroke from hip to hip. Dean's short and sharp public hair grazed his backside, fingers pressing, then running down the lengths of Seth's legs. Then, Dean's chest and belly came in to drape over his back while his arms constricted around Seth's front. 

"Mmgn," Dean sighed, drawing a circle with his cock, his speech vibrating against Seth's back. Seth purred back, fanning himself open further until he felt Dean finally graze against his prostate. Reading him carefully, Dean backtracked until he was right on top of the little bullseye, rolling over and over and over again as Seth's mouth fell open drooling. All he was conscious to was the pleasurable poke, and Dean's head draped over his neck, snuffling and grunting softly.

Just as Seth felt the pressure begin to build, Dean went even slower, bottoming out and digging as though he was testing for well water. His hips never left his backside, but rather rolled back and forth, coaxing Seth up and down expertly. He choked a little, hands dancing to push lengths of brown hair out of his eyes. Dean's own palms came up and pressed lightly on the back of his head, holding him in place.

Dean inhaled sharply through his nose, and deep in his gut, Seth could feel him thickening up and pulsing, warm with release. It was always a rather alien, weird feeling, and if Seth didn't have the day off, he might have been a little annoyed about the likelihood of leaking come all afternoon. The twitching warm energy across his back left little room for mental processing though, and as Dean continued to beat softly, Seth shook from the milky feeling in his ass. 

Seth croaked, wobbling a little on his knee as Dean sniffed hard again, obviously battling between wanting to collapse and minding Seth's injury. He pressed his forehead against Seth's shoulder blades and reached for his cock, stroking as slowly and methodically as he'd fucked. With a shuddering breath timed between pulls, Seth gasped as he felt his prostate vibrating like a taut bow and his dick began to leak all over the sheets. 

Everything was warm, tensing and releasing. Seth panted softly, feeling tears prick in the corners of his eyes as Dean released his dick and patted him on the side of his bottom, drawing out and reaching to push a towel to his boyfriend's bottom. Even now, after such an intimate act, reality seemed to push back at them, implementing an awkward silence as they cleaned up. 

Though Dean was still obviously moody, the sex did seem to help some. Roman only lightly ribbed them at the breakfast table and Dean sat in his underwear, quiet and tired, but at least present. The omelets hit the spot quickly and Seth thought dimly about showering before his appointment. But Dean just continued to sit at the table, looking out the window with glossy eyes.

"Summer actually wanted to call me in an hour before Milo and Tamar's soccer game," Roman said, turning down the radio and looking at the two men. "Do you feel like taking Seth to his appointment, Dean-o?"

"Hmm, sure," Dean said, unmoving in his gaze as he scratched his foot under the table. 

"Thanks," Seth said, nudging his toe against Dean's foot before he got up and put his plate in the sink. He wasn't sure why Roman couldn't drive him and use his phone, but he figured it might be good to get Dean out of the house. Dimly, he remembered that he also needed to call his own family.

_ And figure out moving and do everything else... _ Seth thought, sighing as he blew his nose and tossed the tissue in the garbage. After some inspection of the overhead space in the garage, he was pretty sure that the dimensions of his box spring would fit. There wasn't much else that he needed to hold onto, except for his TV and the stand it rested on. His couch was garbage, the coffee table didn't need to be kept and the smaller things, like his lamps and kitchen appliances, wouldn't take up too much space. If Roman thought it was too cluttered, he could always get a storage locker, but at the moment, Seth was a lot more keen to just throw things away rather than renting extra space.

Digging crudely at his ass and feeling distinctly sure Dean's come was still leaking out of him, Seth took a shower before his appointment. Everything felt strange and empty, and he hoped moving around might ease the listlessness of it all. After pushing his clean hair under a cap, containing a coughing fit, and tying up his Metcon shoes, Seth climbed into the car so Dean could drive him to the clinic under the cover of the radio.

"What do you think… Were you just going to go back home?" Seth asked, pushing his legs out of the passenger's side door and looking to his boyfriend cautiously. Dean just shrugged, tracing the seam line on the steering wheel.

"I thought I might just drive around a lil' bit…" He sighed, staring at the dashboard. "I'll gas it up some, but I dunno… I don't wanna be at the house."

"I feel that." Seth smiled a little, leaning into the doorframe. "Go do whatever you want. It should just take the usual amount of time. I love you."

"Yeah, love you too… thanks," Dean said, and Seth made his way into the clinic.

Having sex before physical therapy was better than after, leaving Seth a lot more focused than he'd been during his previous visit on Wednesday. Dr. Del Rey greeted him, just as calm and happy as ever, assisting with some stretches of his knee to warm up his joint as usual. Seth was beginning to recognize some of the other people who used the space for rehabilitation, and he waved to a short haired, white man with one leg who seemed to always be around when he was.

"That's Zach," Sara said, waving to the man as well. "How's everything been feeling?"

"Mmgh, okay." Seth winced, gritting his teeth a little as Dr. Del Rey pushed down on his unbraced leg, his thigh pressing to his front. "It feels weird sometimes, like… when I touch it here-" Seth poked his fingers to his kneecap and rolled around his patella. "Like, it doesn't hurt, but it feels different than my other knee."

"That's normal, it's your patella tendon," she said wisely. "It's like, a numbness, right? It feels weird, but it's fine. Here, let's try a full extension."

Dr. Del Rey eased off Seth's leg and hovered her hand on each side of his calf, as though she was a puppeteer and her patient was a marionette. Grimacing, Seth tried, pulling his knee from it's resting spot on the table to rise with her hands in a controlled manner. It was a little painful, and his thigh vibrated from the difficulty of keeping his foot aloft, but eventually his knee was fully extended, albeit not very flexible.

"That's great! Those raises really are paying off!" Dr. Del Rey beamed, watching as Seth exhaled hard and let his foot fall back onto the table. His face was sweating and his knee throbbed dully, but he couldn't help smiling.

"Yeah? On track?" he asked, his chest fluttering when she nodded enthusiastically.

"Absolutely, you're doing great!" she insisted. "It's slow, but that's some great progress."

Some of the weight of Dean's problems lifted from his chest as Seth did shallow hack squats and lateral swings against some medium resistance. It was often hard for him to be pleased about his situation. With Cesaro gone and his CrossFit membership canceled, he had nothing to do but reminisce about his former health. Working the front desk wasn't as simple as lifeguarding, and it seemed that pain was just going to be a part of his existence, whether or not he took an ibuprofen. However, seeing Dr. Del Rey's smile as his knee finally straightened out on his own accord was a big step. 

He had to remind himself that the surgery had only been a month ago, and even though it seemed like ages because it had been so painful, Seth knew his full recovery was expected to extend out until June or so. Despite it all, he was on track and if he kept his momentum going, he could expect to be completely healthy again. 

"Do you think I'll be able to take the brace off soon?" Seth asked, balancing on his leg as he stood on a wobble board, trying to keep himself upright. Dr. Del Rey stood nearby, offering her hands should he need to tap them to stay straight.

"You could try it during the day," she said. "It's good that you were in such good shape before the injury really, your quad strength is there. You could try just wearing a compression sleeve when you're out and about, but I would still wear the brace to bed for another week or so."

She smiled sympathetically as Seth pouted, vibrating back and forth to keep his leg locked in position. 

"I just… I miss sleeping without waking up 'cause of that damn thing," Seth mumbled, looking at the brace laying on the low table, as though it was sensitive to his remarks. "Coffee only helps so much."

"Just one more week," she reminded him. "I think next month you can start driving too, depending on your pain. On each new step there's always some discomfort and we just wanna make sure you're moving smart and not putting yourself in a position to tear again."

"Well, I haven't done a box jump since," Seth grumbled, setting his left leg down and readjusting. "When can I start working out again? I feel like I'm wasting away, just sitting at home." 

"As far as strength training stuff goes, you're fine to do upper body, for sure," she said, nodding as Seth stepped off the wobble board completely. She handed him a resistance band to put on his shins so they could do some lateral walking. "But for cardio stuff, well, you wanna walk before you run. If you go to a gym and use a bike, I'd say just use low resistance and observe your body, make sure you're not working up to a lot of soreness and immobility the next day. Have you ever heard of a SkiErg?"

"Nah," Seth mumbled, fixing the band properly and looking up to Sara. 

"Here, follow me, we'll walk over to it." She pointed to the opposite corner of the gym and Seth began walking sideways. They’d never used the equipment on the far side of the gym before and as Seth watched a few people using the machines, he realized it looked to be for rehabilitating shoulders and elbows mostly. Sara began pressing a few buttons on the display of a tall standup machine with bright green handles.

"It's something that we don't use very much, there aren't a lot of downhill skiiers in Orlando." She laughed, and Seth blinked, suddenly remembering.

"My friend actually told me about something like this," he said, watching as Dr. Del Rey bent from the hip and pulled the handles down, like she was pushing along on skis. "Yeah, my friend Cesaro was talking about this. He's a personal trainer."

"Yeah, it's a good machine. You might enjoy it to work up a sweat," she said, moving aside and letting Seth shirk out of the resistance band to give it a try. "You have a trainer you go to?"

"Well, not really, I don't pay him." Seth shrugged. "He's just a good friend of mine that got me into CrossFit and gives me loads of advice for lifting and stuff." Seth pulled down on the handles and adjusted when Sara instructed him to lightly bend his knees. "I think you actually met him one time, he brought me in for my first appointment. But he's out of action right now too. He tore his rotator cuff."

"Oh no!" She frowned. "That's no good. Does he rehab around here?"

"N-no," Seth panted, drawing his arms back. The machine was fairly difficult and Seth's triceps burned with the effort. "He's… he's from Switzerland… he went back to get his surgery…" 

"I think I remember him…" Dr. Del Rey thought aloud, marking something down on her clipboard. "That's terrible though, shoulder's are always a real pain to rehab. I've had a few other clients with labral tears and such, if he comes back, we could help him here if he needed it."

"...Yeah…" Seth strained, barely hearing her. The buzz of the exercise felt good and he breathed hard, wishing he could go for another five minutes or so. Unfortunately though, he was there for his knee and with just a few minutes left in his session, there was just enough time to do some STIM and stretch before it was over.

"How were the monster trucks? I forgot to ask last time," Dr. Del Rey said, setting down her clipboard and adjusting the machine to the proper output. Seth laid out, his hands behind his head, sweating lightly. 

"They were fun. It ended up being a pretty good time." He shrugged. "Went in with no expectations." 

"That's always the best." Sara smiled. "Anything fun coming up? How's work been?"

"Same old," Seth sighed, wiping his forehead and relaxing into the comforting buzz. "In a few weeks, well, me and my… my boyfriend and I are going on a houseboat." 

"Oh wow, really?" she asked, looking bright and excited. Seth swallowed, still sure that polyamory was a little too out-there to drop on his PT. 

"Yeah, uh, in the Keys," Seth said, licking his lips and clearing his throat hard. "I haven't been there before, so that's pretty cool."

"Just gotta make sure you stay out of the way of the spring breakers." She laughed. Seth felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he was sure it was Dean. "That'll be fun though. We'll have to see how many appointments you have left, but just let me know any dates you'll be out of town and we can adjust for that."

"Yeah, of course." Seth nodded, distantly trying to think when the exact dates of his trip where. "I'll let you know…"

What Dean had done for his alone time wasn't exactly clear, but he had a quarter cup of Dairy Queen ice cream left in the car when Seth limped to the parking lot. He knocked on the door of the Cadillac and immediately Dean unlocked the door, licking a speck of soft serve off his finger as Seth settled in the passenger's seat. 

Everything was quiet, and Seth watched the surroundings go by as Dean managed to eat the rest of his treat with the cup in his lap while still steering the car in the direction of the house. The sun was shining bright, and a light breeze rustled the palms as they made their way along. For Seth, the spot of exercise had been helpful, but going home meant being thrown back into Dean's problems and the sort of generalized anxiety he was feeling about relocating. There wasn't much he had left to do with his day except laundry, and he couldn't think of anything in the house that sounded appetizing. 

As they made their way to the highway, Seth had an idea. He perked his head up and bit his lip, looking at the diverging highway lanes that led south and southeast. 

"Hey, do you think we can swing by my apartment quick?" Seth asked, looking to Dean. "If it's not too much trouble?"

Dean blinked, looking over his shoulder before putting on his turn signal and moving into the appropriate lane.

"...Thanks…" Seth said awkwardly, relaxing in his seat as they exited towards Seth's old place instead of the house. If Dean wondered what they were doing, he didn't ask. Seth peered at his keyring fitted into the ignition, watching it swing back and forth as they pulled off the highway and onto the main road. He'd meant to grab the extra key from his place earlier- it was just smart to have, just in case he lost his lanyard or something. 

"I'll be right back," Seth mumbled, hopping out of the car as carefully as he could while Dean idled in the fifteen minute parking area. Without even bothering to check if the elevator had been fixed, Seth made for the stairs, holding tight to the railings as he smelled the familiar old smell of the building as he remembered it. It was a strange feeling, coming back to the place, now some sort of lavish storage for a lot of things he didn't use. 

The apartment was stifling hot as he entered, filled with dusty old air that hadn't been vented in some time. Seth coughed, mostly because he was sick, and moved quickly, sure that he didn't want to hold up his boyfriend. Opening the drawers in the kitchen and rifling through a few random tools and old receipts, Seth found the spare key fob and pocketed it quickly. 

"I uh, I wanted to give this to you," Seth explained, shifting back in the car and rooting around in his pants to give Dean the key. "It'll be a little bit before I'm supposed to drive again, and really, it's not a big deal if you use my car…"

Dean frowned, taking the key from Seth and giving him a sort of difficult look. Dean always looked a little haggard and tired, especially so at the moment as he was sick and depressed over the whole car business. Seth wasn't expecting some grandiose reaction of gratefulness, but he hoped that Dean was at least a little pleased, even if he couldn't show it.

"I dunno… I dunno if you were planning on getting another car or anything, but at least right now, I don't want you to feel like you need to. Between me and Uce, we got plenty of wheels. I don't feel weird giving you that," he added, watching Dean fit the key into the ignition. "Unless… unless I like  _ need _ the car or I got work or whatever, I don't care if you use it or wanna just get out of the house. I mean… obviously just give me a heads up… but… yeah…"

"Thanks man," Dean mumbled, starting the car again. "I appreciate it."

"Of course," Seth said softly, sinking back in his seat. "Do you think… Do you think you'll get another car?"

"I dunno…" Dean sighed, pulling back on the road and looking ahead contemplatively. His beard was extra ginger in the sunshine and he'd pulled out a stick of gum to chew at some point. "I don't really give a shit about all this, it's just annoyin' is all." He shot Seth a sidelong glance. "I'm fine though… I just… I haven't smoked in a few days… I just kinda got a headache."

"Yeah?" Seth asked, unable to stop from smiling. "Just… trying to quit again?"

"Well when you're sick smoking fuckin' sucks anyway," Dean muttered, rolling the gum between his teeth as he drove on, "But… yeah… I dunno. We'll see if it sticks."

He put his hand on Seth's knee and Seth held it for a moment, comparing their fingers and tickling his knuckles. He felt better, and he knew Dean did too if he was looking for touch. 

Deep down, Seth knew Dean  _ did _ care a lot about the car, but if he didn't want to discuss it now, Seth didn't mind.They still hadn't really talked about the job position being filled either, and all Seth could do was support and encourage him to use the Cadillac as much as he needed. More for his own reassurance than anything else. Seth rubbed Dean's knuckles, looking ahead and feeling marginally more relaxed. 

* * *

Getting back to work the next day meant taking a lot of ibuprofen and hoping for the best. Seth checked the time on his phone as he drove with Roman to work, absentmindedly rubbing his knee. He'd went ahead and slid on his old compression sleeve that morning, but he now felt a little unsure and naked without the brace.

"Sore from yesterday?" Roman asked, drinking coffee from his thermos. Seth nodded, unconsciously flexing his thigh. 

"I took meds, I just did a lot yesterday," he muttered, paging through his phone. Cesaro had sent another snapchat, looking a little sleepy, but smiling as he took a photo in front of a mirror. His arm was practically taped to his chest by a thick dressing, freshly operated upon.

**It go good?** Seth asked, typing out a reply.

"Well, let me know if you wanna leave with me at the end of my shift," Roman added, turning onto the street in front of White Water. "I'm all done with my school work for now, but I was thinking I might varnish the chicken coop before it gets too hot out."

"I'll be fine," Seth said firmly, looking up as he realized his tone was a little curt. "...Thanks…"

Dean's moodiness was clearing, but Seth and Roman were still struggling a little to keep their own heads together and not sink into isolation. Watching Dean lay in bed while he and Roman got ready for work, Seth realized that Dean acted as a sort of tension breaker that was only appreciated when he couldn't fulfill his role. Seth knew he was always a little broody and sarcastic, and Roman tended to quietly worry the most of the three. With Dean acting sullen and sleepy, their breakfasts were considerably quieter and Seth felt like a broken record, asking Roman to repeat words that were mumbled too softly for his ears to pick up.

It sucked, and Seth wanted it over. He wished he had Sami to work with for the busy Monday morning rush, but Enzo was at the front desk instead.

"Ayyyye hey blondie!" he crowed as Seth came closer. Roman was unable to stifle a smirk as he continued to the back. "You gunna be up here floppin' copies with me?"

"N-no," Seth said, entirely sure he'd rather unclog toilets in the family locker rooms with his bare hands than spend his mornings with the small, damaged-haired man. "It's all you."

Seth thought to go and ask Hunter if he needed help with anything, but before he could walk across the stretch of tile in the observation area, Kevin caught him with a pointed wave. 

"You're with me, yeah? You ready?" he asked, pushing his rolling garbage trolley to a halt. "That new guy wanted help cleaning out his office and I don't wanna do it."

"Huh?" Seth frowned, suddenly remembering that Kevin had asked for Seth's assistance. "Oh… oh okay. Sure. What all do I need… to do…?"

It was probably better than working with Enzo, but Seth wasn't sure if it was really  _ that  _ much better in the long run. Kevin led him downstairs to the basement where Seth had never been before, and into a small office that was unbearably warm, in close proximity to a giant, thunderous hot water heater that was working to keep all the pools at the appropriate temperature. The chlorine smell was thick in the air, and Seth sneezed, quickly trying to rub his nose on his wrist, disgusted and overwhelmed. 

"Shirt's nice, but you might get it all sweaty and gross. You could wear one of these-" Kevin tossed Seth a grey janitor's shirt with front pockets and short sleeves. "Might smell funny, but it's new'n all."

"Okay…" Seth muttered, placing the shirt over his shoulder and following Kevin to a supply closet in the dimly lit boiler room. 

"Some sprays-" Kevin handed him a plain, unmarked bottle of what appeared to be Windex. "These magic erasers are good… I dunno exactly what he wants, but this is where everythin' is. There's the mop bucket over there, and uh… here…" He fished in his front pocket, pulling out a small key with his thick, chubby hands. "Universal key, it'll get you into here, the door locks when you shut it. If you want a walkie you can grab the spare one up front too."

"Okay… sure," Seth said, sure that he was competent enough to clean anything. "Where you… what were you gonna be doing?" 

"The rounds, garbages and windows and stuff," Kevin muttered, standing up to his full height again and dusting off. "I got my walkie too. Take however long ya' want though, I got a list of stuff to do, but a lot of what I want, we can't do till I get the next chemical order."

He left, and Seth blinked, rearranging the cleaning supplies in his arms. Roman had surely already cleaned out his office to some degree,  _ right _ ? 

Entering the former office now had none of the previous aura of welcome from when his boyfriend had been stationed there, especially with AJ looking fit to snap over Seth's presence. After tossing on the grey work shirt, Seth grabbed a bucket to put his cleaning supplies in and took the elevator to the top floor where the offices overlooked the adaptive pool. Roman's sparse personal belongings were gone, and the computer tower was now on the opposite side of the desk, stripped of the old sticky notes and job codes that had been taped to the machine. 

Mike, or Miz as he apparently liked to be called, was just about the opposite of Roman on every point. Over enthusiastic, smiling obnoxiously, and condescending on just about every level, Seth found himself loathing the man down to his posture. 

"There's so many Mike's around all the time, Miz is just  _ spiffier  _ if you know what I mean," he said loudly, drumming his hands on his new desk and kicking the ergonomic chair back. "But you… what did you say your name was?"

"Seth," Seth said shortly. Neither man made a move to shake hands, but for a moment it looked as though Miz was concerned Seth might try to. His eyes flickered to Seth's hands on the cleaning bucket and by the way his lip curled, Seth was positive Miz assumed he was dirty or something.

" _ Awesome _ , well, you see, I would get down there and clean those boot marks under the desk, but then… well… I just had this dental surgery and it's been  _ terrible _ ." Miz patted his lips, his neck rotating a degree to flick his swath of blonde hair from his eye line. "I just lean right over and I get this head rush, now, the doctor's said that would clear up after a  _ few _ days, what with the anesthetic working it's way out of my system and all, but my wife had to drive this morning because I felt  _ so _ jittery and rambunctious after my latte, you know. But anyway, I figured if I'm going to be looking at screens and filling out paperwork all day, I ought to save my senses. It's so ridiculous I know, it's just nitrous oxide! I didn't even think at first I needed the surgery, but one look at that chipped tooth and I just knew my wife would be heartbroken if I didn't get my smile back-"

Seth felt like his neck was going to be sore, nodding so much. Though Miz never did seem to shut up. Laying on his side and allowing his legs to drape across the floor, Seth sweat hard as he scrubbed at the cheap plastic, pulling the marks from the back of the cubicle and managing to create a small puddle of cleaning water that drenched his armpit and side. Miz continued to blather on, sitting on the chair and watching Seth. Occasionally, he tried to engage AJ in conversation, looking over a small tablet pad he'd brought in and asking something like "Where's a great place for couples to go out around here? I need to show my wife off somewhere!" or, "I wish that there was a dog park you could pay to go to. You ever just see a dog owner and just _know_ they don't vaccinate their pets?" 

AJ put on a Christian radio station just as Seth was finishing up, which made Seth doubly pleased about leaving.

"Oh! Do you think you can move all the mannequins downstairs too?" Miz asked, pointing to a pile of CPR dummies in bags by the door. "I don't want to keep them up here. Their faces are creepy."

"Where do they go?" Seth asked, wincing a little as he stood up fully and felt his knee twinge a little. Miz just shrugged flippantly.

"I dunno! Wherever they'll fit I guess. There's got to be some better storage than my office anyways. I'm sure you know the building better than I do."

Fuming, Seth went to get a dolly from the basement to haul the mannequins away, wondering if he was just supposed to ask Kevin about finding a place he could stow the dummies. He'd known that Dean had kept a few in his office, and it was possible that these were the ones. How much space Dean actually had at the moment was questionable, but Seth thought to look before he started asking for help. 

Feeling like a real idiot wheeling a dolly around the pool deck, Seth started when he realized Dean was sitting in his office chair with all the lights off. With a flick of the switch, Dean turned, eyebrow raised. Comparatively, Dean's office was much cleaner than the last time Seth had seen it. It was no longer a struggle to hold the door open and make his way inside as there was only a single container on the floor. Books were stacked neatly and organized on the shelf over the computer.

"It's tidy," Seth noted, more surprised than he wanted to admit. "The… the new dude upstairs, he wanted to put all these dummies somewhere…"

Dean craned his neck to see the dolly through the windows and stood up, feeling in his pockets for his keys. 

"There's the storage closet by the lap pool," he muttered. “I think that's where they were earlier."

"Oh, cool." Seth followed after Dean and they walked through the emergency exit door, hauling the dolly behind and making sure it didn't get caught on any tight corners. The wheels bumped loudly on the file floor as they made their way down to the very end of the hall to a door Seth hadn't entered before. Dean turned his key in the lock, and pushed the door open, exposing a small room with a concrete floor and shelves full of lifeguard training manuals.

"I dunno when Hunter's next class was, but it's fine if they're here," Dean said, gesturing for Seth to hand him the bags. Seth obliged, pushing the dolly into the room so it wasn't blocking the hallway.

"The new dude is so goddamn annoying," Seth complained, forgetting himself. "Fuck, I wish it was you, seriously."

"I  _ don't _ wish it was me," Dean admitted, his tone betraying no bias. "I don't wanna work with AJ any more than I already do."

"Yeah… but still…" Seth sighed, not wanting to make Dean feel any worse that he already felt. "I dunno… I guess I'm selfish."

"Maybe you shoulda tried for it," Dean offered. "Hunter likes you a lot."

"Why does everyone think Hunter  _ loves _ me?" Seth whined. "Just because he's helping me get hours?"

Dean made a sort of grunting noise, pushing the bags so they rested flush with the wall. The door had shut behind them and they were all alone in the dimly lit room. Seth rested his weight on the dolly as Dean looked him over carefully.

"Lookin' fine in your little janitor outfit." He chuckled, coming over to play with the hem of Seth's grey shirt. Seth whined again, crossing his legs. They really couldn't afford any funny business at work, not after last time.

"I like the other one better," Seth said softly. "I miss guarding."

"You miss wearing spandex shorts." Dean snickered, his hand wrapping around Seth's waist. 

"Not now…" Seth sighed, holding onto Dean's fingers. As much as he totally would have wanted to blow Dean in the closet, he was sure he'd be fired if he was caught. Really, they couldn't even be alone together. If AJ watched them walk out, he might just say something to cause trouble. 

"Later," Dean agreed, kissing his forehead. Seth felt his dick roll over frustratedly in his pants and he exhaled, watching Dean open the door and make his way back down the hall to P-pool. In the distance, echos of voices rang off walls and patrons made their way past the door, leaving the locker rooms to go home. Seth ran a hand through his hair and heard the walkie talkie at his hip crackle and Kevin's voice was heard clearly. 

"Hey Seth?"

"Mmyeah?" Seth answered back, pushing brown hair toward the back of his head. He held the walkie to the side of his beard, waiting.

"I was gonna power wash the stairs, you should come help."

"Okay sure… one sec." Seth pushed the dolly back out of the door and made to store it back in the basement. He only had a few more hours left, and for all of Kevin's snarkiness and haughty attitude, he definitely wasn't Miz, so Seth didn't mind getting his pant legs a little wet to help him out. He hadn't even noticed the difference in not wearing his brace anyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Earylish update because I took a week off. How about Hell in a Cell you guys? Crazy ending! This weekend is my birthday and if you have a review for me I'd love to hear it! Tomorrow on Raw we'll see if the boys want to get the band back together...
> 
> Next week: Seth starts the moving process. The boys feel better, but other odds and ends creep up. Is there family trouble a foot? February ends and March comes in like a lion...
> 
> Thanks! <3


	120. Countdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth makes some final arrangements to move. Texts, calls, giftcards. The boys try to be there for each other. 
> 
> **Read the chapter notes at the end!

The month of February ended on a Tuesday and despite how difficult it had all been, Seth was glad he had the extra day of a leap year in the event it took him longer to remove all of his things from his old apartment. The work week continued on and Seth's knee was holding up okay with the extra activity he was putting on it. At the end of each shift, he mustered up whatever energy he had left and usually Roman drove him to his old unit so they could work on boxing up and throwing away his belongings.

Kevin helped supply the boxes, pawning off the cardboard he had lying around from extra shipments of bleach and degreaser. He seemed to enjoy having an extra hand around at work to do the duties he usually loathed, abusing Seth's natural inclination to be useful. One morning, Seth polished all the stainless steel railings in the adaptive pool with a smelly pink paste and a rough sponge, hobbling around and sweating profusely from working in the hot room. The next day, he stripped the entire break room down and scrubbed the floors, tables and chairs. With the extra movement, Seth felt sore at the end of the day, but he was gaining flexibility in his joint he hadn't had since last year. 

"I think the contractors come next week so if you're still hanging out with me, we'll be on park duty getting everything in order." Kevin said to Seth during their lunch break, gesturing with a slice of pizza. Seth nodded, eating the sandwich he'd packed that morning. In an attempt to be a little healthier, he'd only packed a pinch of girl scout cookies to nibble on for a snack.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and Seth pulled it out, seeing a reply to his conversation with Cesaro. The two had been chatting more frequently, usually later in the day Seth's time, because Cesaro had been awake at night more often in Lucerne. Similarly to Seth, his experiences with painkillers weren't positive, but his family seemed to be taking good care of him.

_ Late night movie to start my day _ Cesaro had snapchatted him a picture of a TV playing  _ Casino Royale _ in a dark room. 

_ Which one is that again? _ Seth asked, absorbed into his phone as Kevin complained about Hunter starting his schedule later  _ They play poker in that one right? _

After lunch, Seth was abruptly pulled from helping Kevin fix a fire door to clean out a bathroom that a child had defiled in the locker room. The smell was horrifying and burned it's way into his nostrils well after he'd finished the job, but Seth was grateful that his tasks weren't overlapping with AJ or Miz. 

However, Dean's job did, and every night he returned home in a foul mood after working side by side with the man and his wife Maryse. Miz apparently wanted to get an intimate idea of how the swim lessons functioned during the evening and so he shadowed and gave tips from the deck. 

"Hope he's doing okay," Seth said softly, talking with Roman about how miserable their boyfriend was likely to be over dinner if Miz had decided to elbow his way into swim lessons again that day. Roman was sitting in the corner with a flap of duct tape hanging from his lip were he'd bitten it to tear. He sighed, slapping it over a cardboard box and writing  _ plates _ across the top with a felt tip pen. In just under an hour, they'd managed to pack up Seth's whole kitchen. Each night, they took a handful of boxes down to the Jeep, and whatever they couldn't bring, they were determined to load that weekend when they'd spend most of the day moving. 

"I'm just going to pick up KFC on the way home for him 'cause he likes that." Roman said, stacking the boxes by the kitchen door. "I'll probably just get a bowl there myself… if you don't want that, there's the leftover spaghetti at home."

"I'll just do that." Seth said softly, finishing his task and limping over to wrap his arms around his boyfriend. Roman stiffened a little from the touch around his sides, but allowed Seth to continue. "I dunno how to tell you how much I appreciate all this…"

"It's fine babe. Don't worry about it." Roman muttered, "I'm sure I'll need help gardening once school starts, you can pay me back then."

"Mmm," Seth sighed, looking down at the sea of boxes on the floor as he swayed on the spot. Everything looked empty and weird, and any time either of the men talked, the walls echoed over loud, just as they'd done when Seth had moved in and had little personal belongings to fill the room. The couch had been pressed against the wall and would be thrown away that weekend after everything was moved. Roman had brought his blue tooth speaker to play while they worked, but even soft R&B music didn't make up for how ghostly everything felt. 

Sure enough, by the time Dean got home, he hurriedly ate his food and stole away to the backyard to be left alone with the chickens. Seth tried to stick his nose in a book, but couldn't shake the restless feeling he got when he knew his boyfriend was frustrated. Roman went out to see him, walking through the darkness and letting Kevin outside for a potty break. When Dean came in a little while later, he was holding a piece of paper and looking confused. Returning inside and shutting the sliding glass door, Roman was apparently still explaining its application.

"It's just for Amazon, you can only use it there," he said, kicking off his slip ons and walking into the living room. "But you just plug it in at checkout and it's like a gift card."

Seth smiled, watching as Dean frowned, turning over what looked like a coupon code that had been printed onto a sheet of paper. His look of uncertainty was a little cute. After a few moments where Kevin jumped to Dean's side on the couch and Roman went to take a shower, Dean sunk low on his cushion and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Did Uce get you something?" Seth tried, not wanting to bring up anything that was bugging Dean. He could smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke across the room and he didn't want to guilt his boyfriend and make him feel worse. They were both still a little throaty, still not 100% after their sicknesses, but all Seth wanted to do was hold his boyfriend and assure him that he'd be okay.

"He got me… internet money," Dean said, tossing Seth the piece of paper. "I dunno why."

Seth picked up the sheet and looked it over, chuckling softly. Roman had gifted Dean fifty dollars to be applied to an Amazon purchase. It seemed very characteristic of Roman to toss Dean a few bucks as a distraction from his shitty problems. Although Seth immediately wondered why  _ he _ hadn't received any gift cards when he'd busted his knee.

"That's nice of him," Seth said simply, handing the paper back to Dean. "What do you think you'll get?"

"Fuck if I know," Dean grumbled, threading his fingers through Kevin's fur and sighing hard. "Did you tell him to do that?"

"Ppff no," Seth laughed, "Why? C'mon man, you should treat yourself! I'm sure you can find something cool. Amazon delivers stuff quick too!"

"I don't need anything," Dean mumbled, staring at the floor and looking pouty and bewildered. Seth just sighed, shrugging as he returned his attention to the Chuck Palahniuk book in his lap. Eventually Dean got up and made for the bathroom, nearly tripping on a stack of boxes that had been retrieved from Seth's apartment.

* * *

By the time Seth and Roman returned from ferrying the rest of Seth's things between their living spaces each day, Seth himself was usually too tired to make any headway unpacking them. His knee wasn't quite sore enough to mandate a cold pack, but it took a lot of effort to haul himself off the couch and convince his joint to do a few rounds of rehabilitative exercise before he went to sleep.

Roman and Dean didn't really seem to care that the house was a little unkempt and overfull. With everything going on in their lives, it was the last thing on a long list of other priorities. Seth had to smile though, remembering back to Halloween time when Dean's belongings had been stacked behind the kitchen table and Seth had been distraught, sure that his lover's were abandoning him somehow.

Everything had been a lot different then, and Seth liked to think he was a lot more confident than he'd been just few months ago. After all of the problems they'd had and were still experiencing, Seth couldn't imagine what his life would be like without his boyfriend's and their love.

He walked across the living room, stooping to help Kevin pull his rope toy out from behind the TV before he made his way to the kitchen. The house was quiet now and Seth turned off the back porch light, lost in thought. Roman and Dean were talking lowly in the bedroom and Seth was sure Roman was playing music or something, but his chest felt lighter as he could hear Dean's familiar snickering laugh from the other room. 

Just as he was going to grab a glass from the cupboard, Seth heard his phone buzzing on the coffee table in the living room and he frowned, sure that it was too late for a telemarketer. He strode into the other room and quickly picked up his device, seeing his mother's contact information and suddenly feeling guilty.

"Hey ma, I wanted to call you earlier-" Seth said fast, stifling a cough. He held the phone to his ear and slumped back down on the sofa. On the other end, he could hear muffled voices and a sort of scratchy noise. "Hello?" he tried again receiving no response. After a few moments, Seth wondered if his mother had butt dialed him, but before he could hang up, he heard a laughing shout and his mother's excited tone.

"Seth?"

"Did you call me?" He asked, annoyed.

"I was looking in my purse for my calculator and I think I started calling you on accident! I'm sorry dear! How are you?"

"I'm… good…" Seth said, sinking back into the sofa. "I got sick a little earlier, but I'm getting better. Were you doing something…? I wanna talk but…"

"Oh no it's fine honey, I was just sitting down to look at my checkbook, but I want to talk to you more." A strained voice was heard, some distance from the phone receiver. "Brandon says hi too."

"Hey Brandon," Seth said, scratching his beard. "Well, uh… how've you been? How is everything?"

"It's okay, we're managing up here." Holly sighed, "It's been very cold lately and I think we were going crazy for a bit, but it's above zero again and I got to meet with Channey the other day and get some brunch."

"That's… well, the cold's no good." Seth agreed, smirking as he was able to look out the window to a very snowless environment. "It's getting warmer here."

"Well, don't rub it in or anything, has your knee been okay? How has therapy been?" She asked. Seth could hear her voice softening a little and his guilt intensified. Seth really was  _ her _ kid, not that she didn't love and support his step-brother similarly, but he felt awful not being as communicative with his mother when she clearly wanted to talk with him.

"It's been going good, yeah." Seth said, "I'm making really good progress and I think my walk is looking less… lopsided I guess. I think I'll be driving soon again and I'll try to get back to exercising normally."

"That's excellent,"

"Yeah," Seth muttered, combing his hair with his fingers and sniffing a little. "It's hard to be patient all the time, but everyone's really nice and helpful so I try not to let it get to me."

"I wanted to ask you too-" Holly cut in, "I meant to ask you sooner, but have you been getting any billing information from the hospital?"

"For… therapy? Or…" Seth lowered his eyebrows, thinking hard. "I haven't checked my mailbox much and I still need to go to the post office and change my address…"

"Make sure you check and get back to me, open anything you get and let me know what it says." She said firmly, sighing hard. "The last time I talked to Grandpa, well, he said he'd paid it, but I don't know exactly what happened…"

"What do you mean?" Seth asked, anxiety rising within him so his fingers felt tingly. 

"Well, I'm not sure, It's always possible that he just didn't fill out the form correctly or something but I don't want to be too forward with him about it. He's been having a hard time this winter with a lot of things... "

"Well… am I in trouble if it's not paid?" Seth asked quickly. "Was the surgery paid for?"

"Well, that's what I want you to look in the mail for." Holly said, "We'll know when you do."

Seth blinked, feeling a little sick.  _ What did all of this mean? _

"Is Grandpa okay?" Seth asked sheepishly, trying not to panic about hospital bills. "If you… if you don't want to talk about it, I guess I understand…"

"No, it's fine." Holly said, though Seth could tell she wasn't happy. "He just has been saying some things that make me worried. Since Grandma passed, I feel like his memory isn't very good and he forgets that I'm coming to see him now sometimes."

"He was sharp when I talked to him." Seth said, unable to stop his voice from jumping a little.

"Yes, well, it comes and goes." She admitted, "I know that he doesn't want to leave the farm, but I've been looking into some options for in-home nurses or specialists in memory care, but it's difficult unless we have a diagnosis. I don't know how he would feel about going to a doctor or anything… well… I dunno. I think it's going to be a tough conversation so I want to wait for a day that works best for me and Bob to both go to the farm and sort it out."

"Damn… I mean… I'm sorry mom," Seth coughed, trying to keep the receiver away from his mouth as he hacked. "I hope everything goes okay…"

"Yes, well, you should come up for Easter or something and see all of us. Grandpa would really like that, he asks when you're coming up again."

_ More guilt.  _

"Oh… uh… maybe." Seth bit his lip. "Roman got us all a houseboat for Spring Break and his mom seems really… intent on us visiting for the holidays…. But maybe, like, the next weekend or something? I don't…." Seth sighed hard. Roman came into the living room with a questioning look on his face and Seth dropped his gaze to the floor. "I don't want to be a bad son or anything."

"Well, look at your calendar and see what we can do. As much as I'd love to have the family come down to you, I don't think we could all get tickets."

"No, that would be silly." Seth said, watching Roman cross the room and grab his iPad to work. "I should visit, I want to. I just… I think Roman's family just plans everything and I get lost in the shuffle of it. Would it be too late… for me to come home for my birthday you think?"

"We'll take you when we can get you." Holly said, and Seth knew she was smiling. 

They continued to talk until it was nearly ten o'clock Seth's time. Kevin bundled himself on Roman's lap as he typed away at his computer and Seth laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. He tried to just let his mother talk and enjoy herself, hearing about a loud party the neighbors had and a few sad stories of kids from his former high school getting mixed up in some drug related scandal. Brandon was his usual goofy self after his breakup and Bob was trying to occupy himself with house projects now that the football season had wrapped.

"I'll be moved in by the end of the month," Seth said simply when his mother asked him how his relocation was going. "We're just chipping away at it at the end of the day. "Roman's been helping a lot. Dean's had a hard month and his car died so we're just holding it down."

"But you're liking it there? You feel good being over there?" Holly asked carefully. Seth grinned.

"Yeah, I like it a lot, everything's okay," Seth said through his smirk. "We have hard times but then Roman just makes us food or we watch TV together or something." 

"Amen to that," Roman said softly across the room. Holly chuckled. 

"Okay, well, so long as you're doing good kiddo. Just… make sure you check the mail and let me know what you find. I can handle the rest. It's getting pretty late for you!"

"Yeah yeah, I'll be going to bed soon," Seth yawned huge, stretching and feeling his hips pop a little. "Hmmm, I love you mom. Thanks for accidentally calling me."

"Of course sweetheart. I love you too…"

He hung up the phone and pawed his hand across the blanket on the sofa, damp with sweat from holding the device to his ear for so long. Kevin barked softly at the noise of the phone hitting the table, and Roman shushed him, petting the small dog's head.

For awhile, Seth didn't say much, content to continue staring at the ceiling, sleepy but restless with the new information. He still wasn't 100% sure his mother was pleased with his decision to move, but she wasn't making any attempt to sway him from his position. Her voice had sounded kind, albeit a little tired, and Seth was sure her mind was more preoccupied with thinking about his Grandfather's health.

Things just hadn't been the same since Seth's grandmother died. Distracted and awash with morbid thoughts, Seth recalled the day of her funeral service as he lay on the sofa, massaging his thigh. It hadn't been that long ago at all, but Marek had been at his side at the funeral home. Both of them had worn ill fitting black button ups and Seth remembered his mother speaking at the front of the tiny little room. 

Being a pallbearer had been weird. The whole week between his grandmother passing and her interment had felt like entering a daze. Seth had been sad, surely, but it had been the first time he'd seen his family so affected and defeated in his living memory. It had taken several Sunday brunches for a new reality to take hold, and Seth hadn't visited the grave since.

"You sleeping out here?" Roman asked, walking over to peer down at Seth. Seth blinked, blushing a little as Kevin was placed in his lap.

"Mmn, maybe," he mumbled. "All done studying?" 

"I signed up for my spring classes," Roman said, shifting his ipad in his hands. "Nothing too crazy."

* * *

Through the end of the week, Seth felt as though he was acting on autopilot as he went to White Water. With everything going on between Dean's misfortunes and the stress of moving, he felt as though the combination of multiple anxieties made him more introverted and quiet. He texted Cesaro and his mother on occasion, but Seth didn't want to bring up any family matters to his boyfriends at the moment, sure that there was nothing that could really be done about it.

Roman, for all his usual tendencies to support and care, was now in the thick of his school work and struggling to find ways to assist Dean that didn't smother him. His beard had grown out again and he'd started going to the gym more often after his morning shifts, usually sipping a coffee by the time he and Seth went to the apartment to help move things.

"I think we're morphing into the same person," he laughed, watching Roman pull on one of Seth's beanies as they packed up a plastic bag full of extra clothes. Roman just rolled his eyes.

"You're the one that keeps stealing my hoodies, we need to grab that fleece one out of your car. I actually wear that one."

"I think I just got used to wearing them after the surgery," Seth admitted, pulling up the neckline of the Georgia Tech sweatshirt he was wearing until it hung on his nose. "I can't help it, you smell good."

Though it was getting hard to distinguish their own unique scents the more that they mixed everything together, truthfully, Seth had stopped differentiating a lot of their laundry. He and Dean wore a lot of the same sizes, and all of their hips were in the same ballpark for sweatpants, though Dean usually had to tie the waistband tight so it didn't sag. 

Seth wasn't sure if Roman was really bothered by these things, as he just continued to sip his drink and push spare towels into a garbage bag for easy transport.

Dean was simply overwhelmed, and Seth had learned that there was very little he could do about it. Each morning he stayed in bed over long and usually only had the energy to pop an eggo in the toaster, unless Roman made him something better. To the relief of his boyfriends, he was getting his medications down at the usual time without pause, but they didn't seem to improve his situation past where he was.

Really, if Miz wasn't working, Seth was sure that Dean would have rebounded by now. Hunter and Stephanie were too hands-off to really sense the frustration that was building, but Seth was witness to more than one occasion where Miz and Maryse were proving to be disruptive.

"We wanted to see the annual breakdowns, you know, like a year by year spread? It blows my mind you guys haven't gone to One Note yet." Miz drawled, holding a tablet in one hand and offering his view to Dean. "I think a lot of what we're seeing here is great for our own internal management, but if we wanted to write a grant-"

"That's not… my job…" Dean said through pursed lips. Seth was listening from across the pool deck as he changed the trash liners. His fingers felt tingly from how stern and annoyed his boyfriend sounded. "Look, man, Roman didn't write a bunch of grants-"

"Well I'm new here and this is what we're doing going  _ forward _ -" Miz said, his voice hard and grating. "None of the overhaul on the programming was even started and I'm trying to get an ad campaign off the ground too. We've got all the groundwork to be doing so much more and I don't want old habits making us look  _ shabby _ . Does that make sense?"

Seth didn't hear Dean respond and he looked up in time to see his boyfriend's face looking placid and glazed over. He just stared at Miz, exhaling with his arms crossed before he turned on his heel and went back into his office, letting the door shutter hard against the frame. It wasn't enough to wait for Miz and Maryse to huff and awkwardly shuffle out, Seth knew Dean didn't want anyone trying to pester him.

Instead, he sent him a few choice chicken videos from youtube. Around three, Dean sent him a thumbs up emoji. It was as good a pick me up as Seth could manage.

"When's little Sami coming back?" Kevin asked Seth at the end of the day, handing off a few spare boxes that he'd emptied over the course of the day. Seth thought for a moment, kissing his teeth, trying to remember. 

"I thought Monday… I don't know," Seth said, turning to tease. "What he didn't tell you himself?"

"I asked him and he forgot," Kevin grunted. "Doofus couldn't find his boarding pass in his email or something."

"Well, I'm sure it  _ feels _ like a lifetime," Seth continued, smirking as Kevin rolled his eyes. Kevin wasn't a bad coworker at all really. Though he could be curt and sarcastic, Seth enjoyed the banter. 

"I'm just glad Chris isn't here instead," Kevin said, shaking his head. "That asshole always expects me to put out the new towels."

* * *

By Friday, Seth was just trying to keep himself calm and level headed. Once he was moved in, everything would be easier. His landlord had told him to slide his keys through the rent deposit box in the lobby, and on the first, his unit would be inspected and assessed. Everything was packed, Roman was still in the process of reorganizing the garage to fit everything, but Seth breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw the last stack of his belongings neatly organized in the middle of his living room.

Saturday Roman was working a short shift, but Dean gave a grumbly agreement to help Seth get things started as soon as possible. In his head, Seth just kept a running list of everything that needed to be done. Counting down the hours on the clock, and scratching at his bun nervously as he cleaned all the mirrors in the locker rooms.

"You look weird in grey," Sasha commented, walking past as Seth as he grabbed a clean rag from the garbage trolley. Immune to her teasing, Seth sprayed windex in the vague direction of her exposed toes, making her shriek.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked, suddenly remembering. "Just uh, check the girls locker room quick and see if there's anyone there? I was going to clean the mirrors quick?"

"Jeez I  _ guess _ ," Sasha said, acting more annoyed than she actually was. Before she could even get the door handle around her hand, it opened and a younger girl came out of the door, trailing her backpack around her legs. 

"Holly sweetie, we need to put your swim suit in there-" Mrs. Shippley's voice rang out. It actually took a moment for Seth to realize it was Holly because her hair had been cut short, but Sasha immediately smiled. Mrs. Shippley came out the door and grinned as well.

"We were doing our homework!" She explained. "Holly, how many jumps did you do today?"

Holly just nodded and looked at the floor, clearly bashful. Her mother stuffed her swimsuit into her tiny backpack and Seth watched as she began playing with her necklace.

"That's awesome Holly!" Sasha said, leaning down sweetly to lightly pat the girl's shoulder. "Did you want to say hi to Mister Seth?" 

Holly blinked confused and Mrs. Shippley laughed, just noticing Seth herself. If took Holly a few moments to recognize her former teacher outside of his usual garb, but she blushed hard and took a step back before mumbling a small  _ hi _ .

"How have you been Holly? You're jumping now? That's so cool!" Seth grinned, bending slightly at the knee to see her better. "I've missed hanging out with you in the pool."

"How's your knee been?" Mrs. Shippley asked, "You're looking great!"

"Yeah, I just wear the brace to bed now, it's been getting there, slowly but surely."

"Sasha is my teacher now," Holly said, pointing to her. Sasha laughed. "I take classes with Rodrigo and Tally." 

"That's awesome," Seth snickered, watching as Holly nodded and looked up at her mother, shaking her hand.

"I want snack," she said. Everyone laughed again, watching the little girl swing her backpack impatiently. 

"We'll get to that dear, but were you going to be teaching again soon Seth? Roman said you were getting off your crutches, but how long until you're back in the water?"

"Oh, well... probably pretty soon I'd imagine," Seth said, continuing to observe Holly rocking back and forth. "I was really trying to take it easy, just so I wouldn't rush it… but I mean, I'm bearing weight on it now. I dunno when my PT would let me swim though."

"Sooner than later you'd think, right?" Sasha shrugged. "It's so low impact."

"Yeah," Seth said, shrugging and grinning. "I'd like to, definitely. Life has been busy though, but I think once I'm feeling a little less shaky I'll be back in it."

It was a little more grounding to see some familiar faces and talk with Sasha before her shift, but Seth started to get jittery as it was time to leave work for the weekend. It was a nice warm evening with a light wind, and although he couldn't quite place the feeling, Seth kept getting little chills and tingles as he shucked off his grey uniform. Sitting outside to enjoy the fresh air, he messaged Cesaro to distract himself. The parking lot was bare and quiet, as there weren't any big groups coming through for swim team or lessons, just a few birds were flocking around one of the light poles.

_ Getting very stir crazy here _ Cesaro said, snapchatting him with a picture of the view from his window, dark and dim at night. 

_ When r u coming back? _ Seth asked, straightening out his posture a little as he sat at the bench, waiting for a response. 

_ Little over a week. _ He replied _ I am going to Germany soon for fun but I think I may just come home sooner because the medicine makes me tired. _

_ u rehabbing here then? _ Seth typed out, thinking back to his last appointment with Dr. Del Rey. _ I did that Skierg thing the other day!!! _

_ Yes _ and then, Cesaro typed out a series of happy face emojis. Seth grinned, feeling warm and content.

_ I would send you a care package but im pretty sure u would be back in FL before it got to u.  _ He messaged, Seth's head turned as he watched Dean and Roman make their way out of the front door and began to walk down the path to where he was sitting. Seth instinctively stood up, pulling his back over his shoulder.

_ U could send it to my condo XD _

"Hey," Roman drawled, coming to a stop where Seth was standing. "How's your knee feeling right now?" 

"Uh, it's fine, why?" Seth asked, looking between his boyfriends. Dean had already stuffed a cigarette into his mouth and looked intent upon lighting it. Roman licked his lips.

"How you feel about moving everything tonight instead?" He asked, "I figure we can use tomorrow to sort of get your stuff unpacked and get the actual moving stuff out of the way now. Plus you have your appointment."

"Yeah, I guess that works," Seth said, not particularly hung up on doing everything the next day. If it worked better for Roman and Dean, it made sense. "Whatever is best."

"Cool, we'll grab some dinner quick and set down our bags, but yeah," Roman began to walk toward the Jeep, breaking from the group. "Meet you at the house?" 

"Yeah," Seth nodded, waving. "See you in a sec."

"How many boxes is it anyway?" Dean asked, flicking ash on his cigarette as he pulled out his keys. Seth's lip curled.

"A few, I dunno…" he said, trying to sound apologetic. "Really we just need to get that mattress down the stairs and get the couch out of there. Most of the rest of the stuff should be pretty straightforward."

"It's fine," Dean mumbled, unlocking the cadillac and plopping down in the seat. Seth moved the sun reflector and the car started, coming to life. "I'm ready to just get this over with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 1? Part 1!
> 
> I've broke half a million words and I'm putting a neat little bow on this fic by breaking it into two separate parts. Next chapter will be the END of the first half and I'll be taking a hiatus to prep the second half, write a few shorter fics and give my Beta a chance to breathe. I've had a few dedicated folks hanging on to give me reviews each chapter, but I think everyone's a few chapters behind and this is a good opportunity for you to re-read things you like and catch up and such. If you like this fic, let me know! I'm not going to hold up posting more until I get x amount of comments or anything shitty like that, but maybe tell me what you'd like to see in the second half so I can focus in on it more.
> 
> We will be seeing the houseboat spring break, more glimpses into Roman and Dean's sexualities, additional characters and a few more surprises and happenings I haven't illuminated yet. It seems a little counter intuitive to take a break right when the SHIELD is returning to WWE, but I'll give it some time to generate new content to chew on. 
> 
> In any case, the only reason I'd abandon this is if my life suddenly became a crazy busy mess and nobody seemed to care anymore. I doubt these things will happen, but I'd give a reasonable explanation as such. None of you owe me anything. I'm doing this because it's fun!


	121. Take Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman and Dean help Seth move his belongings to the house.

The three managed to grab a quick dinner of Subway sandwiches and change into loose clothes before they got going. Seth actually felt really good about moving everything that evening and being able to spend the weekend as he pleased. Despite having so much time to plan and think about how he'd incorporate his own belongings into Roman's space, Seth had just become so accustomed to using his boyfriend's things that integrating seemed a little silly. Roman's cups were nicer, his towels and blankets were softer. There were enough coasters, matches, dryer sheets and hair bands to keep them occupied for a while and Seth almost felt guilty making such an ordeal of moving belongings that were really just auxiliary.

Of course, he'd learned his lesson after breaking up with Marek. Seth was smart enough to know that if worst came to worst, he'd need all of his things back. The worst part of the separation had been the petty fighting over shit as simple as tablecloths and toiletries. In the end, Seth had more or less let Marek take it all, save for a few things that were definitively his.

Dean stripped down to a white tank top and jeans and Roman opted for similar attire in darker colors, pulling his hair up in a high bun so it would be out of his way. As much as Seth wanted to help with what was heavy, his knee forced him to wait downstairs with the cars, trying to pack everything with some logic so they didn't have to make too many trips.

"Atta boys." Seth smirked, hustling up the path to the front doors as he saw Roman and Dean bringing down the dresser first. Keeping the entrances propped, the men made quick work of Seth's bed frame and the heavier boxes containing his cookware and books. In the warm night, they'd started sweating some and Dean huffed, pushing hair out of his eyes as he helped hoist boxes into the car so Seth wouldn't have to bend.

"Think we can fit a couple more?" Roman asked, panting a little as Seth worked to make sure the hatchback could still close. He nodded, looking to his lovers appreciatively.

As much as both men could assure him over and over again that it was all fine and there was no issue, Seth still felt his cheeks blushing hard as he watched Dean and Roman bring down one last box to make a first trip. It could have been just because they were so handsome, sweaty and worked up with their shapely arms exposed. Back in the passenger’s seat, Seth smiled, tracing a line of sweat down Roman's tattoo while he gripped the steering wheel.

"We're gunna have trouble all cramming into the shower tonight," Roman chuckled, straining to look out the window as most of his mirrors were blocked with boxes. Seth had bags and containers resting on his laps, jarring each time the vehicle shifted. Dean followed close behind, driving carefully as usual.

As the night went on, Seth grew quieter, sure that his boyfriends were more exhausted than he was, but he was a little overwhelmed with the realization that he'd likely be turning in his keys that night. It was difficult to be obsessively maudlin over a space he'd barely occupied in the last month, but more than anything, he didn't really know what he was feeling. _Was this it? Was this all it was?_ For all the emotional inertia he'd spent, lying in his old room, wondering if he was liked or loved by the other men, everything had happened so fast that he'd barely noticed.

He'd only spent a few times at Roman's house before he felt like he more or less lived there, and although Dean had known the man for several years, it was as though one silly drunken night at the end of the summer had unquestionably glued them together. No matter what, they'd been there for each other to muscle through bed bugs, family problems, injuries and mental illness. If Seth could go back and do it all over again, he probably would have handled a few things better, but he was surprised by how well he'd made everything happen so far.

"Babe?"

"Mm?" Seth turned from where he'd been trying to press a stack of boxes flush to the wall of the living room. Roman was standing in the doorway and had apparently said something while he was lost in thought.

"Can you hold the ladder for Dean? We're going to try to shoot the dresser up into the storage area."

"Oh, yeah." Seth scrambled, following Roman outside to where Dean was already halfway up the aluminum ladder, trying to crack his neck.

"We're gunna-" Roman bit his lip, surveying the dresser and narrowing his eyes. "We'll each come from the ground and then we can hold it by the side you think? Then… " Roman looked to Seth. "Just make sure that you hold the other side so the weight don't flip us."

"The drawers come out, here." Seth approached the furniture and began to pull the wooden containers from the sliders. "Just so they don't fall on the way up…"

"I'll just yell if I'm gunna drop it," Dean snickered, cracking his knuckles and coming down a step so he and Roman could work on hoisting the heavy dresser up. Seth hastened to support the ladder, gritting his teeth as he heard fingernails scratching, trying to find purchase.

"You got it?" Roman asked breathlessly, grunting as Dean winced. Seth kept a firm hold on the ladder but pushed with his left hand, moving under the dresser so he could similarly help. It was sort of dangerous and stupid, but it helped Dean find his grip and slowly, they were able to step up, shifting the furniture to the top of the ladder.

"Is it on there?" Seth heard Roman ask from above. Dean murmured in response and they both pushed, moving the furniture piece back and onto the shelf. Roman cheered.

"I love you guys," Seth said uselessly, keeping a firm hold on the ladder as Roman stepped down, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"I didn't label any of my stuff," Dean muttered, still standing at the top and looking over the storage area. "If there's any bugs in there though, you'd think they'd be dead by now."

"Yeah?" Seth said, looking around to the stack of boxes by the garage door. "I think we can just do the bed tonight, get all that shit up in there and I can sort through whatever else I got and decide what I wanna toss up there."

"I can help tomorrow too, once I get-" Roman began, but Seth's blood ran cold as Dean took a step down near the top of the ladder and slipped, falling backwards and flailing slightly in the air as his legs kicked back the support. Roman yelled and Dean threw his arms behind him, landing slightly on his legs before coming down on his backside.

"Jesus fuck- are you okay?" Seth asked, rushing to the side of his boyfriend, who was actually laughing. Roman was at his other side immediately, helping him up, but Dean grinned mischievously.

"Yeah, yeah, I bounce, it's all fine," he said, dusting off the seat of his pants.

Seth sighed hard, trying to calm his rushing heart as he pushed his hair back anxiously. It took a few more minutes of assurance for Roman to be completely convinced that Dean was alright, but the fall seemed to give him the little push of adrenaline that he needed to keep going. As soon as the cars were emptied, Dean rushed to the back, rocketing into his seat and swinging his legs around while Seth got strapped in.

"I'm like a Stretch Armstrong," Dean giggled. Seth turned around and his ass was kicked up against the backseat, his legs over the headrests.

"You're definitely something…" Seth agreed, laughing.

Consolidating down to one vehicle for the last trip, Seth could tell his boyfriends were on the verge of being physically spent. The boxes began coming down at a slower pace as the sun began to fully set and Seth felt apologetic taking them to put in the car.

Dean just bounced on the balls of his feet and plodded back up the walkway, but Roman stopped and leaned on the car a little, fixing his hair and stretching.

"Just one more and then it's the bed-" he panted, standing up to full height again. "Can we fit all that?"

"Yeah, yeah." Seth nodded. "Thanks again… I can't believe you guys got all this done so quick."

Disregarding the family that was coming out of their car from down the lot, Roman grunted and planted a kiss on Seth's forehead, mussing up his hair a little. Seth smiled, squeezing his lover's fingers.

"We'll… take a little break here… I need a minute," Roman sighed, adjusting his shirt as he'd started to sweat through the fabric. After re-parking the car so they wouldn't get any angry looks for hanging out too long in the tow zone, Seth followed Roman up the stairs to the unit. Even if there weren't any glasses left in his cupboards, Seth wanted a drink of water.

Dean had apparently had the same thought as they entered the apartment and Seth heard the tap running in the kitchen. Blinking a little, he entered the living room, now completely stripped bare and empty.

"Fuck that's good," Dean muttered, brushing water off his cheeks as he emerged from the kitchen. Roman followed, dipping his head to sip from the faucet. Seth just walked into the open space of the carpeted room, hearing every movement maximized by the open area.

"Turn on the AC one last time?" Roman asked, pulling off his shirt and using his clothes to wick away the sweat from his side. Seth walked across the room to the wall, but instead, pulled open the balcony door to capture the light breeze. Dean hummed, walking outside to survey the neighborhood, now illuminated by streetlights and passing cars.

Seth joined him, leaning on the railing and shutting his eyes.

"This is a cool view," Roman said, coming behind them and plopping down to the floor. "How did you like livin' here?"

"Hmm?" Seth mumbled, opening his eyes. Dean sat on the balcony as well and soon all three men were sitting against the glass door, sleepily staring off across the dark skyline. "It was okay. It worked out the way I needed it to."

"Nicer than my old place," Dean noted. "But then, I had more space."

"No bugs, landlords were kinda responsive," Seth said, kneading his leg. "Really, if I lived on the first floor, I probably wouldn't have been jumping to leave like I did."

They sat in silence for a little while longer. For the first time in a while, Seth wished he had a beer. It was such a nice night and with all the hard work that they'd done, it would have been a nice little break between all the manual labor. Roman began to shiver a little, shirtless as he was, and he quickly slipped back into his black tank top. Dean tapped Roman's boot with his shoe and Roman in turn pressed his boot against Seth's Nikes, sighing.

"Well, not to be sappy or anything," Roman said, rubbing his chest. "But… I dunno… I'm really happy about this." He continued to look ahead, sparing Dean and Seth the responsibility of reacting a certain way. "I was talking to Summer earlier on Skype and she just asked me how I was doing and all, with the move and everything. I dunno… this obviously isn't the sort of lifestyle we all expected for ourselves, yeah? But like, it feels really good. There was a while there were I didn't really think I'd have something like this…"

Dean shifted and Seth felt a little chill. Roman looked cool as ever, chest proud, staring out.

"Y'all are my family. I hope you feel the same. I know I can get kinda obnoxious sometimes about it, but I hope you understand what that means to me."

"Of course," Seth said fervently. "After all this shit? Definitely man."

Dean nodded, picking at his nail beds. For a few moments there was silence, but he kicked his legs a little, finding his words.

"Sorry I've been all pissed off lately," he mumbled, scratching his gingery beard fuzz. "If you guys weren't helping me out, I'd be a fuckin' wreck…"

Roman and Seth paused, letting Dean work out his words. His voice was calm and sturdy, but as always, he seemed to think long and hard over what he chose to say.

"Just… it just sucks because I still feel like I'm in this… this rut. Work I couldn't give a _shit_ about-" he added for clarification. "I mean, that Miz dude sucks ass, but I can go to a job and not take that shit home with me. I just… I feel like I'm supposed to be doing something and I'm not doing it."

"You want… something more fulfilling?" Seth provided. Dean shrugged.

"Like, I dunno if I want it, or I just think I _should_ want it 'cause other people want it or something." Dean sighed. "I don't know how to talk about it."

"Well, don't worry about it," Roman said, turning to Dean. "Really, just take your time-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dean interjected. "I just, I'm just tryin' to say like, you guys are… you're like the thread keepin' it all together some days. Not even like, the fact that you have cars and stuff, but… you always wanna hear me talk and wanna know what I think and you're always like really nice and shit…"

Seth couldn't help but feel butterflies in his gut, even if he already knew everything Dean was saying. Dean's dorky little grin and his downturned eyes never belied anything other than admiration. Seth could always tell when he was upset about something because it seemed as though his vision slid out of focus. But at that moment, he looked clear and present.

"I like it when you… like… you worry about me…" Dean said, turning to Roman and leaning into him harder. Roman made a noise between a cough and a gasp, jerking him by the shirt and tossing Dean into his lap.

"Bullshit! You're fulla shit!" he laughed, rubbing a hand on Dean's chest and patting his cheeks. "Where is my real boyfriend?"

Dean laughed, half falling backwards into Seth, who grunted, keeping his right hand in front of his knee so nothing could do him any harm. With his left, he cupped Dean's head, feeling his damp sweaty hair resting against his palm.

"I think I'm me," Dean said simply, looking between his lovers. "What?"

"I'm gunna puke," Seth said, grinning down at his boyfriend and rubbing his scalp. "Going cute on us."

"Yeah well, whatever," Dean mumbled, rolling back onto his belly so he could push off their laps and sit up from his knees then mumbling, "It's a leap year," as if that made sense of his actions.

A car alarm went off a few streets away and Seth sighed, resting his head on Roman's ample shoulder as Dean readjusted to sitting again. He wasn't really sure of the time, and he knew they should probably hurry up and get moving, but there he couldn’t feel much urgency to pull himself away. For the moment, all he wanted to do was lay there, numb to everything else, barely conscious of his crappy knee. Again, he felt blessed to be in the company of two men that he was so uniquely in love with, wholly assured they loved him back.

"I'm excited," Seth said, the thought simply falling out onto Roman's shoulder.

"Yeah? To move?" Roman asked, turning his head.

"For everything," Seth explained, nuzzling closer and feeling his beard hairs sticking in weird directions. "For this to be over with, to feel a little more normal with my leg and all… but also like, our vacation and stuff... "

"Yeah, that'll be a blast." Roman smiled, moving his arm so Dean could similarly lean against his tattooed side. "You guys should look and see if there's anything in the Keys that you want to do. It's nice to just cruise around on the boat, but we could dock places and like, go to restaurants and stuff. There's this really nice Italian place in Largo that has amazing seafood, and then there's snorkeling and stuff like that."

"Have you been there before?" Seth asked, looking over Roman's chest to see Dean. Dean shook his head.

"You know how I feel about jet skis," Dean said, muffled by Roman's arm.

"We'll do it all," Roman said. "And then we got Easter after, which will be really fun. Church stuff aside, we'll eat good. Mom will spoil us. The usual."

"I might go back to Iowa for my birthday," Seth said, remembering his conversation with his mother from last night, thinking carefully. "My grandpa isn't doing so hot right now… my mom wanted me to come up for Easter… but I really need to visit and see them."

"Yeah? He's just getting old?" Roman asked. Seth fidgeted.

"I'm not really sure, my mom thinks he might be having a hard time with his memory and stuff. Nothing urgent at least. He seemed fine when I saw him last… but I dunno... gotta make sure I see him as often as I can."

"Well, whatever ends up happening we'll still find some time to have fun," Roman said, pressing his lips to Seth's head. "I was thinking of doing something big for our birthdays."

"You're before me right?" Seth asked, shifting his thighs a little. Being so close to his lovers made him a little antsy; his dick was doing the sort of lazy statement of intent where it was making itself known, but not really getting hard.

"I'll be twenty-nine on the twenty-fifth." Roman exhaled, his eyes going wide for a moment. "Man… so fucking old."

"We'll get your AARP membership ready," Dean joked, biting his nails. Seth snorted.

"It's weird… I dunno… Depending on how much I care later on, maybe I'll wanna go out. Maybe I'll get my fill of fun in the Keys, but I was thinking about doing something like going to Parliament House or just some other club." Roman blinked, looking a little indecisive. "But, well, we'll see… maybe when they day comes I won't want to."

"What's Parliament house?" Seth asked. Dean made a noise.

"It's a gay bar, but it's like, one of the big ones," Roman explained. "It's a hotel too and they have a lot of like, drag shows and shit, but they got a pretty good mix of dance stuff and events, without getting too crazy." He shrugged. "But like I said, I dunno… those things are fun sometimes, but if I'm not in the right mood, we don't have to."

"That could be fun," Seth said, trying to be supportive. "I don't really get into a lot of gay drag stuff… but then… we don't really do _gay_ stuff that often."

"They got a bear den there," Dean said offhandedly.

"How do you know?" Roman turned to give him a look.

"Been there," Dean said, blushing red. "Done that."

They went about bantering back and forth about gay clubs and bears until Seth coughed hard from laughing and decided to get a drink of water. Sure that they'd spent enough time recovering, Dean and Roman stood up too, coming back inside to use the bathroom and see what was left to move. Leaning his head to drink from the sink again, Seth sighed, hearing the empty refrigerator humming. Everything had been cleaned, wiped down and swept up. They was almost done and he grinned against the water spilling into his mouth, hearing Roman and Dean horsing around in the bedroom.

"Glad you guys got your energy back, I was a little worried," Seth drawled, walking into the bedroom just in time to see Dean run and flop right into where Roman was sitting, knocking them both flat on the bed in a heap. Roman let out a dramatic feral growl and Dean scrambled, coming in back to pull his arms around his neck in a chokehold.

"Don't fuckin-" Roman laughed, grabbing Dean's elbow and twisting out. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to do!"

Dean's laughter was short lived as Roman mustered up the strength to pick him up and toss him on the bed with amazing speed. Seth cackled, watching Dean flail off the bed and slide onto the ground in a heap. If his knee wasn't so questionable, he would have hopped on Roman's back and joined the fun.

"Hey man, if you pop a stiffy it's cool," Dean said, wiping his nose on the back of his hand as if he was checking for a nosebleed. "Maybe we should give this place one last send off."

"I haven't got sheets." Seth laughed, feeling excited all the same. Dean tutted.

"Little bit of friction never hurt no one," he argued. "Plus we can get it all dirty and not have to worry about it."

"It's _my_ bed," Seth whined, but, in defiance of his words, Roman came up behind him and cupped his chest in his hands, feeling carefully against his front. Even through a sweatshirt, Roman was too expert at finding right where Seth's nipples were and drawing lazy circles, humming as he nuzzled in close to his neck. Seth exhaled, instantly resigned to his fate, nuzzling back.

"We fucked here once," Dean said, shucking off his shirt and tossing it against the open door. "While back… before we were a unit."

"Yeah?" Roman said, in Seth's ear. Seth shivered, thinking back. It had been so long ago, the night of the hurricane where Seth had invited Dean over. That failed first date where they'd run around outside like psychos and then lost power. He remembered it all vividly and without pause, his dick began to ripen up in his pants, sure of the recollection.

"Yeah, that was fun," Dean said, leaning into Seth, sandwiching him between two chests. With a smile, he pressed further, their mouths touching as Seth sagged to the touch. Dean had been so flighty lately, the kiss felt long overdue. To be truthful, Seth had brought up the memory of that night quite often, usually when he had a few extra minutes in the shower where he could jack off.

"That was…" Seth broke the kiss, groaning as Roman's hands traced over his thighs, making his dick twitch. "That was the first time I came with a dick in my ass…"

Dean blinked and moaned, pressing his forehead against Seth's and maintaining eye contact the whole time. They all smelled like sweat and want, Roman's hands began circling his hip, and Seth stared back into Dean, unwavering.

"Yeah…" Seth continued, feeling stupid and shy. He'd never been much of a dirty talker. "I didn't think it was even really possible, but I was riding your dick and I just felt it… it was so crazy… No one had ever done that to me before."

"Oh yeah?" Dean said, nuzzling to the other side of Seth's neck, opposite where Roman was sucking hard, fit to leave a mark. Seth swallowed, shuddering as he felt a rough hand over his crotch, kneading the obviously tented area.

"Yeah…"

"Fuck," Roman grunted, running his fuzzy chin down Seth's throat, tickling him. Dean was making quick work of his pants, sliding his shorts over his compression brace. In all of a few seconds he'd been stripped down to just his sweatshirt and and his dick was sticking straight from beneath his top.

"Have we got lube?" Seth asked desperately, sure that he wasn't magically carrying any around in his pants. Roman paused, but Dean let off a snickering laugh, pulling a little bottle of gun oil from his pants pocket.

"That cheap stuff." Roman grinned. "I don't know if I should be worried-"

"Be thankful, yeah?" Dean said, dabbing a bit on his fingers and rubbing it around Seth's cock. It was a little useless, considering Seth was so proactive about leaking early and often, but he shivered all the same, letting his eyes roll back as Roman continued kneading his breast. "Who's pokin' who first?"

As always when all three of them participated, there was a sort of awkward energy that usually replaced raw passion with patience and turn taking. Seth wanted to be fucked (which wasn't unusual), Dean was handsy, and Roman felt dark and predatory, pulling off Seth's top and sliding out of his own. Their breath caught loud and echoed against the walls, and in the dim overhead light, Seth could just make out the specks of light in his boyfriends’ eyes as he stood, aroused, his cock tingling from the lube.

"I wan' someone to sit on my face," Dean said rather unexpectedly, blushing. Seth squawked.

"Yeah?" Roman grinned, Dean's eyes narrowed, thinking hard between the two. Seth wasn't really sure what was to be gained from such an activity, but he wasn't opposed to doing it.

"I can," Seth volunteered, thinking. He wasn't really sure if he was supposed to face one way or the other, but he licked his lips, staring at Roman's fat cock. "I'll do that and then I can suck you off, yeah?"

Dean positioned himself, laying breathless and flat on the bed and Seth giggled as he mounted him, suddenly self conscious of whatever body hair he had between his legs. Dean's hands came up to find his thighs, patting softly and Seth tried his best to settle, unsure exactly of how he was supposed to sit or balance. His knee twinged a little, but it was easy to ignore. Lowering himself flat, Seth let off a little 'ooh' as he felt Dean's mouth immediately lapping at his ass.

"Feel good?" Roman laughed, kneeling over Seth and watching his expression go slack and dazed. Blinking, Seth smiled up at Roman. "I'm always afraid I'll crush him when I do it to him."

Seth moaned a little, savoring the image of Roman straddling Dean's face with his ample backside and Dean making similarly vulgar wet noises to what he was currently letting off. Everything sounded sopping and loud, and quickly Seth licked his lips again, trying to prepare for the dick in front of his face.

It was a little strange, fucking in a room that was almost completely barren. Despite having spent his winter in the apartment, Seth didn't really feel like the place was his at all. His dick pulsed around his legs, taking Roman's cock in his mouth and tingling from Dean's tongue. It was difficult to balance on the bare bed, and Seth wrapped his fingers around Roman's hips, keeping himself upright and sturdy. With one hand, Roman undid Seth's bun, letting his hair fall in a drape around his shoulders, fluffy and a little sweaty.

Bottoming out, Seth gagged with a soft ' _unf_ ', steeling his throat to be soft and relaxed. He could feel Roman groaning and trembling, enjoying the sensation of his tongue lathing around the backside of his dick. Pressing his nose flat against his lower belly, Seth worked his way up to a shallow swallow, spit dripping down into his beard.

"Fuck, babe," Roman groaned, feeling Seth smiling with a mouthful of dick. Praising fingers tangled in his hair and pulled back. Sure of himself and feeling sultry, Seth flicked his eyes up and was rewarded with Roman's almost pained expression, watching him suck back and forth, eyes damp with pleasure. Dean tapped lightly at Seth's backside and Seth hinged upwards, giving him some space.

"No condoms," Dean grunted, face soaking wet between Seth's legs. "But if we make a mess, we can just use my shirt, I don' care."

Roman just purred, stuffing Seth's face back down and relishing the feel. Seth took his balls in hand and toyed with them sweetly, giving a few last licks and nuzzling against his neatly trimmed crotch before pulling away.

"I wanna fuck," Dean said simply, extricating himself between his lovers, and giving his dick a few squeezes, looking between the two.

Seth couldn't imagine a better way to part with his former apartment, even though it meant they were putting moving on hold for quite some time. He and Roman switched in and out, trading turns being fucked by Dean and taking the time to nourish each other with kisses between being laid out on the bed. Giggling and sweating from head to toe, they took breaks, hustling to the bathroom and sticking their heads under the tap.

About an hour into their love fest, Dean initiated a rinse in the shower and Roman and Seth cycled in, piling their hair back into a knot at the backs of their heads so they wouldn't have to worry about damp hair. Without a towel to dry off with, Dean ran around the house naked and roughhoused with Roman again while Seth watched, sure that he wouldn't really care if someone took a swing at the wall and marked it up.

Pinned to the ground by Roman's dripping frame, Seth watched eagerly as his lovers began to kiss again. Dean's hands twitched in the threads of the carpet, open and yielding while Roman moaned and began to press his cock up against his leg. None of them had really come yet, more intent on just having fun and messing around, but without the release, nobody was really sure when to stop.

"I want innnn," Seth whined, coming over and lightly tapping Roman with his foot. It was more playful than serious, but Seth's dick was still pointing forward in earnest and his stomach was beginning to cramp from the lack of finality. He wanted to just lay around and be silly and naked for as long as possible, but he definitely wanted to get his ass filled up for longer than a couple of seconds.

"You want a threeway _kiss_?" Dean laughed. Seth shook his head, rolling his eyes. Roman reached up and tickled behind his thigh, making him gasp and hop away.

Being isolated from the world and awash with so many emotions, all three of them were uncharacteristically playful. Roman's face was warm and red, his smile bright. Dean's depressive state was apparently sidelined in place of a pink and giggly grin. They were all objectively dirty and gross, but their eyes were dark and calm, simply happy to be embarrassing.

"No, I want a dick in my butt," Seth mumbled, pressing a stray hair out of his face and standing at a safe distance in case someone wanted to tickle him again. "The floor can't be that comfortable."

"We could fuck on the balcony," Dean said mischievously, getting up and walking to the sliding door. Seth and Roman both called Dean back in earnest, sure that they didn't want the cops called.

"I would fuck in the shower if I wasn't afraid of falling down," Roman said, grunting as Dean came down to sit on his chest. "No shower mat or nothin'."

"We don't have to fuck _everywhere_ ," Seth reasoned, pinching his ass cheeks and feeling old lube sticking to his skin. "I'm not that slutty."

"Coulda' fooled me," Dean snorted, making a kissy face when Seth pouted, rolling his eyes again.

"Mmm, I know…" Roman said thoughtfully, turning on his back so Dean was forced off. Slowly standing up he walked to the wall the separated Seth's former bedroom from the living room and laid a hand on the surface, checking the texture. "Now… I dunno how long I can do it, but we can try…"

"What?" Seth asked, shivering a little. "On… Oh…."

Immediately, Seth grinned, some athletic wall-fucking he could get behind. He'd always wanted to try something like this, but the bedroom walls in Roman's home had a stucco finish that would definitely sting with friction. And Dean, as much as Seth was sure he would _try_ , was a little too small to really pull off such a move.

Roman was undoubtedly the powerhouse, though Dean was quick to assist.

"I'll pull you up," Roman said, grinning and tapping the backside of Seth's thigh. "You need to push your legs up so I can grab you, yeah?"

"Okay," Seth giggled, wrapping his arms around Roman's neck. Dean was at their side, half spotting the activity with intent to catch Seth's bottom should he fall. If anyone would have walked in on them at that moment, it would have been an inexplicable sight.

With a grunt, Roman hefted Seth into his arms and pushed him against the wall. Helpful as always, Dean grabbed Roman's dick between their arms and lined it up, leaving little room for error and patting Seth's belly in some congratulatory manner. Seth groaned, resting his head back against the wall as Roman rumbled, pushing in and bottoming out immediately in the wet warmth.

It was strange, definitely difficult, but in a lot of ways it was a dream come true. With a single pump, Seth choked out a winded cry and fell against Roman, indescribably full. He was so hunched over that it felt like he had much less room in his hips, but Roman's dick was still thick and long, filling him up to overflow. With every motion, Roman grunted, trying to keep Seth aloft and in a good position to be taken, but obviously overwhelmed by the motion.

"Oh wow," Dean remarked, watching the scene and pumping his own dick as Roman found an appropriate rhythm. "Fuck Uce… you're making _me_ wanna take dick…"

"Unnnnnghhhhh-" Seth whined, completely unprepared for Dean's dirty talk. He leaned in, burying his face in Roman's sweaty collarbone. Roman continued to plod on, breathing hard and heaving him high to make sure he didn't poke Seth in a way that hurt. Dean's grip on his cock intensified, and with a bold slap to Roman's ass, all three men howled, pummeling faster.

"C'mon guys, let's void the deposit on this place!" Dean yelled, carefully twining an arm into the fray and pushing Seth back against the wall. Seth cried, eyes tight shut as Dean pinched one of his little nipples firmly between his thumb and forefinger before trailing down his front in the mess of fuzz and sweat. In his lap, Seth's cock was pulsing hot and wet, leaking all over Roman's belly. The commotion of being lifted into the air was difficult to focus on and as much as Seth wanted to come, it was all very distracting.

Roman apparently thought so too, likely overworked with the effort of holding Seth up. Gingerly, he unsheathed his cock and set Seth on his feet again. Seth had but a second to whine before he was turned and Roman bent him over, pushing inside and fucking him with unrelenting vigor.

"There we go, there we go," Dean coached, coming in between Seth and the wall and cupping his cheeks. "Fuck yeah, baby, can I come on your face?"

"Wha-?" Seth hiccuped, blinking hard. He didn't care, he could barely breathe. His fingers were reaching out trying to find anything, Dean, the wall, it didn't matter, just something to brace himself against with Roman's hips shattering against his ass. The air was thick with the noise of lube sloshing around and Seth's labored pants. Dean grounded him, helping him find his balance while he beat his dick in time.

"Or on your chest, I don't care babe, you just look so fucking good," Dean muttered, toying with Seth's nipples again mercilessly, rolling the perky buds in his hand like dice. "Anywhere, you tell me?"

"I… don't…. care…" Seth grunted, breathlessly, shaking his head. He knew Dean _wanted_ him to say it explicitly, in some sexy gravelly voice, but he could barely think. Roman slapped his thigh a little, groaning as if he was going to shoot. "My mouth…fine..."

"Fuck yeah, oh-" Dean shuddered and Seth pinched his eyes shut just in time, feeling hot ropes of come flying at the general vicinity of his beard. In the pit of his stomach, his own orgasm was struggling, fighting to emerge. It wasn't so much as a wave as a beating and as he gasped, his mouth fell open, catching come on his little pink tongue.

"Fuck, fuck… oww…" Roman panted, his extremities shaking hard. A cold shiver ran down Seth's spine, but Dean laughed.

"Cramp?" he asked, watching Roman seethe and hiss, backing out of Seth and palming at his right calf.

"Mmhmm-" Roman grunted, falling to a knee. Suddenly empty and devoid of touch, Seth reached for the wall to keep him up. Come was beading down his leg and hanging to his face and all he wanted was a moment to catch himself.

"Man, we ain't got any cups," Dean said, dusting off his cock and looking from Seth, hunched against the wall and Roman, crumpled on the floor.

"I'll be fine, just give me a minute," Roman muttered, holding his leg and sighing hard. "I haven't tried to do that in awhile."

"'S'was fun," Seth said, muffled against the wall. "Sorry you cramped."

"It's okay."

Dean retrieved his shirt, and, true to his word, he used it to help clean Seth's face, laughing as he assisted in untangling sticky come from his beard. Seth just blushed, sure that it had been the most dirty he'd ever gotten during sex. The floor was marked up from where he'd shot his own load, but he waited until he wiped up his backside to try scrubbing at the carpet.

As soon as Roman was able to stand, he drank from the faucet for nearly a minute, rehydrating and gathering his strength as they put their clothes back on. Dean just went shirtless, stuffing his soiled tanktop into his pocket and leaning on the bed until they were ready to go again.

"You think you got this Uce?" Dean asked, patting the mattress as Seth re-tied his hair bun. It was nearly 11:30 at night now and the bed was the last thing they had to move. Roman nodded, patting Seth on the backside and kissing his forehead.

"Can you get the doors lil' Uce?"

"Mmyeah," Seth mumbled, nodding fast. "Sure."

Everything felt surreal and the hallway lights seemed overbright as the men picked up the mattress and made their way downstairs. Seth took longer on the stairs, unaccustomed to moving so quickly after sex. Roman's hair was falling out of it's bun and Dean's exposed skin was pink and teased from the activity, goosepimpling as soon as they were outside.

"Fuck, I'm just…" Roman laughed, walking up the stairs slowly to grab the box spring with Dean and Seth in tow. "I'm just imagining the cleaning crew coming in and finding come all over the place…"

"It's Florida, they've seen worse," Dean chuckled, scratching his chest. Seth blushed, wondering how much come he'd have to leave to really void the deposit.

With one last glance around the apartment, Seth felt raw and empty. Dean and Roman had a much easier time with the frame since it wasn't so bendy and heavy, and Seth walked in paces around the space, thinking hard. Gone were the string lights on the balcony, the little dish rack in the sink and the curtains he'd hung in the bedroom. All the dog hair had been vacuumed up and the space looked the same as when he'd received his keys, ecstatic to start his new life.

It had all felt like some placeholder. Here was the spot he'd learned to live by himself. However quickly he'd swapped out, well… he could shrug it off or look back on it later as some stupid mistake. Currently, he just wanted to get to his home, with his boyfriends, take a shower and pass out with one to his left and one to his right.

Slowly, Seth turned off all the lights and walked out of the door, locking it behind him as he descended the stairs for a final time. As he walked, he began to feed the keys off of his lanyard. On the first floor, the lobby was dark and locked, and after retrieving a stack of letters from his mailbox, Seth stuck his hand into the rent deposit box, placing the keys inside.

"That it?" Dean asked, standing in front of the Jeep as Roman managed to shut the hatchback. The jeep was started and ready.

"Guess so," Seth said, his chest tingling. He looked back on the apartment complex with a sigh. "I'm tired, let's get outta here."

 

[ ](https://ibb.co/iwpSwR)

**END OF PART ONE**

**-CONTINUED IN PART II-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Confetti poppers*
> 
> Lookit that you guys! It's (halfway) done! I got some very sweet reviews from you all last chapter, as well as some folks in various stages of reading. I never have issues with receiving comments on old chapters... I don't think any one does lol. 
> 
> That said, I won't be posting the beginning of Part II next Monday because I'm going to take a little hiatus to 1. Build up chapters and plot points. 2. Post some other fics and prompts I've been meaning to give time to. 3. Work on my own book that is almost finished. And lastly, give you guys an opportunity to read, re-read or catch up with this fic where it's at. I'm a little afraid to re-read it myself and find that I stumbled into some plot hole along the way, but by all means, do so and call me out on it if you see it!
> 
> I'll be updating the index shortly so you can always use that to find bits you like. I'll likely just keep updating that same page with the chapters in the second half when it starts up. Part II should be live before Christmas or so, if it's not, just give me a poke and I can at least let you know if it'll be up sooner than later.
> 
> And lastly, thank you to all my readers and subscribers who continually type out praise, or just enjoy reading this on the bus when you're bored. As much as I like doing it, I don't think I would have written 500k of fuckin' shield lifeguard AU without you so you only have yourselves to thank. If you enjoyed this half of the fic and would like to donate to it, feel free. If you've never ever commented on this fic and like to wait until there is some sense of finality, by all means speak up! 
> 
> Follow me on tumblr for updates and sneak peaks for part II. Or just porn gifs. I'm good for both. Subscribe to me on here if you're interested in reading a Sesaro mpreg fantasy heist AU in between Part I and II of this. I'm not joking.
> 
> *Amazing art by RubyBelle!!! Commission them!  
> *Amazing Beta Skills for this work by the lovely KenjiDeath!
> 
> <3 <3 <3

**Author's Note:**

> If you really like this fic, consider [buying me a coffee!](https://ko-fi.com/466OGM6RNRAM) I'm always going to write regardless, but coffee helps me stay awake and write faster :)
> 
> Let me know if you have any specifics on things you'd like to see in this fic! I have plans for the length and general points I want to hit, but can always make room for a great idea.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr // safty.tumblr.com
> 
> Want to reread a specific part of this fic but blanking on the chapter name? I've made an index for you to find your favorite parts! [Check it out!](http://safty.tumblr.com/totherescueindex)


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